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

by Barbara Krasner

What do you do when your best friend becomes the enemy?

Growing up in Newark, NJ, in the 1930s, Tommy Anspach and Benjy Puterman have always done everything together. It never mattered that Benjy was Jewish and Tommy was of German descent. But as Adolph Hitler and his Nazi party comes to power in Germany and war brews in Europe, everything changes. Tommy is sent to Camp Nordland, a Nazi youth camp for German Americans, where he quickly learns that Jews are the enemy. Heartbroken by the loss of his friend, Benjy forms a teen version of the Newark Minutemen, an anti-Nazi vigilante group, all the while hoping that Tommy will abandon his extremist beliefs. Will Benjy and Tommy be able to overcome their differences and be friends again?

Based on real-life events and groups like the Newark Minutemen and the pro-Nazi German American Bund, this daring novel-in-verse reveals the long history of American right-wing extremism, and its impact on the lives of two ordinary teens.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, World War II, Poetry, Holocaust, Historical

359 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 5, 2023

Reviews

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 2 out of 5]

This one was a disappointment.
For the historical premise, I would have given it more stars. Two American boys, friends all their lives, find themselves at odds with each other as teenagers. One of them is Jewish, the other has parents who take great pride in their German heritage. And who are huge advocates of Adolf Hitler’s plans for an Aryan nation…
The format was the problem for me. It made the book almost unreadable. It’s written from the POVs of the two boys, but in no form or fashion. For example, there would be the name “Benjy”, or “Thomas”, but the following paragraphs would not be in that boy’s voice. Sometimes the POV would change several times within the writing, with no explanation or indication of the change. I found it to be very confusing and frustrating to try to follow.
*I received a digital copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are strictly my own.*

[Robyn · Rating 1 out of 5]

This wasn't what I expected at all. I hated it. I don't like poetry and this was more of the story told through poems. I love historical fiction and was really disappointed.

1 star

Happy Reading!

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

A surprising and eye-opening account of the instigation of extreme-right Nazi youth camps in the United States, an aspect of WWII that I wasn’t aware of. Benjy and Tommy are best friends growing up in New Jersey, until Tommy’s father sends him to Camp Nordland to help him embrace his German roots. With brown shirt uniforms, swastikas, parade marches and Nazi indoctrination, the camp is much more than pretty dirndls, “Deutschland Über Alles” and beer drinking. (Although there’s a lot of that, too.) I was pleased with the character development and the strength of these two boys in the face of menacing evil. Interesting, in light of the influence of extreme-right groups in the United States right now. I’m confident that today’s teens have the same ability to recognize similar dangers. Thank you for the ARC from ALA. To be published December 5, 2023.

[TheNextGenLibrarian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two best friends, one war that divides them.
🌎
Tommy and Benjy are best friends growing up in Newark, NJ in the 1930s. Benjy is Jewish and Tommy is of German descent. When Adolf Hitler starts rising to power in Germany, Tommy starts feeling pressure from his father to attend Camp Nordland, a Nazi youth camp where his feelings against Jews begin to change. Heartbroken by the loss of his friend, Benjy forms a teen version of the Newark Minutemen against the Nazis, but always holds out hope Tommy will come around. As the years go on and World War II ramps up, the boys grow further apart and more entrenched in their beliefs.
🌎
This YA novel in verse was an interesting point of view during WWII as it takes place on American soil from two teen boys’ perspective. As this was based on true events, it was interesting to learn about the Hitler Youth Camp in the U.S. It would be a good #book to do with book clubs in middle school.

CW: alcohol, alcoholism, isolation, starvation, torture, antisemitism, hate crimes, child abuse, domestic abuse, war crimes, hate speech

[Patti Sabik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating concept, especially since I grew up in New Jersey and had no idea the largest stateside Hitler Youth camp had been in Newark. The poems are very well done and could work for an English class exploring different types of poetry. The story is engaging for middle grade students who will relate to the friendship drama. I wasn’t completely happy with the pacing of the story and felt it lag at points and it was a bit too long considering the target audience.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

First and foremost thank you NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for the chance to read this ARC.

