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No Ordinary Men
During the twelve years of Hitler's Third Reich, very few Germans took the risk of actively opposing his tyranny and terror, and fewer still did so to protect the sanctity of law and faith. In "No Ordinary Men," Elisabeth Sifton and Fritz Stern focus on two remarkable, courageous men who did--the pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his close friend and brother-in-law Hans von Dohnanyi--and offer new insights into the fearsome difficulties that resistance entailed. (Not forgotten is Christine Bonhoeffer Dohnanyi, Hans's wife and Dietrich's sister, who was indispensable to them both.)
From the start Bonhoeffer opposed the Nazi efforts to bend Germany's Protestant churches to Hitler's will, while Dohnanyi, a lawyer in the Justice Ministry and then in the Wehrmacht's counterintelligence section, helped victims, kept records of Nazi crimes to be used as evidence once the regime fell, and was an important figure in the various conspiracies to assassinate Hitler. The strength of their shared commitment to these undertakings--and to the people they were helping--endured even after their arrest in April 1943 and until, after great suffering, they were executed on Hitler's express orders in April 1945, just weeks before the Third Reich collapsed.
Bonhoeffer's posthumously published "Letters and Papers from Prison" and other writings found a wide international audience, but Dohnanyi's work is scarcely known, though it was crucial to the resistance and he was the one who drew Bonhoeffer into the anti-Hitler plots. Sifton and Stern offer dramatic new details and interpretations in their account of the extraordinary efforts in which the two jointly engaged. "No Ordinary Men" honors both Bonhoeffer's human decency and his theological legacy, as well as Dohnanyi's preservation of the highest standard of civic virtue in an utterly corrupted state.
From the start Bonhoeffer opposed the Nazi efforts to bend Germany's Protestant churches to Hitler's will, while Dohnanyi, a lawyer in the Justice Ministry and then in the Wehrmacht's counterintelligence section, helped victims, kept records of Nazi crimes to be used as evidence once the regime fell, and was an important figure in the various conspiracies to assassinate Hitler. The strength of their shared commitment to these undertakings--and to the people they were helping--endured even after their arrest in April 1943 and until, after great suffering, they were executed on Hitler's express orders in April 1945, just weeks before the Third Reich collapsed.
Bonhoeffer's posthumously published "Letters and Papers from Prison" and other writings found a wide international audience, but Dohnanyi's work is scarcely known, though it was crucial to the resistance and he was the one who drew Bonhoeffer into the anti-Hitler plots. Sifton and Stern offer dramatic new details and interpretations in their account of the extraordinary efforts in which the two jointly engaged. "No Ordinary Men" honors both Bonhoeffer's human decency and his theological legacy, as well as Dohnanyi's preservation of the highest standard of civic virtue in an utterly corrupted state.
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First published January 1, 2013
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About the author
Fritz Stern
33 books35 followersFritz Richard Stern was born in Breslau, Silesia, to prominent parents: his father, Rudolf Stern, a physician and medical researcher, and his mother, Käthe Brieger Stern, a noted theorist and reformer in the education of young children. After converting from Judaism to Lutheran Protestantism in the 1890s, his family emigrated to the United States in 1938, forced to leave by the virulently anti-Jewish policies of Adolf Hitler's National Socialist government and increasing violence against all Germans of Jewish ancestry. The family settled in New York City where Stern attended Columbia University from which he received his bachelors, masters and PhD. From 1953 to 1997, he was a professor at Columbia, obtaining the eminent Seth Low Chair before attaining the rank of University Professor.
Much of Stern's work tracks the development of the rise of National Socialism in Germany, tracing that the origins of Nazism back to the 19th century völkische movement. In Stern's opinion, the virulently anti-Semitic völkische movement was the result of the "politics of cultural despair" experienced by German intellectuals who were unable to come to grips with modernity. He rejects the Sonderweg interpretation of German history which considers Germany to have followed a unique course from aristocracy into democracy distinct from other European countries. In the 1990s, Stern was a leading critic of the controversial American author Daniel Goldhagen, whose book Hitler's Willing Executioners he denounced as unscholarly and full of Germanophobia.
