I Am David Chapter Summary & Analysis | Chapter 1

Chapter 1 Summary

This novel for young people is the story of David, who is allowed to escape from a Nazi concentration camp and makes his way across Europe to a new home in Denmark. As the narrative details his struggles to survive and retain his sense of individuality, the narrative also explores issues relating to the nature and value of freedom and the power of faith.

Twelve year old David waits nervously for the moment when he is to make his escape from the prison camp where he was born and grew up. Narration describes the opportunity prepared for him by a nameless man (see "Quotes", p. 5-6) who told him where to find a particular tree where there would be water and a compass, and to use the compass to find his way first to the coast, then to Italy, and finally to Denmark. Narration also describes how David...
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