jennms_qkw's review against another edition
5.0
A refreshing telling of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's story, illustrated. I loved this instead of slogging through 500+ pages. Thank you John! Dietrich is one of my heroes.
jamie_o's review against another edition
5.0
Coming into the book I was familiar with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, as I've read Eric Metaxas' thorough biography of Bonhoeffer. Even so, I enjoyed the book immensely. Author John Hendrix is a skilled artist and writer - the book is truly a work of art. He provides an excellent overview of both Bonhoeffer and the rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany. There are so many similarities between Nazi Germany and the current state of our country, it's eerie.
Hendrix recounts the failures of the German church to stand up to Hitler, and thus their fall into obscurity. Some pastors even began to baptize babies to Hitler instead of God, and some would end their services not with the Christian Doxology but with Hitler's official salute. This is in stark contrast to Dietrich who was an outstanding example of how Christians should live out their faith, especially during times of persecution. His courage is inspiring. The ending was tastefully done in consideration of the target age group.
"As Dietrich had witnessed in Harlem, a real faith demanded action or it was no faith at all. He knew a church unwilling to stand up for suffering Jews would eventually stand for nothing."
"If you want to know the truth, I pray for the defeat of my nation. For I believe that is the only way to pay for all the suffering which my country has caused in the world."
"Mercy and justice were dethroned, and in their place the Fuhrer enshrined brutality, revenge, and terror."
"the only fight which is lost is that which we give up"
Hendrix recounts the failures of the German church to stand up to Hitler, and thus their fall into obscurity. Some pastors even began to baptize babies to Hitler instead of God, and some would end their services not with the Christian Doxology but with Hitler's official salute. This is in stark contrast to Dietrich who was an outstanding example of how Christians should live out their faith, especially during times of persecution. His courage is inspiring. The ending was tastefully done in consideration of the target age group.
"As Dietrich had witnessed in Harlem, a real faith demanded action or it was no faith at all. He knew a church unwilling to stand up for suffering Jews would eventually stand for nothing."
"If you want to know the truth, I pray for the defeat of my nation. For I believe that is the only way to pay for all the suffering which my country has caused in the world."
"Mercy and justice were dethroned, and in their place the Fuhrer enshrined brutality, revenge, and terror."
"the only fight which is lost is that which we give up"
eatingfiction's review against another edition
4.0
The story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer is stunningly delivered in this graphic novel style biography. The artwork is striking, sharp, and jumps off the page. The narrative is told with skill, but even if it were not, Bonhoeffer's story is so compelling and we have so much to learn from him. I recommend this to all, especially a younger audience.
dwheeler88's review against another edition
5.0
The ‘winners’ are the ones who get to write the history books.
It’s not often we get such a fantastic, concise story of WWII written from the German point of view. Written about Bonhoeffer, yes, but also details the rise and fall of the “Third Reich”. I’ve read many WWII books and never have I read about how Hitler came to power quite so succinctly and clearly as this book.
Oh, and the pages are all spectacular too. A mix of text, graphic novel, comic strip...striking!!
It’s not often we get such a fantastic, concise story of WWII written from the German point of view. Written about Bonhoeffer, yes, but also details the rise and fall of the “Third Reich”. I’ve read many WWII books and never have I read about how Hitler came to power quite so succinctly and clearly as this book.
Oh, and the pages are all spectacular too. A mix of text, graphic novel, comic strip...striking!!
mlangman's review against another edition
3.0
I borrowed this from the library for my 10 year old, lover of history and graphic novels, who read half of it before admitting that he wasn't understanding a lot of it. I decided to pick it up to see why and became engrossed in the story. I hadn't read a graphic biography before and really enjoyed this format. The print is tiny, however, and some of the philosophical ideas were very complex, which I believe were the main deterrents to my son.
The first half is really dedicated to Bonhoeffer's story and I enjoyed reading about his philosophical struggles and questions. My enjoyment, however, waned a bit in the second half of the book. The second half felt like a separate book about a series of plots to kill Hitler. Bonhoeffer, however, was imprisoned during many of these plots and only played a tangential role, if at all. I found both parts interesting, but was frustrated because I wanted more on Bonhoeffer. I wish the author had turned this into two separate volumes instead.
The first half is really dedicated to Bonhoeffer's story and I enjoyed reading about his philosophical struggles and questions. My enjoyment, however, waned a bit in the second half of the book. The second half felt like a separate book about a series of plots to kill Hitler. Bonhoeffer, however, was imprisoned during many of these plots and only played a tangential role, if at all. I found both parts interesting, but was frustrated because I wanted more on Bonhoeffer. I wish the author had turned this into two separate volumes instead.
mamaorgana80's review against another edition
5.0
Read for the youth book club I’m leading. Such a good, concise version of a a moving story.
karibaumann's review against another edition
5.0
I love seeing Hendrix’s progression from Miracle Man (which I am a huge fan of) to this. He crammed a lot of information in but managed to keep it mostly straightforward and understandable.
areidj's review against another edition
5.0
Absolutely fantastic! Everyone should know the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Beautiful illustrations, too!