Another major area of research for Stern has been the history of the Jewish community in Germany and how Jewish and German cultures have influenced each other -- what Stern has often called the "Jewish-German symbiosis," the best examplar of which was Albert Einstein.
Much of Stern's work tracks the development of the rise of National Socialism in Germany, tracing that the origins of Nazism back to the 19th century völkische movement. In Stern's opinion, the virulently anti-Semitic völkische movement was the result of the "politics of cultural despair" experienced by German intellectuals who were unable to come to grips with modernity. He rejects the Sonderweg interpretation of German history which considers Germany to have followed a unique course from aristocracy into democracy distinct from other European countries. In the 1990s, Stern was a leading critic of the controversial American author Daniel Goldhagen, whose book Hitler's Willing Executioners he denounced as unscholarly and full of Germanophobia.
Another major area of research for Stern has been the history of the Jewish community in Germany and how Jewish and German cultures have influenced each other -- what Stern has often called the "Jewish-German symbiosis," the best examplar of which was Albert Einstein.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 46 reviews
August 10, 2016
This short book by Fritz Stern, an esteemed historian of modern Germany, is remarkable, highlighting the decent, dignified heroism of Bonhoeffer and his less famous friend and brother-in-law Hans von Dohnanyi. These pages brought back distant memories of my own studies in theology – reading Bonhoeffer's Life Together and Letters and Papers from Prison in the context of that brief moment in the 70s of radicalized evangelical Christianity, liberation theology, the "death of God" and the rise of the moral majority.
It's tempting for readers of both right and left to appropriate Bonhoeffer as a champion. Stern's book is in part a response to a recent Bonhoeffer biography by Eric Metaxas, who "betrays throughout a quite amazing ignorance of the German language, German history, and German theology." Stern also notes "its bizarre effort to rescue Bonhoeffer for fundamentalist evangelicals."
Stern is at pains to locate Bonhoeffer and Dohnanyi in the merciless context of Nazi Germany, and to a lesser extent, the theological revolution initiated by Karl Barth. Although the two men claimed only to take "the path that a decent person inevitably takes," they demonstrated extraordinary courage and ingenuity. Stern's book is anything but dramatic; even so I shrank back in fear at what they dared and endured.
Stern also echoes the bleak irony noted by Ian Buruma in Year Zero: A History of 1945: resisters fared far worse after the war than criminal collaborators. Stern quotes Günter Hirsch, in 2002 the president of the Supreme Court: "in the Federal Republic hardly any judges or prosecutors involved in the thousands of judicial crimes of the Third Reich were convicted." On the other hand, Bonhoeffer, Dohnanyi, their friends, families and fellow resisters were for years stigmatized as traitors by the defeated German nation. One suspects none of this would have surprised Bonhoeffer. His letters from prison ponder the meaning of "religionless Christianity" — a provocative, necessary idea. For me he remains an exemplary Christian.
It's tempting for readers of both right and left to appropriate Bonhoeffer as a champion. Stern's book is in part a response to a recent Bonhoeffer biography by Eric Metaxas, who "betrays throughout a quite amazing ignorance of the German language, German history, and German theology." Stern also notes "its bizarre effort to rescue Bonhoeffer for fundamentalist evangelicals."
Stern is at pains to locate Bonhoeffer and Dohnanyi in the merciless context of Nazi Germany, and to a lesser extent, the theological revolution initiated by Karl Barth. Although the two men claimed only to take "the path that a decent person inevitably takes," they demonstrated extraordinary courage and ingenuity. Stern's book is anything but dramatic; even so I shrank back in fear at what they dared and endured.
Stern also echoes the bleak irony noted by Ian Buruma in Year Zero: A History of 1945: resisters fared far worse after the war than criminal collaborators. Stern quotes Günter Hirsch, in 2002 the president of the Supreme Court: "in the Federal Republic hardly any judges or prosecutors involved in the thousands of judicial crimes of the Third Reich were convicted." On the other hand, Bonhoeffer, Dohnanyi, their friends, families and fellow resisters were for years stigmatized as traitors by the defeated German nation. One suspects none of this would have surprised Bonhoeffer. His letters from prison ponder the meaning of "religionless Christianity" — a provocative, necessary idea. For me he remains an exemplary Christian.
