Author: Louise Fein
ISBN: 9781789545005
Publisher: Head of Zeus
People Like Us also titled Daughter of the Reich is a beautiful, heart wrenching love story written by Louise Fein.
Set in Leipzig, Germany 1930’s pre-World War II, Hetty Heinrich is a young girl living with her father Franz, a high ranked SS officer, mother Helene and older brother Karl who is in the German Air Force and a member of the BDM. Hetty is heavily influenced by her family; being young Hitler wanted to create a generation of young Aryans who were physically fit and totally obedient through programmes such as Hitler Youth in which her family supported. Hitler believed the German race to be the superior race, and people could be separated into a hierarchy of different races, where some races were superior and others were inferior. He believed he was god-like, and Jews were filthy pigs, which made it hard for Hetty as her brother’s best friend Walter Keller is a Jew. When Hetty was eight Walter saved her from drowning and she formed a crush on him. Over time they lost touch and Karl turned his back on Walter for being a Jew.
Years later Hetty is reunited with Walter and they fall in love. Under the Nuremberg Laws it is prohibited for them dating or marrying, they keep their relationship a secret from all. Time spent with Walter who encourages her to see the discrimination and prosecution of Jews, Hetty begins to question her upbringing and all that she was taught to believe and stood by.
Her family firmly believes she should marry a German but as Hetty falls deeper in love with Walter she realises she must sacrifice herself and her life by fighting against her family, brother and the Hitler ruling. Anyone against Hitler was either sent to prison or executed. Hitler wanted to take all actions necessary in order to make Germany prosper, and with Jews being sent to concentration camps and complete annihilation of the Jewish population Hetty is faced with the ultimate decision to try and save Walter at all costs.
If you enjoyed reading The Tattooist of Auschwitz you will definitely love this book filled with history, loss, secrets, heartbreak, loyalty, suffering, and sacrifice and most importantly love.
Thank you Beauty & Lace and Head of Zeus for read and review.
A selection of our members have been reading this book with us. You can find out what they thought below, or add your own review!
My love of books started at a very young age. My mum has always been a reader and encouraged me to read, buying me endless book from classic fairy tales advancing to the world of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Kathryn Kenny, Carolyn Keene, Francine Pascal. In my adult years the list of authors is endless and every room in my house is filled with books.
One of my favourite novels is Narnia which has always has a special place in my heart. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1978 and when I was given this book to read it let me escape to another world where I felt like I was in the book with all the characters, it wasfun and exciting to escape from reality and eased the ups and downs of the disease at such a young age.
In books nothing is impossible and there is endless potential and hundreds of places to explore or being taken to places that are only made up from the authors’ great minds, the past and future to navigate, characters lives you step into taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride or being scared out of your wits. I can experience things that I can’t in real life because they’re not possible or real. It challenges my perspective and mindset expanding my worldview.
I find joy, comfort and peace with books, many people may not get it, but I know bookworms like me truly understand. Reading makes my heart happy.