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Then They Came for Me: Martin Niemöller, the Pastor Who Defied the Nazis
"First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out-Because I was not a Communist . . . "
Few today recognize the name Martin Niemoller, though many know his famous confession. In Then They Came for Me, Matthew Hockenos traces Niemoller's evolution from a Nazi supporter to a determined opponent of Hitler, revealing him to be a more complicated figure than previously understood.
Born into a traditionalist Prussian family, Niemoller welcomed Hitler's rise to power as an opportunity for national rebirth. Yet when the regime attempted to seize control of the Protestant Church, he helped lead the opposition and was soon arrested. After spending the war in concentration camps, Niemoller emerged a controversial figure: to his supporters he was a modern Luther, while his critics, including President Harry Truman, saw him as an unrepentant nationalist.
A nuanced portrait of courage in the face of evil, Then They Came for Me puts the question to us today: What would I have done?
Few today recognize the name Martin Niemoller, though many know his famous confession. In Then They Came for Me, Matthew Hockenos traces Niemoller's evolution from a Nazi supporter to a determined opponent of Hitler, revealing him to be a more complicated figure than previously understood.
Born into a traditionalist Prussian family, Niemoller welcomed Hitler's rise to power as an opportunity for national rebirth. Yet when the regime attempted to seize control of the Protestant Church, he helped lead the opposition and was soon arrested. After spending the war in concentration camps, Niemoller emerged a controversial figure: to his supporters he was a modern Luther, while his critics, including President Harry Truman, saw him as an unrepentant nationalist.
A nuanced portrait of courage in the face of evil, Then They Came for Me puts the question to us today: What would I have done?
336 pages, Hardcover
Published September 18, 2018
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December 10, 2018
"First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
~ German Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemoller
From the very beginning of this book, it is clear that the author's intention is not only to paint the subject, Martin Niemoller, in a negative light, but to make implied connections to modern political movements at the same time. It was curious to me that someone would put the time and effort into writing a book about someone that they clearly do not admire. A very negative tone is present throughout this book that made it unpleasant to read despite the research that has clearly gone into it.
The author refers to everyone he who aligns themselves with (or those who don't stand up loudly and publicly enough against) the Nazis as right-wing. I feel that applying this vague term to such a wide variety of people - disenchanted workers, Christians, those furious about the Treaty of Versailles - is oversimplifying the success of the Nazi party. Clearly Hitler was able to appeal to people regardless of class and political association in a way few others have. To write this off as an evil right wing movement just sounds childish. Niemoller is referred to as 'elite' even as the author describes how he had to take on odd jobs to support his family on a young pastor's salary, revealing his prejudices against the church.
I did not appreciate that I could easily determine the author's modern day politics based upon how he wrote about 1930s German politics. He is not pleased that some, including Niemoller, stood up to Hitler. He criticizes them for taking too long, not speaking out loudly enough, or opposing him for the wrong reasons. The author is a great critic of the church and fails to make a clear distinction between the German Church, which Hitler effectively brought under government control, and the Confessing Church, which worked against Hitler and even attempted to assassinate him. He writes, "the Confessing Church was never publicly aligned against Hitler." Tell that to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and other members of Confessing Church leadership who paid the ultimate price for their opposition. The author complains that Niemoller did not do enough, even though he was arrested several times before spending 8 years in concentration camps. Because Niemoller spoke out about independence of the church rather than the treatment of Jews, his opposition is portrayed as selfish and anti-Semitic.
In the midst of all this, the author admits that "The jockeying for control over Jewish policy by various high-ranking Nazis resulted in multiple, overlapping, and contradictory policies." Forget that most of the German people could scarcely determine what the policy regarding Jews actually was until it was too late. The author still wishes to place the blame for what happened upon the church, the elite, the right-wingers.....certainly not the Nazis themselves. He also states that while Niemoller was imprisoned "We do not know whether Niemoller heard from other special prisoners about the mass killings of Jews." Clearly, whether he knew or not, he should have used his pulpit to speak out about it.