November 12, 2013
In this short book Stern and Sifton seek to revive the memory of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's brother-in-law Hans von Dohnanyi and his vital part in the resistance to Hitler. This it does, and in addition is a very readable short introduction to the two men and their importance. It's quite horrible to read that, after the martyrdom they went through, their prosecutors and interrogators escaped punishment in postwar Germany and that it took many years for Germany to accept the plotters as heroes and not traitors. A short appendix looks at books on the topic, including Eric Metaxas' inaccurate, right-wing revisionist biography of Bonhoeffer which, with other recent writings on the topic, was largely the inspiration for this work.
August 8, 2020
No Ordinary Men tells the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, pastor, and his brother-in-law, Hans von Dohnanyi, lawyer, and their fight to lead their country away from a path set for it by Hitler. In dark days, we need to see the light of inspiration that comes from observing people, struggling during the most difficult of times, to do the right thing, to fight against racism, against tyranny, against hatred.
January 15, 2018
Fascinating account of pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his brother-in-law Hans von Dohnanyi's opposition and shared commitment to end Hitler's regime.
This book was a short but information-dense read.
This book was a short but information-dense read.
December 8, 2019
It's very humbling to know that men such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer & Hans von Dohnanyi ever existed. They fought against the Nazi regime in the best possible way they could; using their talents and learned disciplines - one in law the other in theology - to resist the terrors Hitler's far-right agenda.
I enjoyed reading about these two courageous men very much. They were helped on one side by numerous relatives, friends and acquaintances but beset on the other by members of the Gestapo, Hitler and his officers and even at times the citizens of Germany themselves. These men along with other resistors to the regime orchestrated not one but two attempts at Hitlers life, both failed but both went unnoticed and unpunished. I can't imagine the will and bravery to undertake such action knowing full well the consequence to themselves and family had they been caught.
A great read, well written and full of inspiration to acquire sound knowledge to the best of your ability to fight injustices to you and your society.
I enjoyed reading about these two courageous men very much. They were helped on one side by numerous relatives, friends and acquaintances but beset on the other by members of the Gestapo, Hitler and his officers and even at times the citizens of Germany themselves. These men along with other resistors to the regime orchestrated not one but two attempts at Hitlers life, both failed but both went unnoticed and unpunished. I can't imagine the will and bravery to undertake such action knowing full well the consequence to themselves and family had they been caught.
A great read, well written and full of inspiration to acquire sound knowledge to the best of your ability to fight injustices to you and your society.
February 22, 2023
Resistance to Hitler was notoriously weak. After all, he had ended unemployment and restored Germany’s stature in the world. His regime kept spirits afloat with adroit public pageantry and incessant propaganda. And official terror reigned, imprisoning those who spoke out in opposition and cowing those who feared to do so. Yet from the start of the Third Reich, “two admirable men did their utmost, each in his own way, to oppose Nazi outrages and then conspired to overthrow the tyrant.” Thus write Elisabeth Sifton and Fritz Stern in No Ordinary Men, their portrait of the two famous brothers-in-law. Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer and attorney Hans von Dohnanyi were among a handful of men and women in the uppermost reaches of German society who consistently, and almost successfully, worked to rid the world of Adolf Hitler.
TWO GIFTED LEADERS
In any time or place, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-45) and Hans von Dohnanyi (1902-45) would likely have gained prominence. Bonhoeffer, the privileged youngest son of Germany’s leading psychiatrist, was one of the world’s leading Protestant theologians. He was associated with fellow Germans Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Martin Niemoller, and Reinhold Niebuhr. And von Dohnanyi, who married Bonhoeffer’s sister Christine, was the scion of a wealthy German-Hungarian family and a brilliant jurist. Bonhoeffer led the resistance to Nazism within German church circles. Von Dohnanyi gained a senior post within the Abwehr. From that perch, he helped Jews escape Germany and to conspire in plots to overthrow Hitler. Both men were gifted leaders with devoted followers.
