# data[].attributes.body
In this passage, Helen has just returned after her concentration camp was liberated. She has reunited with Doris and must make a difficult decision about keeping her, while acknowledging the lack of connection between them due to years spent apart. I was overcome with a feeling of acute sorrow while reading this passage. I found it heartbreaking that families had to endure this terrible separation, and upon meeting again cannot happily reunite. What must the mother or father feel like- seeing their own child look at them as a stranger? And the child, who had grown up with little knowledge of their real parents, to be introduced to them and perhaps taken away? It’s a bit overwhelming to think about, which is why I thought this passage was so notable.

# data[].attributes.body
This passage is towards the end of the novel. In it, the reader is shown that Alfons and Helen meet, eventually going on to conduct collaborative lectures about their experiences during the Holocaust. I find it fascinating that two people of such opposite backgrounds could come together to discuss the most traumatic times of their lives. How difficult it must have been to speak of the experiences in the first place, but at the same time be alongside a person who had aided (even if not directly) in your misery; It’s a very interesting thing to think about. It was satisfying to see the intersection between the characters who had remained parallel throughout the novel. I think it is incredibly powerful that their stories intertwined at the end.

# data[].attributes.body
In this excerpt, Alfons is still a boy. This passage shows a bit of his life in the Hitler Youth, as well as the looming threat of war. The line that stood out to me the most was “Alfons served Mass wearing his full Hitler Youth uniform- including the belt and dagger- beneath his alter boy robes.” I am not sure if that was intended to be symbolic, but that is how I interpreted it. The statement illustrates how religion and Hitler coexisted, one encased inside of the other. I thought that it was a very powerful and profound statement. I also found it interesting when the passage talks about the Hitler Youth being oblivious to the imminent threat of war. It accentuates how truly young and naïve the boys were, not realizing that they would “soon be thrown into adulthood.”

# data[].attributes.body
This excerpt is from Helen’s narrative. In it, she explains the prospect of going into hiding due to the imminent danger towards Jews. She contemplates what she should do with her small child Doris, eventually deciding that she must be sent away in order to give her the best chance at survival. I found it particularly heartbreaking when she says that she restrained herself from showing affection and for Doris to make the separation more simple. I imagine that it must have been a tremendously difficult thing to do. It causes me even more sorrow to remember that this is the account of a real Holocaust survivor; That her experiences and recollections are all genuine. This excerpt is just one of the millions of the instances Jews dealt with immense anguish during the Holocaust.

# data[].attributes.body
This is a crucial moment in Alfons’ narrative. It is here that he truly accepts the defeat of Germany by the Allied Forces. I chose this passage because I believe it shows a major turning point in Alfons’ life, as the cause that he had served with the upmost fidelity has crumbled. He admits that he could no longer “pretend to myself that we could win the war.”   He realizes that Germany’s power really is over, and gives one final salute to Hitler, saying “Never again did I say those words.”

# data[].attributes.body
These are the last words of the novel. In this final passage is a depiction of a scene from a Holocaust remembrance museum. There is a description of the exhibit which showcases an enteral flame above a vault of soil from concentration camps along with remains of the victims tourtured within them. The book ends by quoting the words of inscription on the wall near the vault. It is a quote from the book of Deuteronomy (Jewish scripture) that illustrates the nature of remembrance and passing on memories to future generations. I thought that this was an extremely powerful and profound way of concluding the novel.

# data[].attributes.body
In this excerpt from Alfons’ narrative, he describes his idyllic life during the height of Hitler’s reign. What I found particularly interesting is when he writes of how death had become a foreign concept to young people. It provides a window into the true extent of Hitler’s influence on the country, particularly the youth. He was able to imbue such confidence and hope into them that they viewed death as “merely an abstract idea.”  I also found it very interesting that Hitler is portrayed in a very admirable way, as I typically do not read books show Hitler in a positive light.

# data[].attributes.body
This passage from Helen’s perspective is a window into her time at the concentration camp. There, she meets Mrs. Frank, Anne Frank’s mother. Anne Frank is someone I am familiar with, so reading this was akin to seeing a dear friend in a room of strangers. I then realized how I had always thought of Anne Frank and somehow separate from the Holocaust. She became a heroine to me and thus her story became more extraordinary than any other person involved in the Holocaust. But reading this made me come to the understanding that there were so many others with extraordinary stories as well.

# data[].attributes.body
At this point in Alfons’ narrative, he is introduced to Hitler. I thought that this passage was notable for many reasons. I first found it interesting the way in which Hitler is portrayed. To Alfons, he is a steadfast leader, an honorable person, and an idol. For others, he is the source of great anguish. To see these different perspectives throughout this novel has been a very thought-provoking thing. I also thought it was quite interesting how Alfons describes Hitler. He seems quite less impressive than the godly image in his mind, describing him as “old, frail, and quite pale.” It lead me contemplate if I have ever constructed a false image of something in my mind due to personal bias.

# data[].attributes.body
In this passage, Helen and Siegfried are on a train destined for a concentration camp. They are forced to relinquish all of their possessions. The reader is able to witness the immense difficulty they face while destroying the money they had worked so hard for; Their life’s ambition turned to nothingness. I cannot fathom the misery they must have endured- first being separated from their small daughter, then reduced to shadows of their former selfs, with even their possessions being terminated.