The parts of this book that I did enjoy were the details of Niemoller's life - and what a life! From WWI soldier to pastor to civil rights activist, Niemoller led a full life. I only wish it hadn't been told from such a negative point-of-view. When Niemoller lobbied for Martin Luther King, Jr to win the Nobel Peace Prize, he received hate mail from US southerners. Yet, this author continues to say that he "never fully escaped his upbringing and continued to conceive of humanity as divided into racial groups often at odds with each other." I suppose that this is true in a way, as many were forging a new path of racial equality in the 1960s and figuring out what that looked like, but why attack one of the people encouraging others to try?
It is disappointing to have to write this review because I looked forward to this book and it could have been enjoyable if it weren't filled with as much of the author's opinion as it is historical facts. After the end of the war, Niemoller stated that Germans felt "misled into believing in a regime that was led by criminals and murderers." Niemoller certainly wasn't alone. It is one of the intriguing, yet worrying, aspects of WWII that someone as evil as Hitler was able to convince so many that he was doing the right thing. Why this author feels the need to throw dirt on the memory of this particular man is somewhat mysterious. No, Niemoller was not perfect - far from it. He had his own ambitions and motivations, as we all do, but he was also humble and willing to admit when he had made a horrible mistake. May the rest of us do as much and the world would be a better place.
Book received through NetGalley. Opinions are my own.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out— because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me."
~ German Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemoller
From the very beginning of this book, it is clear that the author's intention is not only to paint the subject, Martin Niemoller, in a negative light, but to make implied connections to modern political movements at the same time. It was curious to me that someone would put the time and effort into writing a book about someone that they clearly do not admire. A very negative tone is present throughout this book that made it unpleasant to read despite the research that has clearly gone into it.
The author refers to everyone he who aligns themselves with (or those who don't stand up loudly and publicly enough against) the Nazis as right-wing. I feel that applying this vague term to such a wide variety of people - disenchanted workers, Christians, those furious about the Treaty of Versailles - is oversimplifying the success of the Nazi party. Clearly Hitler was able to appeal to people regardless of class and political association in a way few others have. To write this off as an evil right wing movement just sounds childish. Niemoller is referred to as 'elite' even as the author describes how he had to take on odd jobs to support his family on a young pastor's salary, revealing his prejudices against the church.
I did not appreciate that I could easily determine the author's modern day politics based upon how he wrote about 1930s German politics. He is not pleased that some, including Niemoller, stood up to Hitler. He criticizes them for taking too long, not speaking out loudly enough, or opposing him for the wrong reasons. The author is a great critic of the church and fails to make a clear distinction between the German Church, which Hitler effectively brought under government control, and the Confessing Church, which worked against Hitler and even attempted to assassinate him. He writes, "the Confessing Church was never publicly aligned against Hitler." Tell that to Dietrich Bonhoeffer and other members of Confessing Church leadership who paid the ultimate price for their opposition. The author complains that Niemoller did not do enough, even though he was arrested several times before spending 8 years in concentration camps. Because Niemoller spoke out about independence of the church rather than the treatment of Jews, his opposition is portrayed as selfish and anti-Semitic.
In the midst of all this, the author admits that "The jockeying for control over Jewish policy by various high-ranking Nazis resulted in multiple, overlapping, and contradictory policies." Forget that most of the German people could scarcely determine what the policy regarding Jews actually was until it was too late. The author still wishes to place the blame for what happened upon the church, the elite, the right-wingers.....certainly not the Nazis themselves. He also states that while Niemoller was imprisoned "We do not know whether Niemoller heard from other special prisoners about the mass killings of Jews." Clearly, whether he knew or not, he should have used his pulpit to speak out about it.
