orangerful's review against another edition
5.0
Do you ever read a book that makes you think you need to go back and redo all of your GoodReads rating because this is the new standard for 5 stars?
Hendrix starts the book off with a start white page with black text, paragraphs lined up in a row. In just these few words, he gets the reader thinking about Germany, WWII, a people vs the people and history. And then you turn the page and are sucked into a world of color - of peaceful, contemplative blues and angry, offensive reds. We learn about Dietrich Bonhoeffer's early life, his obsession with theology and how his coming of age ran parallel to the Germany's struggles after WWI and the rise of Adolf Hitler.
This book is the next step for Nathan Hale fans, the ones who might need a little more deep thought in their history books. Hendrix explains the roots of the war and how a country can get sucked into evil leadership. And how there will always be people fighting back, risking their lives to save the soul of their nation. Bonhoeffer was just one of those people, but it is important to tell his story, a life of balancing religion and faith and trying to be a good man and dealing with his countries atrocities and the fact that murdering a man might be the only way to save the world.
I really hope Hendrix does more history titles like this. His approach to the story made it very readable and it was hard to put down. Fantastic.
Hendrix starts the book off with a start white page with black text, paragraphs lined up in a row. In just these few words, he gets the reader thinking about Germany, WWII, a people vs the people and history. And then you turn the page and are sucked into a world of color - of peaceful, contemplative blues and angry, offensive reds. We learn about Dietrich Bonhoeffer's early life, his obsession with theology and how his coming of age ran parallel to the Germany's struggles after WWI and the rise of Adolf Hitler.
This book is the next step for Nathan Hale fans, the ones who might need a little more deep thought in their history books. Hendrix explains the roots of the war and how a country can get sucked into evil leadership. And how there will always be people fighting back, risking their lives to save the soul of their nation. Bonhoeffer was just one of those people, but it is important to tell his story, a life of balancing religion and faith and trying to be a good man and dealing with his countries atrocities and the fact that murdering a man might be the only way to save the world.
I really hope Hendrix does more history titles like this. His approach to the story made it very readable and it was hard to put down. Fantastic.
ivantable's review against another edition
5.0
A bite more text-heavy than I would have preferred, but this is a brilliant book. Not quite a graphic novel but not quite a picture book either. The text also makes it seem like a typical chapter book, but again it's not quite accurate. So, a very unique work that brilliantly tells the tale of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
jenthebookgeek's review against another edition
5.0
This was a great book - a brief, artistic exploration of Bonhoeffer's life and also a reflection of love, justice, oppression and action in today's time.
Some of the font was difficult to read (either too small or blurred for artistic effect), but the art was captivating and highlighted the story wonderfully.
Some of the font was difficult to read (either too small or blurred for artistic effect), but the art was captivating and highlighted the story wonderfully.
joyfulme's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic source for WW2, through the biography of one of its brave martyrs. Great vocabulary stretcher for YA as well (mettle, breach, cadre,etc). Hendrix takes pains to show the development of Nazi policy and sympathy, and does his best to give grace for the different parties without compromising on calling out evil. The reason he does this is, as he says in his notes at the end is to draw readers attention to the nature of the duplicitous human heart common to us all. “Any nation that assumes it is too righteous to fall into the same sins will risk making the mistakes that Germany did in the 1930s.“ Other significant talking points include the proper biblical relationship between the church and the state, especially when that state is hostile; and situational ethics, especially just war and suicide. Parental caution includes that some of the details can be a bit gory (as would be fitting a YA text on such a harrowing subject as Nazi Germany.) The book is a perfect balance of graphic novel and text, and sometimes symbolic illustrations are used to complement the dark material, such as a giant demon-wolf crunching a regiment of soldiers between its jaws. Another aspect that concerned me was how the author repeatedly challenged readers to “faith in action” in the way of Bonhoeffer, without challenging readers to be as prayerful as Bonhoeffer was in regards to the when and the how of those actions. Bonhoeffer was desperately prayerful and sensitive to God’s direction; strongly moved by a personal conviction. He tried not to lean on his own power or understanding. Challenging readers to radical sacrifice without radical dependence on prayer and waiting for God’s leading... that is dangerous ground to tread.
the_fabric_of_words's review against another edition
5.0
I've mentioned that I taught middle school in a private Catholic setting, as well as public school. That experience made me aware that the teaching resources for faith-based classrooms tend to be far fewer than those for public classrooms, so whenever I come across a faith-based exploration of a Common Core standard, I love to share it!
The Faithful Spy is one such book. The premise is simple but extremely nuanced: devout German Lutherans resisted Hitler during WWII by plotting to kill him -- three times. How could they reconcile killing Hitler with their faith, when the first commandment is, "Thou shalt not kill" ?
This is the true story of one such man, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor, and how he came to be an integral part of the plots to kill Hitler. Not only is the text a detailed examination of how he came to this conclusion, but it is an extremely nuanced look at the historical events that led to WWII and Hitler's rise to power.
The presentation is as a graphic novel and the artwork is simply STUNNING. My 16-year-old devoured this book.
