Sending Down the Sparrows

Book excerpt: This work of historical fiction, bears witness to the systematic persecution and extermination of the handicapped by Nazi Germany through the character of Viktor, a young man who is a reluctant member of the Hitler Youth. Viktor has a secret; a mentally handicapped sister who is the ward of a state institution. Viktor soon finds himself caught between the Nazi ideologies of racial and genetic purity and the love of a sister for whom he feels shame. As the play unfolds, he must choose whether to continue protecting his secret himself or to come to the defense of his sister. This play was written specifically for young (highschool or college) actors. Laura Lundgren Smith, a native of Texas, lives in Fort Worth.