The parts of this book that I did enjoy were the details of Niemoller's life - and what a life! From WWI soldier to pastor to civil rights activist, Niemoller led a full life. I only wish it hadn't been told from such a negative point-of-view. When Niemoller lobbied for Martin Luther King, Jr to win the Nobel Peace Prize, he received hate mail from US southerners. Yet, this author continues to say that he "never fully escaped his upbringing and continued to conceive of humanity as divided into racial groups often at odds with each other." I suppose that this is true in a way, as many were forging a new path of racial equality in the 1960s and figuring out what that looked like, but why attack one of the people encouraging others to try?
It is disappointing to have to write this review because I looked forward to this book and it could have been enjoyable if it weren't filled with as much of the author's opinion as it is historical facts. After the end of the war, Niemoller stated that Germans felt "misled into believing in a regime that was led by criminals and murderers." Niemoller certainly wasn't alone. It is one of the intriguing, yet worrying, aspects of WWII that someone as evil as Hitler was able to convince so many that he was doing the right thing. Why this author feels the need to throw dirt on the memory of this particular man is somewhat mysterious. No, Niemoller was not perfect - far from it. He had his own ambitions and motivations, as we all do, but he was also humble and willing to admit when he had made a horrible mistake. May the rest of us do as much and the world would be a better place.
Book received through NetGalley. Opinions are my own.
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November 17, 2025This is an excellent, informative, and analytical biography of one of the most oft-cited figures from the Nazi period of German history. Niemöller is best known for the 'Niemöller confession' - a moving statement of regret about delayed resistance that has inspired people to question whether silence about injustice enables it. You've probably heard of it even if you've never heard of Niemöller:
"First they came for the Communists and I said nothing because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists and I said nothing because I wasn't a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I said nothing because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak up for me."
It's not clear when Niemöller said this, although it's likely that he said it during a frenzy of public speaking in Germany in 1948. Certainly he expressed the basic sentiment before numerous audiences after the war.
If you're like me, you might think that Niemöller was expressing regret that he did not speak up to object to things he witnessed and knew were wrong. That he watched as terrible things occurred and allowed his fear of reprisal, his fear for his own safety, to keep him silent. Sadly, that isn't the case. Niemöller didn't object to the Nazis' attacks on communists and Jews because, frankly, those attacks didn't really bother him. He was, although not a Nazi Party member, a supporter of German nationalism who eagerly awaited a transformation of Germany under Hitler's guidance. He ended up an opposition figure and was imprisoned at Hitler's personal insistence, first in Sachsenhausen and then in Dachau, from 1937 to the end of the war in 1945. Eight years in a concentration camp is not a small price to pay for resistance and it certainly proves that the Nazis found Niemöller's criticisms dangerous.
And yet as far as heroic anti-Nazi resistance goes, Niemöller’s left a lot to be desired. His objection was to Nazi attacks on the (Protestant) church. To the extent that he cared about Jewish people at all, he cared only for Christians who had been born Jewish and converted. He even volunteered to serve in the German navy _from Sachsenhausen_ because being locked up by Hitler wasn't enough to get him to question his German patriotism or his support of the war effort or even his general support of most Nazi policies – just not those that interfered with the theological and administrative independence of the Church.
Even after his release, it took Niemöller many years to come around to the committed pacifism and human rights advocacy that characterized the last years of his life.
He is then, notable not for always getting it right, but for changing his mind, for learning and growing and thinking long after many people are calcified in their ways. It's up to the reader to decide how to weigh that incredible growth against the very, very, very long time he spent willfully blind to the murderous nature of the regime he criticized only in a narrow band.
Hockenos writes very well -- smoothly and elegantly, efficiently and clearly. He also refrains either from the hero worship that often characterizes biographies or the easy holier-than-thou tone that can come too easily to anyone writing about a person who once praised (and voted for) Hitler.
May we all be saved from having to take the tests that Niemöller failed.
"First they came for the Communists and I said nothing because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Trade Unionists and I said nothing because I wasn't a Trade Unionist. Then they came for the Jews and I said nothing because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for me and there was no one left to speak up for me."
