Unser Mädel. Eine lustige Schulgeschichte, mit 21 Bildern nach Zeichnungen von Heinz Schubel - "Our Girl. An amusing school story, with 21 pictures after drawings by Heinz Schubel" - A children's book from the Nazi era with antisemitic references and messages of devotion to the Nazi party and German pride. Published by Loewes Verlag Ferdinand Carl, Stuttgart [1936] - First edition.
The heroine of the book, whose image also appears on the cover, is a blond-haired, blue-eyed German girl named Hannelore Golding - beautiful, intelligent, and talented as befits an ideal Aryan girl according to Nazi racial theory. Hannelore is a wise, admired figure who all the boys seek the company of, and the story's message is always conveyed through her character. Throughout the book there are many descriptions highlighting her Aryan superiority, such as "The boys stood up and gazed in wonder at the delicate girl with her thick blond braids and merry brown eyes". When all the boys are embarrassed at one boy's torn pants, she jumps up with needle and thread to mend them, and when a group of children mocks one boy for his difficulty reading, she comes to teach him not to be ashamed and to learn slowly. The teacher asks a question, no child knows the answer - Hannelore arrives just in time to answer fluently. Hannelore is the one who jumps into the water to save a child stuck on an ice floe, and so on.
Among other things, the author uses the "German Hannelore" character to convey antisemitic messages and German patriotism. For example, in the chapter "Iron Cross" there is a scene of an argument among the boys in class about the different parties in Germany influenced by elections to the Reichstag. "We are the State Party" declared one boy, Werner Ekelyn grabbed the newspaper, crumpled it and threw it high across the whole class. Werner shouted: "The State Party! They are Jews and all their rubbish. We are the German citizens, something better, we are the people of the black white and red... He's right shouted Axel, but the SPD (the second largest party in Nazi Germany which was the opposition to the Nazi party) is better, they take care of all the workers..." Lochmann drew a swastika on the board. "Hey look there's the Nazi shouted Werner Ekelyn" ...Hannelore (the heroine of the book) stood leaning against the wall watching the boys' uproar in silence. Arrel approached her: "Well, what do you say?", "Me? I am German" she answered simply... "We are a German people after all...why are you all shouting at each other...", "Look at this stupid girl' Leo mocked, "Germany, Germany, she always wants to be something special". The scene of the argument ends in the class and the boys return home together with the girl Hannelore. On their way home they meet a man missing one hand, "Hannelore sat down, her blue eyes wide with excitement, "He has only one arm, and he has the Iron Cross on his coat!, the boys were silent... Did you lose your hand in the war?, Asked Hannelore quietly, "Yes", silence again. "Do you have children?" "Yes four, and I'm unemployed, the pension is not enough", he replied. Hannelore did not dare to ask any more questions..." As soon as they left the alleyway they stopped and looked at each other (Hannelore and one of the boys) "I'll tell you what, " said Hannelore "you know he was a soldier from the World War in Hartmannswillerkopf, he gave his arm for our Germany, and he has the Iron Cross, the Iron Cross, and he needy! It's a shame. And if anyone has the Iron Cross everyone must salute him - he is a German hero... and you argue about which party you belong to, well, now you know! (alluding to the Nazi party)... The boys walked together in silence, what could they say, Hannelore is right!...".
In the epilogue of the book, written about the author: "The popular youth novelist knows how to captivate young readers with her stories, to inspire all that is good and beautiful, and to inspire the love to our home and homeland".
Rare. The book is considered one of the most popular children's books in Nazi Germany and was reprinted almost every year in the 1930s and 1940s, continuing to appear even after the war. There are known copies of the book that were also issued in the 1950s. Before us is the first edition published in 1936 without a date, and with the mention: "Printed at the printing house of the Stuttgart Club". In the world cat library catalog there are seven listings for the book, six in libraries across Germany, and one in the Winnipeg Library in Canada.
92 [4] p. Minor stains on the back cover. Very good condition.