This is not your normal WW2 book. For starters this book is written in verse with two different POVs of two best friends (one who is Germans and the other who is Jewish). Being German and Jewish never had an impact on Thomas and Benjy’s friendship before. Enter the idea of New Germany. Camp Norland is designed to teach American-Germans about their Fatherland and the beliefs of Hitler. What also makes this book different from the rest is the setting. This story takes place in New Jersey.

I loved the new perspective this book gave me. I look forward to recommending it to students and WW2 enthusiasts.

[Erikka · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is very dumb. Conceptually it feels like it should be a good book, especially as we are still overrun with Nazis to this day in America, but it’s just really terrible poetry. It doesn’t feel like the way kids would talk, it has really stupid metaphors that don’t make any sense, and I don’t feel like it went anywhere. About half of it sounds like an old lady instead of a child, and the rest of it sounds like a modern day child instead of a child in 1937. It’s just bad.

[My Bookbag by Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent concept for a novel in verse, but the verse is not always excellent. Don't get me wrong. There are parts in which the verse and story are amazing. Unfortunately, there are also parts in which the verse is dull, lacking, or just mediocre. I really struggled through the middle of the book to keep reading, but the final chapters are well done, and I am glad that I stayed through the end.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A chill courses through my body,
unlike any I’ve known before.
Because this is no newsreel at school assembly.
This is a youth army in New Jersey.” (171)

Benjy Putterman and Tommy Anspach had best friends since childhood, even though Benjy was Jewish and Tommy was of German heritage. But the summer before their freshman year (1937), Tommy, now called Thomas, is sent to Camp Nordland and told he can no longer be friends with Benjy because “the Putermans are Jewish.” (15) Desperate to win his father’s affection, seemingly reserved for the older brother who died in Germany, Thomas agrees.
“Because I’m now your only child
Because I’m all you have
Because I never want to disappoint you
Dear parents, Camp Nordland, here I come.” (16)

He quickly becomes indoctrinated.
“We begin a new day. I’m not one of them yet.
Next year, I’ll be in the parade.
I am one of the chosen.” (24)

When he thinks about how he and Benjy saw different things when looking through the kaleidoscope,
“I wondered then if we lived in two
different worlds.
Now I know we do.” (33)

During the year, Thomas keeps away from Benjy and attends a Saturday German school and special events at Camp Nordland; in the mostly Jewish high school, Benjy forms a Minutekids organization to help his father’s organization, the Minutemen, combat Bund activities. In the summer the two groups visit the camp “to get the lay of the Land,” and Benjy sees actions that “remind [him] of the Nazi soldiers.”

By Winter Break 1939 Thomas realizes,
“I am a puppet
pulled by Father’s strings,
Jumping at the chance,
the privilege to attend Nordland.
I am a puppet
without a will of my own,
bending to Father’s whims,
because I want to see him smile.
I am a puppet
prancing on a stage for spectators,
tucking my real feelings
into the grain of my wood.” (208)
and Benjy tries to make new friends but none fill Tommy’s place.

In July 1939 Thomas decides,
“I don’t want to be a part of this
I want to go back to being me.
No matter what Father says.” (236)

When he sees a boy who was drowned, he escapes the camp and goes home where he is sent back to the camp by his father and then locked in isolation for refusing to wear his uniform (which has become an illegal act) until he is rescued by the Minutemen and Minutekids. At home Tommy still has a battle to fight—but now with Benjy’s help. The camp finally loses its state charter in May 1941 and was officially closed in June.

Written in creative verse with surprising rhymes, wordplay, and different types of poetry, such as villanelles, couplets, and poems in two voices, readers learn about a little-known event taking place in America during the Holocaust. This is a must for classrooms studying the Holocaust and WWII but also as a study in prejudice and how it is cultivated.