It's not clear when Niemöller said this, although it's likely that he said it during a frenzy of public speaking in Germany in 1948. Certainly he expressed the basic sentiment before numerous audiences after the war.
If you're like me, you might think that Niemöller was expressing regret that he did not speak up to object to things he witnessed and knew were wrong. That he watched as terrible things occurred and allowed his fear of reprisal, his fear for his own safety, to keep him silent. Sadly, that isn't the case. Niemöller didn't object to the Nazis' attacks on communists and Jews because, frankly, those attacks didn't really bother him. He was, although not a Nazi Party member, a supporter of German nationalism who eagerly awaited a transformation of Germany under Hitler's guidance. He ended up an opposition figure and was imprisoned at Hitler's personal insistence, first in Sachsenhausen and then in Dachau, from 1937 to the end of the war in 1945. Eight years in a concentration camp is not a small price to pay for resistance and it certainly proves that the Nazis found Niemöller's criticisms dangerous.
And yet as far as heroic anti-Nazi resistance goes, Niemöller’s left a lot to be desired. His objection was to Nazi attacks on the (Protestant) church. To the extent that he cared about Jewish people at all, he cared only for Christians who had been born Jewish and converted. He even volunteered to serve in the German navy _from Sachsenhausen_ because being locked up by Hitler wasn't enough to get him to question his German patriotism or his support of the war effort or even his general support of most Nazi policies – just not those that interfered with the theological and administrative independence of the Church.
Even after his release, it took Niemöller many years to come around to the committed pacifism and human rights advocacy that characterized the last years of his life.
He is then, notable not for always getting it right, but for changing his mind, for learning and growing and thinking long after many people are calcified in their ways. It's up to the reader to decide how to weigh that incredible growth against the very, very, very long time he spent willfully blind to the murderous nature of the regime he criticized only in a narrow band.
Hockenos writes very well -- smoothly and elegantly, efficiently and clearly. He also refrains either from the hero worship that often characterizes biographies or the easy holier-than-thou tone that can come too easily to anyone writing about a person who once praised (and voted for) Hitler.
May we all be saved from having to take the tests that Niemöller failed.
January 14, 2019
I am trying to read more history books this year and I found this one at my local library. I learned a lot from it, particularly about anti-Semitism and the role of German Protestant churches in enabling Nazism. It’s not exactly an easy read — the first few chapters on Niemoller’s youth are quite boring but essential context for how his nationalism developed. Niemoller is the German Protestant pastor behind the “First they came for the Communists...” quote that people use left and right today.
The gist of the book is that Niemoller was not an anti-Nazi and advocate of Jews, Communists, and other marginalized group. This false legacy was created after World War II, by Niemollers and his American supporters to help get aid to post-war Germany. Niemoller was, for the grand majority of his life, anti-Semitic, militaristic, and a strong proponent of German Nationalism. He was not a member of the Nazi party because he thought it was inappropriate for a pastor to join a political party and he voted for the Nazis in the 1930s. He only objected to Hitler’s regime when it began to influence and overtake the Protestant Church’s affairs. In his much later years, Niemoller became an ardent supporter of pacifism and stood staunchly against racism, anti-Semitism, and imperialism, but it took a LOT of time to get there. The author does a really good job of underlying how problematic and stubborn Niemoller was before, during, and for much of his life after the war. It is a story of how his political ideology changed over time but the author rightly, in my opinion, puts more weight on Niemoller’s long history to bigotry than his much shorter time on the right side of history.
This book provides a lot of damning evidence against Niemoller and brings a lot of clarity to who was on what side and for what reason during the Nazi regime and after. While not an easy read (it took me about 2 weeks to finish it, compared to my usual 1 week), I am glad I read it. I’d recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about anti-Semitism and fascism, obviously, but also anyone who is interested in learning about organized religion’s role as a political and moral force in times of war and crisis. Lastly, I’d recommend to anyone who needs a reminder that Trump is a fascist and if we don’t act to stop him, people will die and history will not remember us kindly.