TWO HEROES OF THE RESISTANCE TO HITLER
The world has learned about Claus von Stauffenberg‘s heroic attempt on Adolf Hitler’s life on July 20, 1944, through numerous books and films. The bomb the colonel set off in the Führer‘s East Prussian headquarters may have come the closest to ending his life. But it was one of at least forty-two assassination attempts on the dictator. And there were several other high-level plots to overthrow him. Most famously, Wehrmacht officers led by General Ludwig Beck, Chief of the General Staff, conspired to stage a coup in September 1938. Hitler was planning to invade Czechoslovakia, which they opposed. But the plot fell apart when Neville Chamberlain signed the infamous Munich Agreement. And Hans van Dohnanyi was deeply involved in plotting both with the generals in 1938 and the more junior officers involved in 1944—as well as with many other resistance activities throughout the 1930s and 40s.
Meanwhile, his brother-in-law took another course. A pious cleric, Dietrich Bonhoeffer pursued his opposition to the Nazis through the church. He helped create the Confessing Church, a revival movement led by progressive Lutheran pastors opposed to the pro-Nazi majority in the German Evangelical Church. He wrote extensively, criticizing the regime and taking exception in particular to the persecution of the Jews. And he actively involved himself in the worldwide ecumenical movement that advocated policies abhorrent to the Nazis.
“DECIDE BETWEEN NATIONAL SOCIALISM AND CHRISTIANITY”
Long before World War II, Bonhoeffer announced to an international conference of clerics that “the time is very near when we shall have to decide between National Socialism and Christianity.” As one of the era’s leading theologians, Bonhoeffer drew wide attention to his oppositional stance. He helped bring legitimacy to those who were involved in the resistance to Hitler.
So it was far from surprising when the two men and Christine von Dochnanyi—Bonhoeffer’s sister—were arrested on April 5, 1943. They were sent first to prison and, later, to a series of concentration camps. Christine von Dochnanyi was released within a month. But her brother and husband were held for two more years. Then they were summarily murdered on Adolf Hitler’s express orders in April 1945. Russian troops were then sweeping through the suburbs of Berlin. But Hitler and other fanatical Nazis demanded revenge against all those whom they viewed as betraying them.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
In its obituary for Elisabeth Sifton (1939-2019), the New York Times characterized her as “a widely respected book editor and publisher who burnished manuscripts by many of the 20th century’s literary lions.” The prominent writers she edited included Saul Bellow, Isaiah Berlin, Don DeLillo, Ann Douglas, Susan Eisenhower, Carlos Fuentes and Peter Matthiessen. She was also an author in her own right, affirming in a memoir that it was her father, the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, who had popularized what became known as the Serenity Prayer, which begins, “God give us grace to accept with serenity that which we cannot change.” (“Niebuhr taught Dietrich Bonhoeffer in 1930-1931 and was thereafter something of a mentor to him.”) Sifton survived by just three years her coauthor and husband of twenty years, historian Fritz Stern.
German-born historian Fritz Stern (1926-2016) was a professor at Columbia University from 1946 to 1996 “whose searching studies of Germany’s political culture in the 19th and 20th centuries provided a new understanding of the drift toward totalitarianism,” as the New York Times noted in its obituary. As he wrote in one of his eleven other books, “Though I lived in National Socialist Germany for only five years, that brief period saddled me with the burning question that I have spent my professional life trying to answer: Why and how did the universal potential for evil become an actuality in Germany?”
Stern was born to a prosperous family of Jewish converts to Lutheranism in 1926 and was just twelve when the family fled to the United States in 1938. “Fritz’s parents and grandparents were friends and colleagues of Dr. Karl Bonhoeffer,” Dietrich’s father. Stern collaborated with his wife, Elisabeth Sifton, on No Ordinary Men.
