Summer of My German Soldier

Anton compares Patty’s father to Hitler, stating that the difference between the two may only be that one has much more power than the other. Is this comparison fair? Why or why not?

Summer of My German Soldier is written in the first person, and Patty, as narrator, takes the reader into her confidence. Do you, as a reader, feel that you understand Patty? Use evidence from the text in your response.

Ruth and Anton are Patty’s two favorite people. What makes them different than the other people around Patty? Are they both worthy of Patty’s respect? Why or why not?

Ruth’s son, Robert, has been conscripted into the war, and Patty is adamant about the need to fight the Nazis. Ruth, however, is neither adamant nor patriotic. The novel does not explore these differing attitudes toward war and patriotism. How might these perspectives be compared and contrasted? Why does each character think as they do?

For most of the novel, Patty is desperate for her parents to love her. How do their own relationships with their respective families influence how they feel about their children? Use evidence from the text in your response.

Summer of My German Soldier involves a brief but deep relationship between 12-year-old Patty and 22-year-old Anton. Both express their love for one another, yet there is nothing physical in their relation, except for a parting kiss. In your reading, is this relationship appropriate? Why or why not?

Research the history of Jews in the South in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. How does the Bergens’ experience compare to what is reported? Cite outside sources and evidence from the text in your response.

When Patty’s father comes to her despondent, asking why she helped Anton, whom he calls a Nazi, Patty as narrator writes that she can no longer bear her father’s grief as her own. Is this movement away from empathy for her father necessary for Patty, or not?