The gist of the book is that Niemoller was not an anti-Nazi and advocate of Jews, Communists, and other marginalized group. This false legacy was created after World War II, by Niemollers and his American supporters to help get aid to post-war Germany. Niemoller was, for the grand majority of his life, anti-Semitic, militaristic, and a strong proponent of German Nationalism. He was not a member of the Nazi party because he thought it was inappropriate for a pastor to join a political party and he voted for the Nazis in the 1930s. He only objected to Hitler’s regime when it began to influence and overtake the Protestant Church’s affairs. In his much later years, Niemoller became an ardent supporter of pacifism and stood staunchly against racism, anti-Semitism, and imperialism, but it took a LOT of time to get there. The author does a really good job of underlying how problematic and stubborn Niemoller was before, during, and for much of his life after the war. It is a story of how his political ideology changed over time but the author rightly, in my opinion, puts more weight on Niemoller’s long history to bigotry than his much shorter time on the right side of history.
This book provides a lot of damning evidence against Niemoller and brings a lot of clarity to who was on what side and for what reason during the Nazi regime and after. While not an easy read (it took me about 2 weeks to finish it, compared to my usual 1 week), I am glad I read it. I’d recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about anti-Semitism and fascism, obviously, but also anyone who is interested in learning about organized religion’s role as a political and moral force in times of war and crisis. Lastly, I’d recommend to anyone who needs a reminder that Trump is a fascist and if we don’t act to stop him, people will die and history will not remember us kindly.
June 22, 2022
What an exceptional biography of an often idolized figure. I'd previously known Niemoeller almost exclusively as the pastor who resisted Nazism, leader in the Confessing Church and PEL, and originator of the famous quote "First they came for ..." Hockenos adds depth and nuance to hagiographic and hit-piece approaches to Niemoeller's life, showing, for instance, how he voted for Hitler (even after reading Mein Kampf), held anti-Semitic views, and so on. But he changed, "slowly and haltingly" as Hockenos puts it. Hockenos details these changes without falling prey to a narrative of continuous betterment. I highly recommend this one.
November 27, 2018
Reading this book, I began to understand for the first time why Nazism came to power in post-WWI Germany. In part it comprised a toxic mess of failed national leadership, deeply flawed cultural theology, and the harsh punitiveness of the Versailles Treaty. This book traces the journey of a man who began with a bigoted world view and changed over the course of his life in response to the extraordinary events he endured. The author is careful to present Niemoller as a man who struggled with his prejudices and beliefs throughout his life, in a book that is carefully annotated and detailed. One of the best reads I've had this year (though there was some skimming involved toward the end).
November 26, 2018
This was a fascinating read. Niemoller was neither the superhero some have made him out to be, nor the bad guy his early support (!) for Nazis could have made him.
The author did a good job of trying to show the whole man and his evolution.
It is also an extremely important analysis of how Nazis came to dominate Germany, given what has been going on in this country for the last few years.
I highly recommend the book for those looking to understand white supremacists, the politics of fear, and demagoguery.
The author did a good job of trying to show the whole man and his evolution.
It is also an extremely important analysis of how Nazis came to dominate Germany, given what has been going on in this country for the last few years.
I highly recommend the book for those looking to understand white supremacists, the politics of fear, and demagoguery.