[Character Building Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Facing the Enemy by Barbara Krasner is a younger YA novel in verse that tells how two young American friends, one Jewish, one German, navigate the troubled times before the outbreak of World War II. Benjy and Tommy have a solid, unshakeable friendship filled with a cherry Cokes at Sol’s lunch counter and days spent at the park or preparing for the start of high school. When Tommy’s parents send him to Camp Nordland, a German summer camp that tries to replicate the rigor and discipline of the Hitler Youth, he turns against Benjy. As the war begins to take shape, Benjy fights his own war, certain that deep inside Tommy is the friend he knows, and he works to extricate Tommy from the brainwashing that has changed him. Tommy, or Thomas as he is known at camp, resists any outreaches, and eventually Benjy gives up, but when Tommy shows up at his door after running away from camp, both Benjy and Tommy have to decide what exactly they believe and how far they are willing to go to defend their beliefs.
Krasner has created realistic characters, no easy feat in the novel-in-verse format, and they have clear convictions, real, significant problems, and the highest stakes of all: friendship, safety, and loyalty. The blank verse form allows the story’s pace to ebb and flow effectively, giving time for character development and backstory while keeping the suspense rising toward the climax. Krasner skillfully weaves in elements of German and Jewish culture and tradition to create characters rooted in their own beliefs and traditions yet open to those of others. Thematically and through character development, the author has created an outstanding story that young YA readers will connect with and learn from.
This would be an excellent addition to a unit on World War II and the Holocaust. I can imagine using this as a student-choice selection for enrichment or as a small-group independent reading project to accompany such a unit.

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre(s): Historical fiction, MG fiction, World War II, Verse Novel, Dual Narrators

First sentence: It's late spring, almost summer, 1937.

Premise/plot: Facing the Enemy is set in America [in New Jersey] in the late 1930s and early 1940s. It has dual narrators: Benjy Puterman and Thomas Anspach. These two friends will spend years not being friends because of ideology. Thomas's parents want him [essentially] to attend a Nazi Youth Camp right in New Jersey. For years--YEARS--Benjy witnesses his former best-best-best friend from childhood transform into someone unrecognizable. The town the two live in has a large Jewish population, but right in their metaphorical "backyard" they are facing Nazis of their own. There is an author's note about the time period; there really was a Nazi Youth Camp in New Jersey that was eventually shut down early in the 1940s.

My thoughts: I wanted to like this one more than I actually liked it. I did learn something from reading this one. I knew that there were Nazi sympathizers in the United States, and those who were just against the war. I didn't know there were actual-actual Nazi Youth Camps training up young men to hate, indoctrinating them, etc.

This one presents a challenge having dual narrators. Readers spend half their time--at least--living in the headspace of Thomas Anspach. There's this squirmy space. Is it okay ever to empathize with his struggles? I think the answer is yes. But it takes work--a lot of work--to see beyond crisp clear lines of black and white, good and evil. Thomas is more complex than that. His home life is more complex than that. And it isn't that a bad home life equals free forgiveness for life no matter what. Thomas from page one isn't the same Thomas by the end of the book. That arc exists for a reason.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in verse from two different POVs, this book chronicles best friends Benjy and Tommy from Newark, NJ during Hitler's rise to power and the first couple years of WWII. The boys are looking forward to spending their last summer before high school playing ball, riding their bikes, getting sodas at Sol's, and hanging out at Weequahic park. Instead, Tommy's dad enrolls him in Camp Nordland, a camp for kids of German descent, to help him embrace his German roots. It turns out this camp is essentially a Nazi training camp and as Tommy gets deeper and deeper into it, his dad forbids him from hanging out with Benjy (a Jew) and their friendship fractures.

At first Benjy continually reaches out to Tommy and is rebuffed. He eventually gives up and joins the Minutemen Kids, a youth group devoted to fighting extremism and Nazi propaganda. There are lots of clashes and eventually violence on both sides. After all of this, when they really need each other, will they be able to repair their friendship?