TWO GIFTED LEADERS
In any time or place, Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-45) and Hans von Dohnanyi (1902-45) would likely have gained prominence. Bonhoeffer, the privileged youngest son of Germany’s leading psychiatrist, was one of the world’s leading Protestant theologians. He was associated with fellow Germans Karl Barth, Paul Tillich, Martin Niemoller, and Reinhold Niebuhr. And von Dohnanyi, who married Bonhoeffer’s sister Christine, was the scion of a wealthy German-Hungarian family and a brilliant jurist. Bonhoeffer led the resistance to Nazism within German church circles. Von Dohnanyi gained a senior post within the Abwehr. From that perch, he helped Jews escape Germany and to conspire in plots to overthrow Hitler. Both men were gifted leaders with devoted followers.
TWO HEROES OF THE RESISTANCE TO HITLER
The world has learned about Claus von Stauffenberg‘s heroic attempt on Adolf Hitler’s life on July 20, 1944, through numerous books and films. The bomb the colonel set off in the Führer‘s East Prussian headquarters may have come the closest to ending his life. But it was one of at least forty-two assassination attempts on the dictator. And there were several other high-level plots to overthrow him. Most famously, Wehrmacht officers led by General Ludwig Beck, Chief of the General Staff, conspired to stage a coup in September 1938. Hitler was planning to invade Czechoslovakia, which they opposed. But the plot fell apart when Neville Chamberlain signed the infamous Munich Agreement. And Hans van Dohnanyi was deeply involved in plotting both with the generals in 1938 and the more junior officers involved in 1944—as well as with many other resistance activities throughout the 1930s and 40s.
Meanwhile, his brother-in-law took another course. A pious cleric, Dietrich Bonhoeffer pursued his opposition to the Nazis through the church. He helped create the Confessing Church, a revival movement led by progressive Lutheran pastors opposed to the pro-Nazi majority in the German Evangelical Church. He wrote extensively, criticizing the regime and taking exception in particular to the persecution of the Jews. And he actively involved himself in the worldwide ecumenical movement that advocated policies abhorrent to the Nazis.
“DECIDE BETWEEN NATIONAL SOCIALISM AND CHRISTIANITY”
Long before World War II, Bonhoeffer announced to an international conference of clerics that “the time is very near when we shall have to decide between National Socialism and Christianity.” As one of the era’s leading theologians, Bonhoeffer drew wide attention to his oppositional stance. He helped bring legitimacy to those who were involved in the resistance to Hitler.
So it was far from surprising when the two men and Christine von Dochnanyi—Bonhoeffer’s sister—were arrested on April 5, 1943. They were sent first to prison and, later, to a series of concentration camps. Christine von Dochnanyi was released within a month. But her brother and husband were held for two more years. Then they were summarily murdered on Adolf Hitler’s express orders in April 1945. Russian troops were then sweeping through the suburbs of Berlin. But Hitler and other fanatical Nazis demanded revenge against all those whom they viewed as betraying them.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
In its obituary for Elisabeth Sifton (1939-2019), the New York Times characterized her as “a widely respected book editor and publisher who burnished manuscripts by many of the 20th century’s literary lions.” The prominent writers she edited included Saul Bellow, Isaiah Berlin, Don DeLillo, Ann Douglas, Susan Eisenhower, Carlos Fuentes and Peter Matthiessen. She was also an author in her own right, affirming in a memoir that it was her father, the theologian Reinhold Niebuhr, who had popularized what became known as the Serenity Prayer, which begins, “God give us grace to accept with serenity that which we cannot change.” (“Niebuhr taught Dietrich Bonhoeffer in 1930-1931 and was thereafter something of a mentor to him.”) Sifton survived by just three years her coauthor and husband of twenty years, historian Fritz Stern.
German-born historian Fritz Stern (1926-2016) was a professor at Columbia University from 1946 to 1996 “whose searching studies of Germany’s political culture in the 19th and 20th centuries provided a new understanding of the drift toward totalitarianism,” as the New York Times noted in its obituary. As he wrote in one of his eleven other books, “Though I lived in National Socialist Germany for only five years, that brief period saddled me with the burning question that I have spent my professional life trying to answer: Why and how did the universal potential for evil become an actuality in Germany?”
