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Sparknotes, www.sparknotes.com/lit/boy-in-striped-pajamas/summary/. Accessed 19 May 2023.

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“Next of Kin.” Goodreads, www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/1528789. Accessed 19 May 2023.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvV2rIszo9g

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Eva Braun’s Home Movies - 300299X | Footage Farm Ltd

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Pieter's life was unlike other German teens at the time. He lived a sheltered life and was very close to Hitler himself. But he did share similarities with people his age. Like Pieter, many German teens were in the Hitler Youth, more than 82% of eligible Germans participated. The author also provides a good representation of what it was like to live at the Berghof. Many people who lived or worked at the Berghof have written letters, books or spoken to others about their experiences. Former maid Elizabeth Kalhammer recalled that many of the staff didn't know that there was an actual war happening, "With tears in her eyes, Kalhammer said that she only learned about the horrors of the Holocaust upon returning to her hometown." ("The Jerusalem Post" article) The author includes this in the book, in the end, Pieter says to one of the maids before she leaves, "But I was just a child", pleaded Pieter. "I didn't know anything. I didn't understand". (238). This quote shows that Pieter was brainwashed and didn't know what was going on. In my opinion, Pieter does represent German teens during this time.

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John Boyne has written lots of books, one of his most famous include The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. This book is about a young German boy named Bruno. Bruno's father is a nazi officer during WW2. Suddenly they have to move next to the Auschwitz concentration camp and Bruno meets a boy named Shmuel in the camp who he becomes good friends with. This book is similar to The Boy at the Top of the Mountain because they are set in the same time period. Another similarity is the perspective of two young German boys, Pieter and Bruno. However, they also have differences because how The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas is closer to the horrors of the war. Bruno actually sees what Hitler is doing to the Jewish community and Pieter only hears or reads about it.
John Boyne's common theme throughout his books is History. His books Stay Where You Are and Then Leave and The Great War: Stories Inspired by Items from the First World War are both stories told from WW1. He writes books set a while back that describe life as it used to be.

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United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/photo/gas-chamber-in-the-main-camp-of-auschwitz-immediately-after-liberation. Accessed 17 May 2023.

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The Boy at the Top of the Mountain is a novel that follows the life of a young boy named Pierrot, who lives with his widowed mother in Paris. The story begins with the tragic death of Pierrot's father, a soldier deeply affected by the devastating events of the First World War. Pierrot's best friend is Anshel Bronstein, a Jewish boy who lives in the apartment below him. Unfortunately, Pierrot's mother eventually falls ill and dies, leaving him an orphan. Anshel's mother cannot take care of him, and he is sent to an orphanage for a few months. However, his estranged Aunt Beatrix eventually comes forward and adopts him, taking him to work with her at the Berghoff. The Berghoff is a grand house where Hitler resides, and Pierrot becomes close to him, fully embracing his beliefs and ideas. This is demonstrated on page 143 when Pierrot is taking the oath to join the Hitler Jugend. Pierrot says, "I swear to devote all my energies and my strength to the savior of our country, Adolf Hitler. I am willing and ready to give up my life to him, so help me God." As time goes on, Pierrot fully embraces his new German identity, even changing his name to Pieter because, "...it's such a French name" (pg 98) and at this time, many Germans disliked the French.

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Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. “The Extermination Procedure in the Gas Chambers / Auschwitz and Shoah / History / Auschwitz-Birkenau.” Www.auschwitz.org, 2022, www.auschwitz.org/en/history/auschwitz-and-shoah/the-extermination-procedure-in-the-gas-chambers/.

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In one scene, Hitler is speaking with some other men about "steam chambers" that would "disinfect the clothes of the prisoners" (209). This refers to the gas chambers that were disguised as showers that Jewish prisoners would get killed. According to the Auschwitz.org website, "They were told that they were being sent to the camp, but that they first had to undergo disinfection and bathe." When Jews came to the camps they would be told to undress and then to get into the showers. Once they were undressed, the Jews would be locked inside, and killed by Zyklon B gas.

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“Hitler’s Former Maid Recalls Life in the Fuhrer’s Private Estate.” The Jerusalem Post | JPost.Com, www.jpost.com/diaspora/hitlers-former-maid-recalls-life-in-the-fuhrers-private-estate-475253. Accessed 16 May 2023.

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Lebovic, Matt. “We Knew Nothing: Hitler Personal Staff Claim They Were in the Dark on Holocaust.” The Times of Israel, 13 Oct. 2018, www.timesofisrael.com/new-memoir-compilation-by-hitlers-personal-staff-airs-historical-dirty-laundry/.

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Address Unknown by Kathrine Kressmann Taylor is a novel that was written at a time shortly before Hitler's rise to power. Martin and Max are work partners and good friends who communicate through letters but we see how their different backgrounds affect their relationship in the book. Both Address Unknown and The Boy at the Top of the Mountain are set in the same time period-when WW2 began. Address Unknown shows the perspective of a Jewish and German man at this time. Both books show the perspective of nazis and what it was like to be in nazi germany. Unlike Address Unknown, The Boy at the Top of the Mountain does not show the perspective of Jewish people and focuses on the main character, Pieter, who is a boy heavily influenced by Hitler. Another difference is that Address Unknown was actually written during Hitler's rise to power while The Boy at the Top of the Mountain was written in 2016. These are some reasons how Address Unknown and The Boy at the Top of the Mountain are similar and different.

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“Headlines Drive Interest in World War II...: History’s Newsstand Blog.” History’s Newsstand Blog | Old Newspapers Original & Authentic, 4 Apr. 2014, blog.rarenewspapers.com/?p=6151.

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San Francisco article circa 1944 (History's Newsstand Blog)

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In the book The Boy at the Top of the Mountain, we don't see a lot of historical facts. This is mainly because the main character Pieter didn't really know what was going on. So it's important to have background knowledge or research the events that were happening. This newspaper article was published in America right after D-Day and is about one of the most important moments in WW2. After America and its allies attack and enter Normandy, France it forced Hitler and his generals to withdraw their troops. So this would have affected Pieter and the character in the book greatly.

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The author of this letter, Harry Lerner, was a Jewish Attorney who resided in America during WW2. He served in the US Army and later became an administrator of the Displaced Persons Department. Following the liberation from concentration camps, Jewish individuals would typically reside in a Displaced Persons Camp until they found their families or permanent places to live. This letter serves as a primary example of the challenges faced when running these camps. It provides an alternative perspective to that of The Boy at the Top of the Mountain by showcasing what happened after the end of WW2 and offering a Jewish viewpoint. The letter is connected to the same event described in the book.