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"Ashes" by Kathryn Lasky

Author:

Kathryn Lasky

Publisher:

Viking Juvenile

Lasky Kathryn. Ashes Viking, New York, 2010.

When most of us consider the Nazi Germany, the Holocaust, etc., we immediately recognize the good and the evil. Taking a fresh perspective on the political situation in Germany in the 1930’s, Kathryn Lasky’s Ashes tells of the unique political nuances and human relations which led otherwise good German people into making terrible decisions.  The underlying theme throughout the book is rooted in literature – how it reflects life and how stifling ideas and propaganda can be used to sway people into supporting a brutal leader.

The story begins in Berlin, focusing on anti-Nazi, intellectual family whose friendships include a Jewish journalist and Albert Einstein. Gaby, the thirteen year old daughter of a German physicist, is an independent thinker who loves literature, and at the same time enjoys her friends and is enamored by the movie stars of the day.  Her understanding of the political world is limited; she observes the “brown shirts” (members of Hitler’s private army), and is aware that Jews becoming singled out as scapegoats, but does not comprehend why things are changing.

Seeds of censorship are planted from the beginning of the story, as Gaby’s book is confiscated by a teacher.   Each chapter begins with an apt quote from not only German writers, but also Twain, Hemingway, and London.  Gaby and her family keep a close eye on the political situation in Berlin; Hitler’s rise to power is not immediate, but rather a subversive force spreading throughout the consciousness of the people.  People supporting the Nazi movement are part of their family’s lives – a beloved teacher, servant, boyfriend, etc.  As Hitler and his forces grow in power, the plot intensifies.

Gaby’s story is one of personal growth, as she matures and must stand up for her own beliefs, confronting those people who support the Nazi party and their values.  Eventually, Gaby’s family must decide whether they can live in a country where so much freedom is restricted. 

There are several turning points within the story – the point when Gaby’s favorite teacher pressures her to join the girls’ branch of Hitler Youth, when Gaby learns that her sister is pregnant and confirms that her boyfriend is a Nazi, and when their dear Jewish family friend, Albert Einstein, must leave the country permanently.  The climax comes at the point where Gaby realizes that her parents are burying books representing the ideas of “Jewish Physics,” and the Nazi’s begin to publicly burn books including the works of some of Gaby’s most treasured authors.