Stern was born to a prosperous family of Jewish converts to Lutheranism in 1926 and was just twelve when the family fled to the United States in 1938. “Fritz’s parents and grandparents were friends and colleagues of Dr. Karl Bonhoeffer,” Dietrich’s father. Stern collaborated with his wife, Elisabeth Sifton, on No Ordinary Men.
February 24, 2014
These are important men who spent years resisting the Nazis who were taking over Germany. They persevered at great risk, were viewed as traitors, tortured! and then killed at the end of the war. However, this book is written like an academic paper aimed at people who already know many of the people and events. it was slow going and not a great introduction to these inspiring people.
September 28, 2023
Brief and very readable, this book helped to flesh out the role of Hans von Dohnanyi and his much more famous brother-in-law, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in the conspiracy to kill Hitler. So little attention has been paid to von Dohnanyi, making this book a necessary correction. He was instrumental in keeping Bonhoeffer out of military conscription by recruiting him into German military intelligence, which was a hotbed of anti-Hitler conspiracy, and by then drawing him further into the web of conspirators, of which he was one of the leaders.
So many what-ifs ran through my head as I read this book. Over 40 attempts to assassinate Hitler, yet all failed in some way. Had Hitler indeed been killed in July 1944, or had the attempt not been made, it is entirely possible both men (already incarcerated, but with no solid evidence linking them to a conspiracy) may have, along with many others, survived the war. What if the Zossen file, a compilation of Nazi crimes von Dohnanyi had started well before the war, had been totally destroyed or went undiscovered? It was that file that sealed the tragic fate of four men in the extended Bonhoeffer family, as well as many of their friends and professional contacts.
And if these two men in particular had survived the war, how different might Germany, Europe and even the world have been? Bonhoeffer's theology was evolving (and unfortunately much of what he was writing for a new book was likely destroyed in prison, and survives only outlined in letters), which could have had profound implications in a post-Christian age.
I highly recommend this book, but especially if you already have some familiarity with Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life, and a basic knowledge of Germany during the 12 years of Nazi dictatorship. But all readers should come away with a strong admiration for these very extraordinary men, and the realization that their murders at the hands of the Nazis, in the final weeks of the war, were not just a private tragedy for their family, but a tremendous loss for the world.
So many what-ifs ran through my head as I read this book. Over 40 attempts to assassinate Hitler, yet all failed in some way. Had Hitler indeed been killed in July 1944, or had the attempt not been made, it is entirely possible both men (already incarcerated, but with no solid evidence linking them to a conspiracy) may have, along with many others, survived the war. What if the Zossen file, a compilation of Nazi crimes von Dohnanyi had started well before the war, had been totally destroyed or went undiscovered? It was that file that sealed the tragic fate of four men in the extended Bonhoeffer family, as well as many of their friends and professional contacts.
And if these two men in particular had survived the war, how different might Germany, Europe and even the world have been? Bonhoeffer's theology was evolving (and unfortunately much of what he was writing for a new book was likely destroyed in prison, and survives only outlined in letters), which could have had profound implications in a post-Christian age.
I highly recommend this book, but especially if you already have some familiarity with Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life, and a basic knowledge of Germany during the 12 years of Nazi dictatorship. But all readers should come away with a strong admiration for these very extraordinary men, and the realization that their murders at the hands of the Nazis, in the final weeks of the war, were not just a private tragedy for their family, but a tremendous loss for the world.
April 8, 2025
Though never directly referenced in “No Ordinary Men,” the title and subject of this book present a compelling alternative to the subject of Christopher Browning’s “Ordinary Men,” first published in 1992, that explores typically “ordinary” Germans in a reserve police battalion that murdered Jews in Poland. Most of those men were not committed or fanatical Nazis, neither were they acting out of deference to authority or fear of punishment; rather, motives as common as peer pressure drove them.
Bonhoeffer and Dohnanyi were both motivated by something else entirely, which compelled them to resist Nazism in their respective spheres of influence—Bonhoeffer in the Protestant church, preaching against persecution of Jews, and Dohnanyi in the civil service of the state, organizing the escape of Jews and networking members of the July 20 assassination plot against Hitler. The theme of their motivations that arises from Sifton and Stern’s presentation is best summarized by Dohnanyi himself when he explained while imprisoned, shortly before his death, that he did what he did because it was “the path that a decent person inevitably takes.”
