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Publishers Weekly (June 13, 2016)
Starred Review */ In short, chronological chapters, two-time National Book Award–finalist McCormick (Never Fall Down) recounts the life of theologian and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, his efforts to alert the world to the horrors of Hitler ’s Germany, and his conversion from pacifism to would-be assassin in a failed effort to overthrow the dictator. In this carefully researched work, McCormick synthesizes complex realities, documenting the gradual capitulation of the German church to Hitler ’s vision of the “Reichskirche,” in which the swastika replaced the cross; the resistance of the Pastors’ Emergency League; and the apathy of European ministers, who refused to “take a stand against Hitler .” Chapters open by drawing readers into Bonhoeffer’s personal story (“The doorbell rang, and the parlor maid at the Bonhoeffer home hurried to answer it”) and close with hooks indicating his larger historical role (“The young pastor had become a double agent”). Photographs and inset sidebars provide supplementary historical information. Without oversimplifying, McCormick offers a lucid history of the rise of Nazi Germany and a dramatic account of one man’s resistance to evil.
Summary
During World War II, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor and pacifist, shared information with the Allies that Jews were being deported to concentration camps. He risked his own life to protest Hitler’s control of German churches. Working with family members and friends, Bonhoeffer organized several attempts to assassinate Hitler, a testament to the many brave citizens who fought Hitler’s Nazi regime. A secret plot, a dangerous enemy, and a hero driven by his beliefs in justice and dignity — will Dietrich Bonhoeffer succeed, or lose his freedom and his life?
Read the first few lines...
The Gestapo would arrive any minute. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, waiting peacefully in his book-lined study, had been expecting this day for a long time. He arranged his files carefully on this desk and opened his diary to a page with fake entries to throw Hitler's men off his trail. Then re removed a panel from the ceiling and hid a letter alongside a sheaf of papers he'd stashed there earlier.
...
Upstairs under the rafters was proof, in his own handwriting, that this quiet young minister was part of a conspiracy to kill Hitler.