Summer of My German Soldier (sample extra credit entry)

Synopsis:
Although Greene published this novel over 30 years ago, she tells of a classic love story of forbidden lovers torn apart by the unforgiving hatred of the world around them. Patty Bergen, a 12-year old girl from a small Arkansas town, experiences a life of verbal and physical abuse from her parents. Her lackluster appearance falls short of the perfection her parents see and love in her younger sister, Sharon. Ruth, the housekeeper/nanny, sympathizes with Patty, although she cannot sway Patty’s parents to treat their daughter with the respect she deserves as a human being. In the midst of her turmoil, Patty befriends a German prisoner of war and manages to help the escaped prisoner hide in her parents’ garage dorm. While Anton, the POW, realizes he cannot stay, he manages to show Patty that he values her friendship and finds her worthy of love. He leaves the dorm, and while this is the last Patty sees him, she thinks of him often and treasures the gold ring he gives her as a token of his friendship. -- 175 words

(Spoiler Warning)
Commentary:
I understand that young love happens, but Patty, a twelve year old girl falling head-over-heals in love with Anton, a 20-something year old man? Let me just say this: if this happened in today’s world, we’d see Anton on Dateline’s To Catch a Criminal for his interest in a minor. Although the on-screen hook-up never occurred like I expected (and dreaded), the book does somewhat glamorize the fact that Patty really thought she (a Jew) had a chance of making it work with a German POW. Really. I get that authors try to reinvent the whole Romeo and Juliet concept--and that’s really great--a truly hopeless and yet classic love story--but the whole time reading this novel I failed to "believe" Patty and Anton's relationship. Worse yet, after Anton's brisk departure, the book provided nothing but dejection (as if the book didn’t have enough of that). Patty blabs about Anton's ring to a store clerk, and eventually the whole story comes out (very painfully). Patty ends up at a girl reform school. All the stereotypical "Disney" moments we've come to expect never occur (the heartwarming reunion with her rotten parents; her dad's admission of his unrelenting evilness and his quest for forgiveness from his eldest daughter; the "just kidding" moment of Anton’s death.) The book ends as hopelessly hopeless as it begins. -- 225 words

Total = 400 words