Good Cold War Stories Are Difficult to Find

A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen

In middle and high school social studies classes, a lot of focus is put on the the two world wars and the first half of the 20th century.  Once in awhile I come across a book that covers these events from a new perspective.  Many stories of the battles, torment, and survival of the great wars are written and shared in young adult literature.  Some are the works of nonfiction, shared by characters and authors that experienced the tragedies of war first hand.  Many other great stories fall under historical fiction.  Even though the characters are not real, they are confronted with authentic storylines that have been researched by authors. These stories can only be shared in fiction since many of the original characters have since passed away, or their real names, or complete story were never known. The only way to share the context of some of these horrific events in terms for young readers is through young adult fiction. A Night Divided by Jennifer A. Nielsen is a new book that I can add to my list. In order to understand the story, a short history lesson is needed.

East Berlin border guards add barbed wire to the top of the Berlin Wall

A Night Divided is a story about Gerta Lowe and her family.  They lived in East Berlin at the end of World War II.  As part of the Treaty in Europe, Berlin, the capital of Germany, was divided into four regions. Since France, Great Britain, the United States, and Russia were the leading countries of the allied powers,  each controlled a region.  Russia had a different idea of what should happen to Germany and Europe at the end of war.  Promoting Communism throughout eastern Europe, Russia separated themselves from their western allies. These differences brought political strife to the region, and almost took everyone back into another world war.  The term, Cold War, was given to the time period between the end of World War II, and 1991 when the Communists in the Soviet Union fell from power.

The Berlin Wall was not meant to keep the West in.
It was meant to keep anyone from Germany or East Berlin out.

Gerta's dad is a member of a resistance group in East Berlin.  This is a group that did not agree with the Communist government of the Soviet Union. So when the Soviets decide to build a wall around West Berlin, it just so happens that Gerta's dad and brother are trapped in the West. Even though  twelve-year-old Gerta was sheltered from her father's illegal activities, his strong will was not.  Gerta did not believe that the government of the Soviet Union and East Berlin should have so much power over their free will.  Gerta heard about the opportunities in the West, and nobody is going to stop her dream of being free.

This picture of the Berlin Wall and Death Zone
shows the distance that Gerta was expected to dig
in her attempt to be free.
www.telegraph.co.uk

As the prospect of being separated from her father forever looms over her family, Gerta holds onto the vision that she will see her father and brother again. Then one day, Gerta sees her father on the other side of the fence across, "the death zone." She also receives a secret note from her dad that she interprets as a desperate plea for her to try to escape by digging under the wall.  Because of her father's status in East Berlin, the Berlin police are forever watching Gerta and the fence near her home. Failure means certain death. How can Gerta accomplish what her father has asked? Besides her brother, Who can she trust to help her out?

I enjoyed Nielson's book, A Night Divided, because of it's fresh look at the events of World War II. There are many books about the Holocaust and the battles of the war.  This book takes different perspective on how the conditions of peace after World War II lead to more turmoil in Europe.  The story about the Berlin Wall is one that may be left on the shelf as history classes need to curate what makes the curriculum and what might not.  As technology changes how students research their topics, maybe there will be a resurgence of interest in topics like the Berlin Wall and the Cold War.

Orphan Train - a novel by Christina Baker Kline

 Orphan Train - a novel  by Christina Baker Kline

Non-fiction and historical fiction reading for young adults has improved greatly in the last few years.  The variety of books that try to portray actual events throughout history offer so many perspectives for so many different kinds of readers.  Some of the most recent I can think of off the top of my head include, The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, and Tangled Threads: a Hmong Girl's Story by Pegi Deitz Shea.  These don't even include many great realistic fiction books that help build reader empathy as characters have to deal with challenges of life such as poverty, bullying, physical and cognitive disabilities, and other social issues.

In the book Orphan Train, author Christina Baker Kline combines two characters and their stories simultaneously to explain the history of the Orphan Trains in America during the 1920s, and the social dilemma of being a teenage orphan in 2011.  Seventeen year old Molly Ayer is all too familiar with the social service system. She is a juvenile delinquent, most recently for stealing a book, and probably in danger of being relocated into another foster home. Her sentence is to serve community service, cleaning the attic of ninety-three year old Vivian Daly.  Vivian is also familiar with the social service system in her day.  As an orphaned Irish immigrant, Vivian was placed on the Orphan Train on the east coast, and was sent to America's growing midwest region with the hopes to finding a safe home, and possibly a family.

These two unlikely friends eventually develop trust in each other. They begin to share their experiences as participants in the social system of their time. Kline intertwines the past stories of Vivian's life as an orphan in 1930 with the present day predicament of Molly Ayer.  The reader begins to see a change in both characters, as they become dependent on each other, Vivian trying to curate the events of her past, and Molly her present and future.