In addition, the publisher, Abrams Books, offers an awesome Educator's Guide (you have to sign up with Scribd to download it). There are 13 discussion questions, an interview with the author, John Hendrix, and several extension activities appropriate for middle and high school classrooms.
It aligns well with the following Common Core Social Studies standard for 8th grade:
8.S2.PO2: Analyze the major causes of World War II, including the political ideologies of Fascism and Nazism and resentment toward the Treaty of Versailles.
The author also offers, on his website, a detailed explanation of how he conducted research for this non-fiction book. With numerous photographs, it's an excellent way to demonstrate to students the ELA Common Core standards for differentiating between fiction and non-fiction texts:
8.RI.3: Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas or events (e.g. through comparisons, analogies or categories)
8.RI.7: Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g. print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, links to the free teaching materials mentioned in this review and more, and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
The Faithful Spy is one such book. The premise is simple but extremely nuanced: devout German Lutherans resisted Hitler during WWII by plotting to kill him -- three times. How could they reconcile killing Hitler with their faith, when the first commandment is, "Thou shalt not kill" ?
This is the true story of one such man, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor, and how he came to be an integral part of the plots to kill Hitler. Not only is the text a detailed examination of how he came to this conclusion, but it is an extremely nuanced look at the historical events that led to WWII and Hitler's rise to power.
The presentation is as a graphic novel and the artwork is simply STUNNING. My 16-year-old devoured this book.
In addition, the publisher, Abrams Books, offers an awesome Educator's Guide (you have to sign up with Scribd to download it). There are 13 discussion questions, an interview with the author, John Hendrix, and several extension activities appropriate for middle and high school classrooms.
It aligns well with the following Common Core Social Studies standard for 8th grade:
8.S2.PO2: Analyze the major causes of World War II, including the political ideologies of Fascism and Nazism and resentment toward the Treaty of Versailles.
The author also offers, on his website, a detailed explanation of how he conducted research for this non-fiction book. With numerous photographs, it's an excellent way to demonstrate to students the ELA Common Core standards for differentiating between fiction and non-fiction texts:
8.RI.3: Analyze how a text makes connections among and distinctions between individuals, ideas or events (e.g. through comparisons, analogies or categories)
8.RI.7: Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of using different mediums (e.g. print or digital text, video, multimedia) to present a particular topic or idea.
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, links to the free teaching materials mentioned in this review and more, and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
kyera's review against another edition
5.0
The Faithful Spy is a graphic novel that tells the tale of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, pastor and spy, who was a part of the plot to kill Hitler (three times.) I was not familiar with Dietrich’s story prior to reading this graphic novel, but now I’m interested in finding out more. The story begins with Dietrich’s early years and how he began to study theology from a very early age, so much so that by the age of 24 he had already been a theologian for a decade.
This graphic novel was a fantastic blend of history and illustrations, which managed to make an incredibly tough time in history both approachable and engaging. It was packed with a lot of information, so I felt as though I was constantly learning throughout – but it never felt like I was being forced to learn, it was fun. I feel that it is a successful blend of entertainment and learning, and would do well in a school environment as a reading assignment for a history class.
The graphic novel will appeal to both teens and adults, as it is a well-crafted blend of illustrations and history. Even readers who might not otherwise enjoy reading about history will appreciate this graphic novel. I picked up the book and didn’t put it down until I had finished reading it. I was engaged the entire time and would highly recommend it.
This graphic novel was a fantastic blend of history and illustrations, which managed to make an incredibly tough time in history both approachable and engaging. It was packed with a lot of information, so I felt as though I was constantly learning throughout – but it never felt like I was being forced to learn, it was fun. I feel that it is a successful blend of entertainment and learning, and would do well in a school environment as a reading assignment for a history class.
The graphic novel will appeal to both teens and adults, as it is a well-crafted blend of illustrations and history. Even readers who might not otherwise enjoy reading about history will appreciate this graphic novel. I picked up the book and didn’t put it down until I had finished reading it. I was engaged the entire time and would highly recommend it.
saycheeze37's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the material and it was written well. Graphic novels aren't my thing, but this one wasn't bad. It was difficult for me to read in places because the text was small, and often in different colors making it difficult for my old eyes.
jmwise1's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. Beautiful art that puts World War II into new context and a new light. I’m so sick of books about wwii but this is the exception bc of how Hendrix put Hitler and his plan in the context of what the underground German church was planning. I’ve never heard this side of the story before - a story of The Bride gaining the courage to act in faith against their government. To rebel. Amazing story.
Anything that has to do with spies - especially spies for Jesus - and I’m hooked!
It also was intriguing bc I’m German, and my family moved here in around 1919, so it’s interesting to hear all the news from Europe and their beloved Germany that my family would have heard in America during wwii as German immigrants.
Anything that has to do with spies - especially spies for Jesus - and I’m hooked!
It also was intriguing bc I’m German, and my family moved here in around 1919, so it’s interesting to hear all the news from Europe and their beloved Germany that my family would have heard in America during wwii as German immigrants.