Facing the Enemy: How a Nazi Youth Camp in America Tested a Friendship

 

Over the weekend, I read Facing the Enemy: How a Nazi Youth Camp in America Tested a Friendship by Barbara Krasner. This historical fiction novel in verse is about Tommy Anspach and Benjy Puterman, two teenage boys who are growing up in Newark, New Jersey, in the 1930s. Despite the fact that Benjy is Jewish American and Tommy is German American, they are best friends, at least until Tommy's dad forces him to start going to Camp Nordland, a camp for kids with German parents that opens in July 1937. Tommy doesn't realize that it's a Nazi youth camp, but he quickly learns that Jews are the enemy. Meanwhile, Benjy is hurt by the loss of his best friend and decides to form a version of the Newark Minutemen, an anti-Nazi vigilante group, for teens to help close down Camp Nordland. Over the next few years, Benjy hopes that Tommy will abandon his extremist beliefs so that they can be friends again, but they continue to grow apart until a series of events convinces Tommy to run away from the camp.

This book was such a compelling read and I devoured it because I had no idea there were actual Nazi youth camps in the United States during the late 1930s and early 1940s. I enjoyed how the author told the story from both Benjy's and Tommy's perspectives because it showed the impact of Nazism on young people on both sides. It's a highly relevant topic these days because I've heard about teenage boys being exposed to right-wing extremism on the Internet. It seems like although the methods have changed, young people have always been targeted by those who don't have their best interests at heart. I thought that was interesting. It was heartbreaking as Benjy fought for their friendship, even though Tommy refused him so many times. There were definitely moments I wasn't sure if it was worth it because Tommy said some things that were downright cruel. I desperately wanted them to repair their friendship, though, and continued to hope that Tommy would see the light. The climax of the story was actually pretty terrifying, revealing just how horrible the camps were, but it showed how Benjy would do anything for Tommy. Benjy's courage and forgiveness were definitely the highlights of the story. I also liked how some of the poems gave historical context to the story by describing what was happening in Europe at the time. The copy I read is an advance uncorrected proof and the back matter includes an epilogue describing what happened after Camp Nordland closed, images, an author's note explaining her inspiration, a glossary, a timeline of events, source notes, a bibliography, a list for further reading/viewing, and picture credits. Facing the Enemy is a powerful story and anyone who enjoys friendship stories and/or World War II fiction should read it.