Hilary, a member of a Neo Nazi Gang in a small American Town, is an angry and brutal teenager, who blames the Jewish population for the death of her father. After an ugly accident on a motorcycle she finds herself in a Jewish hospital, comatose and roomed with an elderly woman, Chana. Mirroring, in some ways, the plot of the novel The Devil's Arithmetic, Hilary finds herself somehow linked to Chana and is drawn into her memories of her horrific experience during the Holocaust. Chapters staggered between these memories and visiting those of Hilary's past and present, we are able to watch as Hilary's character transforms dramatically. Using inner dialogue from Hilary's point of view, Nolan is able to convey this transformation to us through use of language in conjunction with the story itself.
Though the story is a work of fiction, it is a valuable story when working to understand the brutal reality of the holocaust, through characters that young adults can easily relate to. Recommended for 7th grade age and onward (with some caution due to excessive foul language and horrific violence), this was one I revisited many times during junior high, and though has been criticized as a re-write of The Devil's Arithmetic, reads quite differently and conveys an incredibly different message.
Holly Link
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