April 16, 2019
“First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me – and there was no one left to speak for me.” (Martin Niemöller)
I first became acquainted with Pastor Martin Niemöller while touring Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp near Berlin Germany in 2009. Niemöller was imprisoned in Sachsenhausen from 1938 to 1941 (he was subsequently transferred to Dachau Concentration Camp where he remained until the allied liberation in 1945). During this time Niemöller became known as “Hitler’s personal prisoner,” a title he attained by challenging Hitler and Gestapo-supported church officials who had introduced an Aryan bastardization of the Christian gospel. Hitler shunted a fair trial for Niemöller in order to isolate and censure the vocal Protestant pastor. Niemöller was especially threatening to the Nazi regime given his conservative credentials. As a young man, Niemöller was a monarchist and ardent supporter of Emperor Wilhelm II’s “Weltmachtpolitik” global power politics that led Germany into World War I. During the War Niemöller commanded U-boat (submarine) U67 until Germany’s humiliating defeat in 1918. Niemöller detested the democratically elected Weimar Republic, which paved the way for the rise of Hitler’s notorious Third Reich. The ex U-boat commander turned Lutheran pastor was an initial supporter of Hitler. Though he never joined the Nazi party, he voted for Hitler in two elections. The confrontation with Hitler came not from any disagreement with Hitler’s stated doctrines (Mein Kampf), but rather from Hitler’s infringement on traditional two-kingdom Lutheran theology (the state is a totally separate sphere from the church). After the war, Niemöller became a (albeit controversial) leader of the Confessing Church as it sought to come to grip with those in the church who had supported Nazi Aryan theology. The author of this biography, Matthew Hockenos, did a superb job of juxtaposing Niemöller’s strengths and weaknesses. According to the author, the Pastor’s strength was his ability to change his mind when confronted with the horrors of the Nazi regime. His weakness seemed to lie in his initial fascist conservatism and later liberal (pro-communist) pacifism. At these two divergent stages of life Niemöller conveniently glossed over the criminal behavior, lack of freedoms, and mass executions characteristic of both extremes. Could this have been the fruit of a persistent Lutheran two-kingdom worldview? The author posits in the final analysis that Niemöller’s life “provides an example of how we can all change – an imperfect example to be sure, but a useful one nevertheless.” Perhaps. However change should hopefully lead us to conformity with absolute justice, not to opposite sides of the same old coin.
I first became acquainted with Pastor Martin Niemöller while touring Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp near Berlin Germany in 2009. Niemöller was imprisoned in Sachsenhausen from 1938 to 1941 (he was subsequently transferred to Dachau Concentration Camp where he remained until the allied liberation in 1945). During this time Niemöller became known as “Hitler’s personal prisoner,” a title he attained by challenging Hitler and Gestapo-supported church officials who had introduced an Aryan bastardization of the Christian gospel. Hitler shunted a fair trial for Niemöller in order to isolate and censure the vocal Protestant pastor. Niemöller was especially threatening to the Nazi regime given his conservative credentials. As a young man, Niemöller was a monarchist and ardent supporter of Emperor Wilhelm II’s “Weltmachtpolitik” global power politics that led Germany into World War I. During the War Niemöller commanded U-boat (submarine) U67 until Germany’s humiliating defeat in 1918. Niemöller detested the democratically elected Weimar Republic, which paved the way for the rise of Hitler’s notorious Third Reich. The ex U-boat commander turned Lutheran pastor was an initial supporter of Hitler. Though he never joined the Nazi party, he voted for Hitler in two elections. The confrontation with Hitler came not from any disagreement with Hitler’s stated doctrines (Mein Kampf), but rather from Hitler’s infringement on traditional two-kingdom Lutheran theology (the state is a totally separate sphere from the church). After the war, Niemöller became a (albeit controversial) leader of the Confessing Church as it sought to come to grip with those in the church who had supported Nazi Aryan theology. The author of this biography, Matthew Hockenos, did a superb job of juxtaposing Niemöller’s strengths and weaknesses. According to the author, the Pastor’s strength was his ability to change his mind when confronted with the horrors of the Nazi regime. His weakness seemed to lie in his initial fascist conservatism and later liberal (pro-communist) pacifism. At these two divergent stages of life Niemöller conveniently glossed over the criminal behavior, lack of freedoms, and mass executions characteristic of both extremes. Could this have been the fruit of a persistent Lutheran two-kingdom worldview? The author posits in the final analysis that Niemöller’s life “provides an example of how we can all change – an imperfect example to be sure, but a useful one nevertheless.” Perhaps. However change should hopefully lead us to conformity with absolute justice, not to opposite sides of the same old coin.
