Friedrich

My son read this in 6th grade and it is a book about the Holocaust - it was a great read and thought provoking. Hans Peter Richter’s Friedrich tells the story of two boyhood friends between 1925 and 1942. They are the same age and live in the same block of flats, so they know each other well. Friedrich Schneider is Jewish. At the beginning of this story, Friedrich's father has a good job and his family is comfortably off. Friedrich's friend, who narrates the story, is poor. His father is unemployed. The narrator of the novel — Friedrich’s friend and an unnamed Christian — tells of the horror that befell Friedrich’s family as the monstrosity of the Third Reich loomed over their lives. While the narrator is able to observe as an outsider who is witness to the tragedy from a position of relative safety, Friedrich is swept along by unpredictable events that are never in his control.

This lays out , in epic form, how easily and quickly a nation can be led down a horrific path to total destruction, by instilling hatred and a false sense of absolute superiority, ONE FRIENDSHIP AT A TIME.

I used this book in high school for book reports especially for students for whom English was a second language or were not good readers. Now I am using it in my 11-12-year old girls' book club. I find it readable and engaging enough, they will want to read more about the Holocaust. The only drawback is in so few pages the author manages to encapsulate SO many set backs and legal changes for German Jews, it rushes a history a bit. Unfortunately the Nazis were too methodical and clever in theit timing and passed laws, e.g., Nuremberg in '35 then let things go a bit, then closed schools, bank accounts, all so gradually, there was no public outrage.

My daughter randomly picked this from a list of book choices for an honors class in high school so we ordered not knowing the book length or reviews. She loved the story which made her cry and was glad to see the book was short allowing more time for the written part of the assignment. She recommends it to anyone who is intrigued by the holocaust and the choices people made during that time.

I am a 7th grade history teacher and this is a good story for young people to read because it helps them understand how life became gradually more and more impossible for Jews to endure.

I bought this book to find something quick and easy to read over Christmas break, and this book is a great tale about the beginning of the Holocaust.

Great book that arrived on time!

Good book, good condition.

This is a brilliant book but do read it first before reading it with children as the harsh reality of the Nazi treatment of the Jews in the second world war is a bit hard to take for youngsters. The ending is sad - no let -up! There is a chronological list of Hitler's decrees against the Jews from !933 at the back of the book. Very well written but children must be ready for it.

An absorbing and involving book for adults and children. Wonderful concise style. Not a word wasted as tragedy unfolds. Conveys important lessons.

Very moving book. Every teenager should read it, it makes you more tolerant, more understanding to other people.

A great book worth reading .Seeing the holocaust through the eyes of a child.Simple yet stunning.

道徳的なメッセージ性が強くないせいか、すんなりと心に落ちてくる。現実をありのままに文字に書き起こしたようで、読んでいる自分がI（私）のような錯覚も起こる。全てのドイツ人がユダヤ人の敵であったわけではなく、友人だったり、よき隣人だったり、ユダヤ人を助けたくてもできない無力な存在であったり、ユダヤ人に手を差し伸べたことで罰せられるのを恐れる存在であったり、イジメを目の前にした日本人と、その態度や境遇は同じではないか。そして弱者を救うことは、時としてとてつもない勇気を要する。苦しくて切ない時代だが、フリードリヒとI（私）の友情はいつも強く温かった。人間の心の根源がむき出しにさせている。また、英語教材としても非常に優秀である。学校教材では見落とされがちな日常表現や覚えておきたい単語・熟語が満載で、難関大受験者には大学受験前に一度は読んでおいて欲しい。