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The Trial of the Indermitten Seven by Wilfried Lippmann BookSurge
book review by Brad Stevens
"The way he saw it, her hate against the programs that Hitler had set in motion caused her to blame even innocent or only remotely connected people for something they didn't really do."
In Lippmann's YA novel, seven German youths take risks with Allied occupying forces in order to assist the people of Indermitten. Their goals are admirable, ranging from helping starving citizens to the restoration of the Christmas holiday. They steal food from the Americans and a Christmas tree from the Russians. When the children are caught, they are put on public trial.
The subjugated town of Indermitten is bordered by two opposing countries; they are caught in the vice of it actually. By placing these young characters in this harsh environment, paralleling war itself, Lippmann sets the stage for conspiracy and suspense. It steers the story directly in line with its true message and the cruel vagaries of war. The teenagers' unique struggle allows the reader to experience a place where authority undermines humanity and thus brings them into danger. However, in the eyes of the seven, who become fanatically defiant against the two abutting authorities, the threat is not enough to deter their efforts to free Intermitten from total ruin and the wedge of occupiers.
Lippmann divvies up a compelling chain of events and delivers an exceptional story in the onslaught of WWII. The dialog permits easy reading as well, although some readers may not view the children of Germany as anything other than children or answerable for their fellow countrymen. Still, this is not Lippmann's primary message, only the vehicle to a very fine read.