October 19, 2018
Then They Came for Me
Martin Niemöller, the Pastor Who Defied the Nazis
by Matthew D Hockenos
Perseus Books, Basic Books
Basic Books
Biographies & Memoirs
Pub Date 18 Sep 2018
I am reviewing a copy of Then They Came for Me through Basic Books and Netgalley:
Martin Niemoller grew up in the shadow of the church.
The name Martin Niemoller is not very recognizable today, though his confession maybe. In this book the author traces Niemoller’s evolution from a Nazi supporter to a determined opponent of Hitler, revealing him to be a more complicated figure than we believed before.
Niemoller was born in to a traditionalist Prussian family, Niemoller initially welcomed Hitler’s rise to power as an opportunity for national rebirth. When the Regime attempted to take control of the Protestant Church, he helped lead the opposition and was soon arrested. After spending the war in concentration camps Nirmoller became a controversial figure.
I give Then they Came For Me five out of five stars!
Happy Reading!
January 2, 2021
After reading I definitely have mixed feelings about Niemoller and it wavered back and forth. He was definitely not a Bonhoeffer or some of the other hero's of the time period, but he did progress throughout his life. He did stand up when his conscience demanded and he didn't care how unpopular it made him with anyone and that was a very admirable trait. One thing I loved about this book is it really showed the mindset of German Christians and how they were able to ignore the Jews persecution. It was a book I read in 2 days and very much worth the read.
October 27, 2020
Very good- I only wish that it was longer, particularly with regard to postwar activism, nuclear weapons etc.
November 3, 2022
I guess I picked up this book from the library after thinking about (former) General Michael Flynn's Reawaken America Tour that's taken place in the past few months. The combination of politics and religion isn't a good one, it seems to me, so the specter of an American general leading some kind of My Pillow Stolen Election Revival Show disturbed me.
To be very, very clear: Donald Trump is not Hitler. America is not Germany. We are not in danger of becoming fascists. A lot of this is just pre-election hyperbole. But, it is worth asking how fascism began in Germany, and what role religion played in its rise. America is not immune from the forces that shape history and civilizations. We would be wise to watch carefully, and to remember that other nations have fallen prey to the darker aspects of human social behaviors.
So Martin Niemoller was a right-wing, deeply nationalistic, conservative German clergyman who fought in WWI, supported the rise of the Nazis, and was deeply anti-semitic. Niemoller--like the vast majority of other German Christians--was not racially anti-semitic: he was religiously anti-semitic. While this distinction wouldn't have mattered a whit to the Jews who were being brutalized by the Nazis, it's actually an important point that ended up being the reason Niemoller was imprisoned: rather than hating the Jews as a race, Niemoller and his fellows hated the Jews for not being Christians. A converted Jew was good to go, and it was this difference that caused the Nazis to stamp down on the German church, and imprison Martin Niemoller.
After the war, Niemoller spent the rest of his life pursuing peace, social justice, and reconciliation across the globe. Like many thoughtful people, he changed as he aged: he became less 'German' and more 'global' in his worldview. He became less Lutheran, and more ecumenical. And, he became less anti-semitic, and more repentant for what he and his fellow Germans allowed to happen before and during the war. Niemoller was a complicated man; not quite the hero he was made out to be, but also a man aware of his own flaws and limitations as he aged.
I think I would have made a great Prussian but a terrible Nazi. I am a bit of an authoritarian myself, and I do love when the trains run on time. I am a veteran in a family where there are five generations of us. I am patriotic. I dislike...untidiness. I have, in other words, a conservative streak. With that said, I am aware that--like the Germans in the 1930s--the danger of backing an authoritarian to get things that you like done, with the intention of jettisoning him later--is a plan fraught with peril. So for those of you who like our former President's policies and plans, keep in mind that while you might be getting what you want, you'll be stuck with things you don't want, too. A lesson Martin Niemoller and an awful lot of German conservatives learned the hard way.