This is a good book with good lessons for our own time.
Bonhoeffer and Dohnanyi were both motivated by something else entirely, which compelled them to resist Nazism in their respective spheres of influence—Bonhoeffer in the Protestant church, preaching against persecution of Jews, and Dohnanyi in the civil service of the state, organizing the escape of Jews and networking members of the July 20 assassination plot against Hitler. The theme of their motivations that arises from Sifton and Stern’s presentation is best summarized by Dohnanyi himself when he explained while imprisoned, shortly before his death, that he did what he did because it was “the path that a decent person inevitably takes.”
This is a good book with good lessons for our own time.
August 4, 2018
I remember learning about Bonhoeffer when I was in high school, and I recently wanted to learn more. I was planning to read Metaxas’ book (2010), but decided not to after seeing some concerning reviews. My library had this book as well as the more recent “Strange Glory” (Marsh, 2014). It simply came down to length of book; I chose this one because it was smaller (and I have a big to-read list!). But in the end my critique is that parts of it seem glossed over or rushed through, parts where a little more information or context would have helped - but what could I have expected in picking the smaller book?
I really appreciated the insight into Dohnanyi’s crucial role in the resistance and his influence on/relationship with Bonhoeffer, a piece of the story often missing from narratives about Bonhoeffer.
I really appreciated the insight into Dohnanyi’s crucial role in the resistance and his influence on/relationship with Bonhoeffer, a piece of the story often missing from narratives about Bonhoeffer.
July 29, 2023
This was a very interesting book which provided further insights into the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, while also telling about Hans von Dohnanyi, Bonhoeffer's brother-in-law. A quote from a radio speech of Bonhoeffer: "If such a leader forgot the true source of his power or violated the principles of state rectitude he stands in danger of becoming the great seducer."
How Bonhoeffer, Dohnanyi, and other family members worked against the state while holding public offices or other positions is a fascinating lesson in history.
A recommended read
How Bonhoeffer, Dohnanyi, and other family members worked against the state while holding public offices or other positions is a fascinating lesson in history.
A recommended read
December 10, 2017
My objective in reading this book was to learn more about the remarkable life of Hans von Dohnanyi. What I got was a surface treatment of his work against the Third Reich and a litany of thinly veiled disdain, invective, and smug disregard for multiple other books the authors view as substandard. The authors may be trained historians, but that doesn’t save them from being uninteresting and petty.
August 16, 2023
It is a bit chilling to read about the resistance to a merciless dictator in our current context, and also inspiring to read about these two morally-grounded resisters. A bit disheartening to get a closer look at the aftermath of Germany's defeat and the lack of accountability for those who contributed to the imprisonment and torture of these two (while other resisters to Hitler were still punished).
February 23, 2025
Want a short, well-researched read about Dietrich Bonhoeffer? Read this book, not the Metaxas biography, which is full of errors (Bonn is NOT in Switzerland; Hitler was NOT elected in 1933) and uses an odd American evangelical lens. This book also covers the involvement of Bonhoeffer's brother-in-law in the plot to assassinate Hitler, and consequently gives a broader understanding of Bonhoeffer's important familial relationships.
February 18, 2023
Murder in the Reich.
Two men, family and friends, suffer at the hands of a barbarian named Hitler. This reading gave me a smal. l opening into the attempts to remove Hitler from power. Powerfully written with an exact focus on facts. This book brings to life the resistance movement in Nazi Germany and the Church for the greater good of humanity to no avail
Two men, family and friends, suffer at the hands of a barbarian named Hitler. This reading gave me a smal. l opening into the attempts to remove Hitler from power. Powerfully written with an exact focus on facts. This book brings to life the resistance movement in Nazi Germany and the Church for the greater good of humanity to no avail
December 4, 2024
An excellent short history of both Dietrich Bonhoeffer and his brother in law Hans von Dohnanyi. It clearly summarizes, though still with lots of details, their anti-Nazi resistance activities through the 1930 up to the end of WW II, taken as a result of their religious faith and “common decency.” Well worth reading to understand the role and impact of these two important men.
