Product Description

In 1942, five young German students and one professor at the University of Munich crossed the threshold of toleration to enter the realms of resistance, danger and death. Protesting in the name of principles Hitler thought he had killed forever, Sophie Scholl and other members of the White Rose realized that the 'Germanization' Hitler sought to enforce was cruel and inhuman, and that they could not be content to remain silent in its midst. With detailed chronicles of Scholl's arrest and trial before Hitler's Hanging Judge, Roland Freisler, as well as appendices containing all of the leaflets the White Rose wrote and circulated, this volume is an invaluable addition to World War II literature and a fascinating window into human resilience in the face of dictatorship.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #117262 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-12
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 224 pages

Review
The New York Times 'The animated narrative reads like a suspense novel' Newsweek International 'This is a story that commands our attention'

Newsweek International
‘This is a story that commands our attention’

San Francisco Chronicle
‘Heart-wrenching and inspiring’

Customer Reviews

Highly recommended - an amazing story
This is a very moving story about the student resistance movement in Nazi Germany who came together to try to undermine Hitler’s grip on the country and encourage their fellow Germans to fight back against probably one of the most terrifying totalitarian regimes one could imagine. It does a very good job at capturing both their idealism and high moral principles, and their youthful courage and spontaneity which saw them throwing their anti-government leaflets over the balcony of the main hall in Munich University in broad daylight, which led to their capture, interrogation and execution.

Despite the shortness of their campaign, and its ultimate failure, there was much to admire. In an atmosphere of fear, secret police, and rigid laws controlling every aspect of the population, they tried to raise awareness about the persecution of the Jews, and drew attention to the need for freedom of expression and individualism. They decided that to save Germany from the National Socialists, it was essential that Germany lose the war, and they came up with a campaign of passive resistance and sabotage which they encouraged everyone to support in order to undermine the regime and thwart the war effort.

Various members helped write a series of leaflets that they smuggled out of Munich and sent all over the country. One of them ended up in the hands of the Allies and was reproduced and dropped by plane a year later. They also sneaked out at night and daubed anti-Nazi messages on public buildings, fully convinced that their countrymen would take heart from their efforts and throw off the shackles that kept them compliant. Captured and swiftly executed after a show trial, their defiance stands as a huge testament to the power of the individual to hold fast to their own values, even when it is illegal and even dangerous to do so.

This is a beautiful story, and it is told with lots of pace and insightful character portraits. The original photographs of the students and their professor bring home to you that this is actually a true story, and the text of the leaflets, translated from the German for this book, give you the flavour of what they were trying to do, and why. One of the leaflets is published for the first time, as it was only discovered when the Gestapo transcripts of the interrogation of Christoph Probst, one of Sophie Scholl’s fellow White Rose members, turned up in East Germany after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

This is an important episode in our history, and the White Rose members - who were all executed as traitors - have since quite rightly been honoured in Munich and around Germany for their bravery. A very impressive book, and one well worth the read.

Read the book, see the movie
I bought this book after seeing the German film Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, and wished I'd read this first - it gives all the background details on the White Rose movement, how the students set it up, who they were, and what was going on in Germany and World War II at the time.

The film is very sombre and moving. This book is a pacier read, and carries you along with the drama and excitement as Hans and Sophie Scholl and their friends come together in secret to write their leaflets and scheme to send them all over the country to try to give the authorities the impression they are part of a huge national organization. As Germany suffers crushing defeats in the war, the situation at home begins to change and the students become bolder and more daring, thinking that the German people will at last rise up to overthrow the regime. Sneaking out at night to daub anti-Nazi slogans on public buildings and dropping leaflets in public around Munich University eventually lead to their capture.

This is a very important story of how a few people can follow their principles and stand up to a powerful regime. Although they were not successful, their actions remain as an inspiring example. I recommend it to everyone, whether you've seen the film or not.

Brilliant perspective
This book set so much in perspective for me: how did German people feel under the Nazis, how did the Nazis come to be in such a position of overwhelming power; how much did the Germans know about what their government were doing to subjugated peoples; why didn't more German people object to their tyranny; what was life like for people over there? The book's background to the White Rose group's courageous acts of rebellion helped me feel that I understood much more about it all, not least about how hard and terrifying it would be, even to criticise the Nazis, and how lonely it would be because, unlike the resistance in occupied countries, your countrymen would regard you as a traitor not a hero.
A very compelling book about an awe-inspiring group of idealistic, ultimately hopeful, young people with a great sense of atmosphere. It gives excellent background to the 2005 film ' The Last Days of Sophie Scholl' - read the book first.