Room in the Heart

Room in the Heart is a touching story of how teenagers deal with the Nazi occupation in their native Denmark. The main character is Jewish, while her friend and her brother, the other main characters, aren't, and it shows how different each of their experiences are under the Nazi occupation of Denmark.

The three years of German occupation in Denmark from 1940 to the rescue of the Danish Jews in 1943 saw many changes in the attitudes of the Danish people, the growing resistance movement, the Danish Jews, and the German forces. The complex development of those three years is told through multiple viewpoints; the letters of a German soldier, Willi and the diary of a Danish girl, Fredericka, and the personal accounts of Julie and Niels. Julie, who is Jewish fears the growing tension and German presence while Niels must balance his boyhood friendship with Emil, who is enamoured with the Nazis, and his growing love for Julie and friendship with her Jewish family and friends. This account fills in the gaps of most stories of the Danish show more resistance, which begin with the rescue of the Jews and pass over the changes and development of the first three years of occupation.

Resources:
Author’s note and bibliography. show less

A story of a young girl growning up in Copenhagen. Everything is fine and safe until the GErman planes start flying over and dropping leaflets. Now her and her family live in fear of being torn apart and put into concentraion camps. this is her journey on trying to protect the ones she loves

The German occupation of Denmark and its impact on a circle of middle class families - Jewish and non-Jewish - compel them to act on their beliefs.