I was completely ignorant of the actual history this book covers. I had no idea before reading this book that there were actual Nazi camps in the US during WWII. The history was enlightening and interesting. The story itself, and the writing, were not great. The format of novel-in-verse really didn't work for these two teenage boys who were not particularly intellectually inclined or into literature. The poems read like they were written by an adult, not a 14/15/16 year old boy. I recommend it for the history, not really for the story. 2.5 stars


Disclaimer: I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Christina Getrost · Rating 5 out of 5]

Set in New Jersey in the years 1937-1941, this historical novel in verse is the story of two boys, best friends, who grow apart as the rumblings of World War II grow louder and spill into their suburban lives. Benjy is Jewish-American, and Tommy and his parents are German-American, having emigrated several years earlier after the death of Tommy's young brother. When Tommy is forced by his father to start attending "Camp Nordland," an all-summer camp nearby that is just for German youth, Tommy turns into Thomas and is indoctrinated into Nazi Youthful ways; he says hurtful anti-Semitic things to Benjy and becomes more and more racist and hardened. Benjy is hurt by this and can't understand why his friend would be this way; he worries about the loss of their friendship and about what's really going on at that camp. Benjy's father is a member of The Minutemen, an anti-Nazi group of vigilantes made up of local Jewish former boxers and other citizens, and things are soon going to get ugly...

I really enjoyed this book for the historical perspective on World War II [and the leadup thereto] that wasn't something I'd seen before: I had no idea there were actually Nazi Youth camps in the United States! The poems in the novel are excellent, conveying the fraught emotions of the boys as they wrestle with their feelings and their relationships with their fathers. The author's note includes photographs of the real camp and facts about it and the historical figures she put into the story [like the leaders of the camp and of The Minutemen], and a timeline of local and international events relating to the story and the rise of the Nazis and the camp history. Also includes a bibliography for further reading.

[Shirley McAllister · Rating 3 out of 5]

Friend to Enemy

This is a story of two boys, Benjy and Tommy. They were best friends throughout childhood and spent time at each other's home often. Benjy is Jewish and Tommy is German but it never was anything they even thought about.

Fast forward to the 1930's. Now both boys are growing up into their teen years. Times are changing and Tommy no longer speaks to Benjy, nor does he come to his home. Now Tommy is too busy with his camp. A Hitler Youth camp in the U.S.A. called Camp Nordland.

Benjy is heartbroken to lose his friend. He joins the Newark minutemen. They vow to crush camp Norland and shut it down. Benjy just knows if the camp is gone that Tommy will be his friend again...but will he?

What will happen when the two camps meet, will there be violence? Will the minutemen shut down the Nazi supporting camp?

A coming of age story of two boys thrown into an adult world, pressured by parents to be something they are not. How society can ruin a friendship and the hatefulness of anti Semitisms

It was a sad story based on true events. It was a good book , I felt bad for Benjy and it was sad that Tommy's dad pushed him into joining the camp.

The three narrator's did a great job and made the story come to life. They were easy to listen to and understand.

Thanks to Barbara Krasner for writing the story to bring this little know event to life, to all three narrators for doing a fantastic job, to RB Media for publishing it and to NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary copy of the audio book to listen to and review.

[Rosi Hollinbeck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully crafted, extremely well-researched book built on important themes of friendship, family, and loyalty. And, BONUS, it is a novel in verse. Barbara Krasner is a terrific writer and poet, and her talents really shine in this book.

Benjy Puterman, who is Jewish, and Tommy Anspach, a German American, have been friends forever and do everything together, until, that is, Tommy’s father joins a local bund and decides Tommy should go to Camp Nordland, a summer camp for Nazi youth. At first, Tommy is excited about the camp. He feels like he belongs, and he accepts the warped idea that Jews are a lower class and they are the true enemy. His father is drinking too much and buying into the Nazi ways completely. Benjy is heartbroken and misses his friend. After some time, people start to turn against the Nazi movement. Tommy begins to understand how wrong things are, and he misses his friend, but is it too late for him to get safely out?

