Bette Greene was an author of children’s and young adult books including the 1973 National Book Award finalist “Summer of My German Soldier.”“Summer of My German Soldier” takes place in Arkansas during World War II, following a young Jewish girl as she develops a relationship with a German POW and hides him in her garage.
Greene later said that the story was autobiographical. Beloved by readers, “Summer of My German Soldier” has also been targeted by book-banning campaigns.
Greene’s “The Drowning of Stephan Jones” (1991) was another frequently challenged book, taking inspiration from a real-life case of three young men who killed a gay man by throwing him off a bridge.