One Eye Laughing, The Other Weeping: The Diary of Julie Weiss

This is the story of a young girl growing up in 1938 Austria. She's Jewish, and we see how the rise of Hitler has a direct and terrible effect on her life. There is time spent showing her life pre-Hitler, and then we see how things change radically once Hitler takes over Austria and begins his program for the extermination of the Jews.

One of the most upsetting parts of the novel is when you see how easily people will turn against other people that they have known for their entire lives once the Nazi mentality takes hold. This is not a cute-and-dried historical examination of Naziism and its effects; it's a personal, up-close look at just how this type of thinking could result in vicious actions being taken against innocent people.

The book is told in two parts, one being in Austria and the other in the U.S. where Julie ultimately flees. There's also an historical section with information on the times. Although the events in the book could easily upset some people, its important that people, especially young people, know the dangers of people thinking a certain way and having the power to pick groups of people they hate and ruin their lives.

Again, as always, an excellent book in the series.

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