Barbara Krasner has written a well-researched historical fiction in verse that shines a light on a very dark period in our country, a time we must never forget, now more than ever. Her poetry is extraordinary, mostly free verse but with several structured poems included, voicing both Benjy’s and Tommy’s thoughts and experiences. Each poem tells a little of Benjy’s or Tommy’s story, with a few voicing both boys. Don’t miss this! You can read more of my reviews at https://rosihollinbeck.com/blog.

[Karen Gedeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facing the Enemy: How a Nazi Youth Camp in America Tested a Friendship written by Barbara Krasner read by Michael Crouch, Christopher Gebauer and Romy Nordlinger – this novel in verse tells the fictional story of two friends torn apart by a real Nazi Youth Camp. When Tommy’s father sends him to Camp Nordland for the summer in the late 1930s his best friend Benjy feels the sudden loss of his best friend. Benjy is excited to return to school in the fall so he can see his best friend again until Tommy begins showing Nazi tendencies which makes Benjy wonder how he can fight Tommy’s indoctrination and save their friendship. Readers see each boy grow up through their first-person narratives as Krasner brings the real-life Nazi youth camps to reader’s attention. This historical fiction novel includes both youth and adult views on the Jewish hatred/German pride felt around the world at the time. Readers will be drawn to the boys’ friendship and their relationships with their fathers which Benjy discusses near the end of the story. The narrators each brought life to their character through drama and emotion, making the reader feel they are part of Tommy & Benjy’s friend circle. An epilogue includes information the author discovered during her research for the book as well as what happened to the real-life men who appeared as minor characters. A great book for middle school students to help navigate differing points of view and the importance of respecting differences.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facing the Enemy is the story of two young boys who are divided by the Nazi movement in the US. Benjy is a Jewish boy and his best friend, Tommy, is German. Tommy's father joins the German American Bund and sends Tommy to a Nazi camp at the beginning of summer where he is radicalized into a Nazi youth. When he returns to school the next year, we see how much this has destroyed the friendship between Tommy and Benjy. We see what is happening on both sides of this divide with their parents and those surrounding them.

This was a very creative way to tell the story of the American Nazis. This book felt like a combination of the book The White Rose and the TV series The Plot Against America. I really think this would be an interesting book for any student who was interested in the time period and wanted to learn more about what was happening in the US at that time.

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This verse novel that begins with a threat to a friendship between Thomas and Benjamin because one is a Jewish and the other is not at the dawn of Hitler's coming to power leads to a book about the historical story about a camp that boys were sent to as a training ground. Thomas is sent there by his overbearing father and told also never to speak to Benjy again. The camp is transformative in that it's realized that this is a Nazi Youth Camp on American soil. And there were a handful of them including as the author's note explains, a few in New York including one in a neighboring city, Schenectady in addition to Buffalo and a few others.

In one sense it's part of the collective of World War II stories, especially ones about fractured friendships due to war and religion, but this one has the unique focus on these youth camps that was a fascinating look at a little-known history.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facing the Enemy, written by Barbara Krasner, tells the story of Benjy and Tommy, two boys growing up in New Jersey in the 1930-1940s. They have always been best friends, and yet now their friendship is tested by their differences, Benjy is Jewish and Tommy is German and is being taught Nazi rhetoric. They each have to decide what their friendship is worth, and how to make their own decisions.
I really enjoyed the writing of this book, was not expecting so much poetry and word play but it really worked! I also feel like I learned from this book which I really appreciated, I did not know much about the German Youth Camps in the United States, but I feel that they showed how different beliefs could be spread. I would recommend this book for middle and high school readers.

[Alessandro Sanchez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall this book seems like an interesting concept in theory, but it kinda fall really short. The way it’s written doesn’t give Tommy or Benjy their own voice. Sometimes I would catch myself reading a Tommy poem, thinking it was a Benjy poem. The concept of two old friends at odds due to radical beliefs could have been interesting, but the execution fell really flat. The story would jump times, dates, and situations too. I was slightly confused while reading it, but there were some parts I enjoyed. I enjoyed how the author clearly displayed Tommy’s brainwashing to radical thinking. This process was interesting to see unfold. Overall, it was a confusing mid-tier book with a few good parts.

