This summer I read a tale of two people whose lives couldn't be more different, but both had fallen victim to the great evil known as Adolf Hitler. I read Parallel Journeys by Eleanor Ayers as my summer reading project. Reading this book has given me a new perspective on the Holocaust. It made me realize how easy Hitler's rise to power was, but how difficult it was to diminish his authority. It's easy to instill beliefs of prejudice, discrimination, and hatred in the minds of the youth, but nearly impossible to remove it.

While most people would cowered in fear at the sight of everything after just being rescued from concentration/work camp, Helen Waterford showed courage and was more determined than ever to find her daughter Doris. Upon leaving Kratzau, Helen was arrested for being a German. After she was released, Helen learned there was a truck that was headed to Holland. When she didn't have the right papers, the driver tried to have her removed. In Parallel Journeys, it states, "I chose that moment to shout loudly that I had not been spared at Auschwitz to fight for my human rights in vain." This was an incredibly brave act. Helen showed courage by speaking up for herself. …show more content…
This describes all of the young boys deserting during the war. They feared for their lives and ran. Many did not chose to fight the war but they could choose to flee and that is what many members of the Hitler Youth