Wulffson (Point Blank; The Kid Who Invented the Popsicle) poses haunting questions of allegiance, not only for his characters but for readers, with this behind-enemy-lines look at WWII. Veteran and teacher Erik Brandt’s students deem him a hero, but he confides to readers that in WWII he fought for the Germans–not the Americans. He then flashes back to March 21, 1944, when at age 16, Erik, the son of a (deceased) German father and Russian mother, and a member of the Hitler Youth, boards a train bound for battle in Russia. Erik’s idealism quickly fades as he witnesses firsthand the Third Reich’s brutal treatment of Jews, the casualties of war (a nurse carrying a severed human leg) and the everyday compromises necessary to survive (the soldiers eat rats for sustenance). One of the most chilling quotes in the novel comes from a seasoned soldier when the teenaged reinforcements arrive at their post: “All the men are dead…. Now they are sending us boys.” Wulffson effectively lays the groundwork for Erik’s one chance for survival after a bloody German defeat in battle: Erik dresses in a dead enemy’s clothes and, thanks to his fluency in Russian, passes as a Russian with amnesia, known as “X,” in a Russian hospital. There he meets a beautiful nurse, Tamara, and although their love affair is not always convincing, the questions their relationship raises about loyalty (when she discovers Erik’s true identity) are just as compelling as those found elsewhere in this riveting novel. With well-researched and meticulously recorded details of life under fire, Wulffson urges readers to look past the outer trappings of the enemy to discover the human being inside the uniform. Ages 10-14.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
User Ratings and Reviews
5 Stars Good book
This book was a very good book which my son read. He liked it alot so he started telling me the story and it was very interesting. It had alot of action but may not be suitable for little kids. Overall a great story line and he liked it from the beggining. I would reccomend this book. In case you want to know what yours sons reading about here it is erick is a boy who is in the russian war. Almost his whole troop gets killed and he ends up behind enemy lines. he changes into a german uniform in order to not be killed. The rest of the story is about him trying to hide his real identity and living as a german without being caught.
5 Stars Amazing Book!!
This is an amazing book about a boy in World War II. Well actuly he is retelling it. If you like adventure books, or war books this is the book for you! I loved it!
5 Stars Amazing Book
This is an amazing book about a boy in World War II. Well actuly he is retelling it. If you like adventure books, or war books this is the book for you! I loved it!
5 Stars Soldier X
Soldier X
By: Don L. Wulffson
Erik Brandt is in trouble. The young boy is drafted into the relentless German army under Hitler’s command. Being half Russian and knowing the Russian language he is sent to the Eastern Front to fight the Russians. Getting attacked by Russian air assaults almost daily, the young soldier is getting tired of seeing his men die. So he comes up with a plan to get away from all that.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes war novels and loves adventure stories. The author does a great job at keeping the story real, not “Hollywood” if you know what I mean. The thing ten out of ten because it was to short. I was really into the book and then it ended I was sad when I had to put the book down.
I’m not a big reader, but this story really got to me reading wise.( This book is very powerful, exiting, and adventures compared to other stories, it will keep you on the edge of your seat. This story is very unique if you ask me; I really enjoyed this novel and so will you.)
-Tony P.
5 Stars A Separate Peace on the Eastern Front
In his native Germany, he’s 16-year-old Erik Brandt, but when he’s sent to the eastern front in the desperate waning days of WWII, Erik’s bilingual upringing (one set of grandparents is Russian) allows him to become Aleksandr Dukhanov. The problem? With the front shifting weekly due to offenses and counteroffenses, Erik/Aleksandr finds himself confronted one moment with one side, one moment with another, as he is torn loose as a refuge after graphically-described attacks.
Interesting? You bet. As a war writer, Wulffson has done his homework. The tale of a boy forced to be a man is common enough in this genre, but this particular boy (who adopts X as a nickname) is an especially compelling case, and Wulfsson’s afterword tells us it was based on a real case. Certainly the history he cites is accurate, and the descriptions of trench warfare are eerily realistic as well.
Eventually this war story morphs into a war/love story with the introduction of Tamara, whom X works beside in a makeshift Russian hospital. But the spirit of the book remains with the war, and the theme is deeply entrenched in the ironies of a soldier who can not only fight equally and reasonably for BOTH sides, but can befriend citizens and fighters for both sides as well. The enemy, then, is war itself — war and the hell it unleashes.
This book has little profanity but much violence. Still, it is well-written, and reluctant readers (especially boys) who are interested in history and war will quickly become spellbound by the narrative. The novel can be enjoyed by adults as well as teens. A real winner, X marks the spot — and if you had any misconceptions about war being a romantic and exciting thing, SOLDIER X will strike it out of you forever.
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