Parallel Journeys

Parallel Journeys, by Eleanor Ayer with Helen Waterford and Alfons Heck, compares the life of two young people in Germany during the rise of Hitler and the outbreak of World War II. They were born within sixty miles of each other, but their lives took dramatically different paths. Alfons, a boy grew up on a farm in Germany, but when Hitler came to power he became involved with the Hitler Youth. He began his training to become the future of Germany and eventually the world. There he learned discipline and order. He trained to become a soldier and he learned the ways of warfare. He was taught to be a follower of anti-Semitism. He was told to hate the Jewish, and that they were the reason for Germany's problems. As years went by, Alfons rose through the ranks of the military. He started as a captain of a couple hundred boys into a major general of a couple thousand that were among the last to surrender. When the Allies finally came into Germany, Alfons, only seventeen, threw out his uniform and became a translator for the Americans who did not know of his past. Eventually the Americans found out and Alfons was ordered to turn himself in. The Americans viewed the Hitler Youth as misguided children and let Alfons go. After thirteen years Alfons moved to America after the memories of the Hitler yeas were forgotten.
Helen Waterford was a young Jewish girl who grew up in Frankfurt, Germany. She married Siegfried Wohlfarth and the two moved to Amsterdam because of tension in Frankfurt. She had a baby girl Doris whom she gave to friends because she was going into hiding. She and her husband were found by the Nazis and taken to Birkenau. Birkenau was one of the forty camps at Auschwitz. There she experienced to horror of the death camps. Eventually she and three hundred other women were transported to the work camp of Krarzau. She became sick of hepatitis, but eventually recovered. The camp was liberated and she began her quest across Europe back to Holland to find her daughter. Eventually after being held prisoner again she completed her journey and was reunited with her daughter. She learns her husband did not make it back. She and her daughter get help from her husband's boss who buys them tickets to America where they begin their new life. Her story can be seen at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Parallel Journeys was a decent book. It shows the lives of two young Germans. One was promised a bright future as a member of Hitler Youth, and the other almost experienced death in a concentration camp. The book illustrates how lives of young Germans could be completely different. Both stories were very interesting and educating, but were not captivating and enjoying to read. It was hard to follow with book switching back and forth between stories. At some points it was boring and hard to get into. In conclusion, Parallel Journeys was a descriptive book with a lot to offer. It provides much information on two completely different lives. It provides the opportunity to learn of the status of the world during some of the most rememberable decades in world history.

This book is interesting book as it tells the story of a jewish lady and a hitiler youth member side by side.He, about his growth in the hitiler youth.Her's, about her struggle in the concentration camps.They would latter meet and attend lectures together.A nice book.

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This turned out to be the best book I have ever read.I learned many things that I didn't know about the Holocaust. I never realized how bad it was until I read this book. I was shocked to know how young some of the men were while in the military. It was really upsetting to know that if they diobeyed an order they could be put to death. For example, when Alfons thought an order he was given was a mistake and didn't follow it. He was lucky he wasn't killed, but he was punished. After that he promised to never diobey an order again even if it was to save himself. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

Reviewer: Corey (OH)
This turned out to be the best book I have ever read.I learned many things that I didn't know about the Holocaust. I never realized how bad it was until I read this book. I was shocked to know how young some of the men were while in the military. It was really upsetting to know that if they diobeyed an order they could be put to death. For example, when Alfons thought an order he was given was a mistake and didn't follow it. He was lucky he wasn't killed, but he was punished. After that he promised to never diobey an order again even if it was to save himself. I highly recommend this book to anyone.

This book opened my eyes to what really went on in WW2. I think everybody should read this book. It shows both sides of the story, not just what happend to the Jews, but also the Nazis side.If you have a chance to read this book, I recommend that you do. I give it a 2 thumbs up!