Tomi : A Childhood under the Nazis Book

The Nazis arrived in Strasbourg, France, in 1940, when ATomi Ungerer was eight years old. What had been a protected, idyllic childhood for the boy came to a violent halt when his home was billeted by Nazi soldiers, his family consigned to a small area of the house, and Ungerer himself forced to leave home and join the Hitler youth. Even his name was erased: Tomi became Hans, and was allowed to speak only German. For five years, until the end of the war, "Hans," like the French society around him, was remade to fit the Nazi ideal.

Unerer was lucky enough to survive this grim experience, and unlike many, was able to create a unique record of his experiences along the way. This visual memoir is a combination of paintings, drawings, and diary entries that demonstrate his keen powers of observation, his wit and resiliency, and highly developed artistic skills. Most of this material survived thanks to his conscientious mother, and it already shows much of the wit and style that owuld one day make ungerer wold famous.

Previously published to wide acclaim in France and Germany, Tomi: A childhood Under the Nazis is lavishly illustrated with documents, photos, writings, and artwork that describe the Nazi phenomenon up close, including specific characters and events, from a child's innocent, but surprisingly disconcerting, perspective.