I do so love being a teacher.
THE END
HELPFUL GLOSSARY
Apfelstrudel: apple strudel . . . like apple pie, but sooooooooo much better
Bratwurst: tasty, spicy, beautifully prepared link sausage, often handmade
Dirndl: German woman’s traditional dress, very flattering
Dummkopf: idiot, moron, clod, imbecile, dim-bulb loser, dunce, nincompoop, ignoramus, dummy, schmuck, and my favorite . . . retard
Dreck: icky mess
Eins, zwei, drei: one, two, three
Freund: friend, of whom I have many
Fröhlich: happy, which I am . . . nearly all of the time
Fritten: fried potatoes, but certainly not French!
Gott im Himmel: God in heaven
Grossmutter: Grandmother
Grossvater: Grandfather
Grundschule: grade school . . . a wonderful place to spend the time
Ja: yes!
Kartoffelsalat: potato salad, extremely delicious!
Kindergarten: take a wild guess
Kiste: butt (a word I find coarse and unpleasant)
Mach schnell: hurry up!
Müsli: a delightful breakfast dish made with oatmeal, grain, dried fruit, seeds, nuts, and milk . . . so wonderful!
Natürlich: naturally
Nichts: nothing (what’s in some boys’ heads)
Opa: Granddaddy
Schnaps: very strong alcoholic beverage, flavored with fruit! Yum!
Schauer: shiver
Spätlese Riesling: a particularly lovely type of German white wine
Waffen-SS: Nazi party soldiers in WWII
Wunderbar: wonderful, my favorite word
Würstchen: small sausage, quite yummy!
THANK YOU!
Kelly Catron, who (when everyone told me I shouldn’t write a book told from the bad guy’s point of view) read an early draft, got it, and encouraged me like a house afire. I’d never have fought on without your crucial boost.
Craig Phillips for the beach house, Hilary Bell, Donna Koppelman, Pam Casey, Tracy Barrett, Suzanne Kingsbury, Chris Ruppenthal, Cheryl Klein, Richard Beban, Ruta Sepetys, Marti Young, Kurt Hampe, Josh Bledsoe, Wesley Cook, Will Robinson, Alexandra Bowen, my stellar editor Alexis Gargagliano, and FIP (finest radio station, ever).
Bruce Cohen, who suggested I send the manuscript to his buddy Judith Regan.
And Judith, who loved it.
AUTHOR BIO
William M. Akers thinks writing books is a ton more fun than actual work. This is his first novel. Buy your friends a bunch of copies so he can write more.
tobywilcox.com
65 Bleecker Street
New York, NY 10012
Copyright © 2016 by William M. Akers
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Regan Arts Subsidiary Rights Department, 65 Bleecker Street, New York, NY 10012.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, places, or events is coincidental.
First Regan Arts hardcover edition, March 2016.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2015930626
ISBN 978-1-941393-58-1
eISBN 978-1-941393-92-5
“My Papi,” “My Teacher,” and “Cruel” © 2016 Richard Beban
Interior design by Daniel Lagin
Jacket design by Richard Ljoenes and Anna Wilkenfeld
Jacket and interior art by Anna Wilkenfeld