Archive: Around Town

When kids are in hopeless situations they may just go along and do what they are told even if what they are told is the wrong thing to do.  But some kids rise to the challenge and do the right thing.  That's what interests award winning author Susan Campbell Bartoletti , who spent three days in the Lansing schools this week.

"It comes out of my teaching and working with 13 and 14 year olds," she says.  "Yes, they can be brainwashed, and yes they can be indoctrinated.  But I want to give them hope.  I want to tell them that yes, you can also be courageous and brave.  You can make a decision that will make a difference."

Bartoletti met with students in the high school, middle school, and elementary school to tell them about writing, what it is like to be a professional writer and to talk about her books, notably her latest book, 'The Boy Who Dared.'  The book is based on a true story of Helmuth Hübener, who was arrested and killed for writing and disseminating essays critical of Adolph Hitler and his policies.  Bartoletti told the students about how one brave act saved the lives of two friends who were arrested along with him.

Holocaust survivors Fred and Ilsa Voss were at Lansing High School Tuesday to hear Bartoletti's presentation.  Fred Voss says that he was profoundly moved by the detailed research that went into its writing.  "This woman did some real research," he says.  "Susan wrote in her book that the Hitler Youth would rather have died for the Führer than give up.  When I was in the American Army we captured a 14 year old German soldier who was a product of the Hitler youth.  After we had searched for weapons I said, 'Aren't you glad you are a prisoner of war?'  He said, 'No.  I would rather die for my Führer .'  I have never forgotten that."

Voss speaks about his experiences frequently at schools and colleges to keep the story of the Holocaust alive in the hope that it will never be repeated.  With the last generation of survivors disappearing, he worries about who will tell the story when they're gone.  Tuesday he said that Bartoletti's books (she has also written a non-fiction book about the Hitler Youth) will do that for the next generation.

"I see it as an obligation," Bartoletti says.  "It is part of our human obligation to pass on these stories.  We don't have to be victims of the Holocaust to tell other people what we know.  Now that I know Fred's story it is my obligation to read his book and tell that story along with the other stories that I tell.  The kids who were so enthralled with the presentation today -- they're going to pass that story on."


The author told students about her writing process, including her day to day routine, techniques she uses to fight writer's block, and the extensive research she does before writing.  Her research for 'The Boy Who Dared' entailed several trips to Germany that included tracking down the people who were there, including Karl-Heinz Schnibbe, one of the two friends Hübener saved.  She also told them about the business of writing, noting that while she has contracts that will see her through the current economic crisis, other authors have not been as lucky.

High school students were clearly moved after Tuesday's presentation, lining up to have copies of "The Boy Who Dared' autographed.  Students read the book in their English classes to prepare for the author's visit.  As a busy working writer, that was one of the things that led her to accept the invitation to speak in Lansing.

"What made me choose Lansing was, first of all, Susan Rosenkoetter's passion about books," she says.  "The kids here were so well prepared for my visit, and I have to tell you that is rare."

Bartoletti is the fourth professional author that Rosenkoetter has brought to the Lansing schools (click here for accompanying story).  As a former teacher she says that while she must limit her speaking engagements, she loves speaking engagements where she can connect with students and teachers.

"Here I am in the Lansing schools and not only am I received wonderfully as a guest, but the teachers have made time," she says.  "That says a lot about the school, it says a lot about the teachers, a lot about the community, and it also says a lot about those kids.  I don't think the love of reading can be taught.  It must be caught, and these people threw this out to the kids and they caught it."


Bartoletti drove here Sunday from her home in Pensylvannia.  The official visit began with a reception and dinner at Ludlowville's Federal House Bed & Breakfast.  Rosenkoetter and Lansing teachers also made sure that Bartoletti got to see local sights while she was here.  But the main event was her talks to Lansing students.

"I do connect with students," she says.  "I love when I hear them in a presentation I hear what they react to.  Sometimes they'll linger after and tell me what they're reading or writing.  That's great.  I love connecting with teachers.  I still love the faculty room.  Some things never change."

Bartoletti has had 14 fiction and non-fiction books published.  She has been awarded the prestigious Newbury Honor for 'Hitler Youth,' and the Silbert Award for 'Hitler Youth' and Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine 1845-1850'.  While most of her books are based on history, she also authored 'Nobody’s Nosier Than a Cat' and 'Nobody’s Diggier than a Dog.'  She told students that she turned in her 15th manuscript for publication shortly before coming to Lansing.

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