Summer of My German Soldier

Summer of My German Soldier (1973) is a young adult novel by American author Bette Greene. The book is heavily based on Greene’s own childhood in Arkansas and Tennessee during World War II and her experiences growing up Jewish in the conservative Christian South. A made-for-TV film adaptation starring Kristy McNichol was released in 1978. The sequel to the novel, Morning Is a Long Time Coming, was published in 1978. Summer of My German Soldier was a National Book Award finalist.

This study guide refers to the 1973 Dial Books for Young Readers edition.

Content Warning: The source material deals with parental physical and emotional abuse. In addition, the source material contains racism and antisemitism, at times featuring racist language.

Plot Summary

The novel is told from the first-person point of view of 12-year-old Patty Bergen, a Jewish girl living in Jenkinsville, Arkansas, during World War II.

Jenkinsville is a small, Christian town, where Patty’s parents run a general store. Though the Bergens are the only Jewish family in town, they are not close: Patty’s father is abusive and beats her. Her mother is cold, constantly criticizing Patty, and she does not intervene to stop her husband’s beatings.