In this controversial study of postwar German's children's books, Zohar Shavit reveals a troubling perspective on the German understanding of the Holocaust.

A Past without Shadow was published in Hebrew in Israel a few years ago and created a stir of controversy and many favorable reviews. In this study of postwar German's children's books, Zohar Shavit argues that the volumes' portray Nazis and Jews as equally 'foreign' and 'Other' to the 'true' German laypeople, revealing a troubling perspective on the German understanding of the Holocaust and how Germany wishes new generations to remember its history. This first English-language edition will find a substantial audience among children's literature scholars and those interested in the literatures of postwar Germany and the Holocaust.