Max

Gr 9 Up—Chilling and thought provoking, Cohen-Scali's novel contemplates the legacy of Lebensborn, Hitler's mandated mating of "racially pure Aryan" men and women. With a touch of magical realism, Konrad begins his first-person narrative in utero with hateful and articulate speeches, reflecting a maturity well beyond his years. He is a Lebensborn child, and his internal monologue is that of an unapologetic, sociopathic white supremacist. Konrad witnesses the horrors of the Third Reich, such as the systemic raping of women, infanticide, and other atrocities, yet to him, they are simply part of life. As the model Aryan youth, he obediently follows orders and aids in the kidnapping of Polish children for "Germanization." Konrad's soul is thrown a lifeline when he enters Germanization school and befriends an older boy, Lukas, who soon reveals himself (only to Konrad) as Jewish. Lukas pities Konrad and sees the wounded child behind the hate speech he uses, and he tells Konrad that they must survive in order to bear witness. At the war's end, will he be Konrad, the indoctrinated Nazi, or Max, the child so lovingly named by his mother? To what will he bear witness? Readers are left with a horrifying question: Was Hitler's goal of raising young people to "terrify the rest of the world" attained? An author's note includes brief discussion of historical figures who appear in the book.