[Kirstyn (readwithkirstyn) · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Facing the Enemy" proved to be a challenging read for me, as I struggled to immerse myself in the story. The multiple points of view employed throughout the narrative left me feeling disoriented and made it difficult to connect with the characters on a deeper level. Additionally, the writing style did not resonate with me, hindering my overall enjoyment of the book. The disjointed narrative and lack of coherence in the perspectives made it hard to follow and appreciate the underlying plot. Unfortunately, despite potential intriguing elements, I found it challenging to engage with the story, ultimately leaving me disconnected from the characters and the overall experience.

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had no idea that we had Nazi youth camps here in the US during WWII, which should have made this a fascinating read. However, the poetry was stilted and the voices did not feel very authentic as they alternated between Benjy, a Jewish boy, and Tommy, a German-American boy who used to be Benjy's best friend. There are references throughout to real people and events. The epilogue gives closure to many of these items. There are also a few actual photographs (with image credits) in the back matter as well as a glossary, timeline, source notes, and suggestions for further reading/viewing.

[Shelley C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book is a little simplistic for 14 year-old. Maybe it’s just because I know so much about the subject of Nazi Zumba 30s. I do like the point of view differences that’s very enlightening, but I still think the information is very simplistic. Of course, if you’re in junior or senior high school, you might not know all those things so maybe that’s an unfair assessment. So if you’re looking for a book to learn what kind of for the lack of a better word values the Nazi is held. This is a good book to start with. It’s very basic so that is a plus for the book.

[Nikki Ruzick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facing the Enemy is the story of two best friends, Benji and Tommy, who become divided because of their faith.

This story is written in verse and bounces between Benji's side and Tommy's side, an interesting way to tell this type of story.

I was impressed by the strength of these two young boys and what they both persevered through.

Thank you NetGalley and Astra Publishing House for the ARC.

[Bibliohiker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me review this book. I like that the book is told from two perspectives and how at first Tommy went along with everything but soon realizes what he and his fellow campers are doing is wrong. Even though he knows he will get in trouble, Tommy still stands up to his father. I liked the definitions along with the timeline of when Hitler came to power and what happened afterwards.

[Libriar · Rating 3 out of 5]

A novel-in-verse set in New Jersey in the 1930's. Two friends, one German and one Jewish are forced apart when the German friend starts attending a Nazi Youth Camp. An interesting look at a part of US history I knew almost nothing about. However the story itself was flat - perhaps because I had an electronic Advanced Readers Copy and the formatting was wrong. I would have preferred to read about this dark part of US history in a nonfiction format. ARC courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley.

[Marci Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

We definitely need more books like this so that the effects, struggles, and carnage of the Holocaust are not forgotten. This was a hard read because of all the blatant anti-semitism of the book, but that's the point. I love that Benjy never gave up on Tommy through it all. That's true friendship. This was my 1st book by Barbra Kasner but will not be my last, as I am adding all of her books to my TBR.

#FacingtheEnemy
#NetGalley

[Lisa Gisèle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book via Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are my own opinions.

Facing the Enemy is written in a unique duel point of view fashion. The thoughts of two former friends, one Jewish and one being trained as a Nazi are written in poetic stanzas that share their emotions and believes.

It did seem a bit slow, but the writing fashion is so unique (at least to me) that I almost want to forgive it

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very intriguing. However, the audio voices made it difficult to feel engaged with the novel. Parts of the book felt disconnected, changing from character to character perspective. However, overall, I feel like this book was very enlightening and gave new context to pieces of World War 2 history that I did not know before.

[Sarah Ressler Wright]

An interesting novel in verse about one (of several!!) Nazi youth camps in America during the late 1930’s. Some of the poetry and thoughts excellent, some a bit cliched. Many events to cover but could have shortened it a bit. Recommended to kids who like Alan Gratz but want to advance. Not as fast paced though.