January 4, 2020
This is about Dietrich and his brother-in-law (most people hadn't heard of him) married to Dietrich's sister, Christine. It tells of their efforts to stand up against the Nazi regime -- their times in prison. Very interesting. I had not known of the details that were shared.
January 14, 2021
Wonderfully informative and thought provoking book, albeit brief. Great insights into the lives and characters of both Bonhoeffer and von Dohnanyi. It left one lots to meditate on for days after reading.
December 14, 2024
Saving the Church during the Hitler years was primary for Bonhoeffer. In early 1943 he wrote, “And I believe that the whole of Christendom must pray with us that the resistance becomes resistance unto death and that people will be found ready to suffer for this purpose.” This was his firm belief and ultimately the fate of this most courageous man.
June 7, 2025
Outstanding. And a blistering indictment of cowardly “Christian” leaders who lacked Bonhoeffer’s and Dohnanyi’s essential decency—and by implication an indictment of likewise fraudulent “Christians” in every place and time.
March 30, 2018
An excellent introduction to the resistance work of not only Bonhoeffer but many others as well. Inspiring and encouraging.
October 9, 2018
Book is great, very readable, on resistance by "real Christians." I learned about all this from Jane Pejsa who wrote "Matriarch of Conspiracy."
December 27, 2020
A well researched book about a family who decided to fight back against the Nazis. Great insights to the mindset of the German people at this time.
November 26, 2021
A good introduction to the lives of Bonhoeffer and von Dohnanyi. Worthy of a deeper study
July 15, 2023
3.75.
August 15, 2024
This is a rather short book on Bonhoeffer and Dohnanyi. Too short. I would have liked more detail, especially on Bonhoeffer.
October 10, 2024
great book about two great men
December 1, 2024
This fairly quick read is truly inspiring. A good reminder of the importance of opposing evil in all circumstances, even if it means giving our lives.
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February 19, 2017Unsure of what to rate it. I figured with NYRB putting out this little collaboration we'd at least be going into some kind of unchartered territory. For anyone who's read the more revered books on Bonhoeffer, and/or his letters this quick read will shed little new light. But then again one is not seeking new light. Perhaps light is never new because light always has been. What if the sun was just always there and always will be? It's just there forever. When you ask the sun, "How fucking long has that thing you called yourself been there?" & the sun responds, "Don't ask such stupid questions. I'm just always here. And I'm out today so go water your garden or go rock climbing or whatever the hell you do for fun." So if light does not entail newness, the collective assumption is reasonably arcane. Why isn't anyone more concerned with legalizing wind? I was just in the market buying hummus and a morbidly obese woman broke wind in line at the deli. For some reason her mustard yellow tank top was pulled up and these slabs of ungodly flesh draped over her side like the blanket over the edge of a bed. Then she broke seismic wind and I was more than willing to ignore it but a group of people started screaming and laughing at the farting woman. I was called up and ordered spinach pies to go with my order as well because no one ever wants a spinach pie when you invite them over so you have more for yourself. As for the farting lady I have no idea what happened. Bigots need to quit this Fartophobia. Or Windophobia. I mean people shouldn't be out farting at whim but we should have mercy on those people who can't help it. I Stand With Farters. Farters 4 Peace. Down With Non-Wind Privilege. #WEAREFARTING #WEAREWIND. Everyone should read less newspapers and more books on slash by Dietrich Bonhoeffer.
July 12, 2016
Stern and Sifton offer here a short volume highlighting Bonhoeffer and von Dohnanyi's efforts in the German resistance of World War Two. There is not much new here in terms of Bonhoeffer scholarship, though they correct some of the overstepping of others' accounts lauding Bonhoeffer as a hero. The authors here rightly assert that Bonhoeffer and von Dohnanyi were simply doing what they believed a decent person ought. The most important contribution of this book is its equal focus on von Dohnanyi, who was the more active participant in the resistance.
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