To be very, very clear: Donald Trump is not Hitler. America is not Germany. We are not in danger of becoming fascists. A lot of this is just pre-election hyperbole. But, it is worth asking how fascism began in Germany, and what role religion played in its rise. America is not immune from the forces that shape history and civilizations. We would be wise to watch carefully, and to remember that other nations have fallen prey to the darker aspects of human social behaviors.
So Martin Niemoller was a right-wing, deeply nationalistic, conservative German clergyman who fought in WWI, supported the rise of the Nazis, and was deeply anti-semitic. Niemoller--like the vast majority of other German Christians--was not racially anti-semitic: he was religiously anti-semitic. While this distinction wouldn't have mattered a whit to the Jews who were being brutalized by the Nazis, it's actually an important point that ended up being the reason Niemoller was imprisoned: rather than hating the Jews as a race, Niemoller and his fellows hated the Jews for not being Christians. A converted Jew was good to go, and it was this difference that caused the Nazis to stamp down on the German church, and imprison Martin Niemoller.
After the war, Niemoller spent the rest of his life pursuing peace, social justice, and reconciliation across the globe. Like many thoughtful people, he changed as he aged: he became less 'German' and more 'global' in his worldview. He became less Lutheran, and more ecumenical. And, he became less anti-semitic, and more repentant for what he and his fellow Germans allowed to happen before and during the war. Niemoller was a complicated man; not quite the hero he was made out to be, but also a man aware of his own flaws and limitations as he aged.
I think I would have made a great Prussian but a terrible Nazi. I am a bit of an authoritarian myself, and I do love when the trains run on time. I am a veteran in a family where there are five generations of us. I am patriotic. I dislike...untidiness. I have, in other words, a conservative streak. With that said, I am aware that--like the Germans in the 1930s--the danger of backing an authoritarian to get things that you like done, with the intention of jettisoning him later--is a plan fraught with peril. So for those of you who like our former President's policies and plans, keep in mind that while you might be getting what you want, you'll be stuck with things you don't want, too. A lesson Martin Niemoller and an awful lot of German conservatives learned the hard way.
November 29, 2023
I went into this book knowing very little about Martin Niemoller. I knew he had opposed Hitler during World War II. But the truth is more complicated than that. This biography does a great job setting the stage for how and why Hitler came to power. I was very surprised to learn that many Christian denominations were actually supportive of Hitler when he first came to power in 1933. Generally speaking, the German Christians considered themselves to be part of a nation favored by God. The Protestant Reformation started in Germany with Martin Luther, and the German Christians (understandably) clung tightly to that spiritual heritage. Consequently their theological beliefs tended to intertwine with their political beliefs. Hitler came to power with the support of Christian nationalists, who believed Hitler would restore Germany to its Christian roots. (I was also suprised to learn the Nazis actually used Martin Luther as part of their propaganda precisely because Luther would appeal to many Christians!)
Anyway, Niemoller started by supporting Hitler. Then as Hitler's opposition to Jewish people became more clear, Niemoller began to take a stand. But even then his stand was against the Nazi government interfering with the church. He opposed Hitler's stance that Jewish people could not be leaders in the church while remaining silent on the other indignities and terrors the Jewish people suffered in the broader society.
Even with his somewhat timid opposition to Hitler, Niemoller did end up being arrested for not falling into complete lockstep with the Nazis. He spent quite a few years in prison but was released at the end of the war.
This book covers the war period rather quickly. After the war, Niemoller became a leader in the German church and wrestled with how to help his people recover from the tragedies of the war while also trying to garner help from America to help build back Germany. Niemoller received a lot of criticism from certain parties . . . and a lot of support from others.
But the best part of this book is seeing the evolution of Niemoller. He started out supporting Hitler and eventually (decades after WW2) he recognized and acknowledge how wrong Hitler had been . . . and how Christians had been complicit in his rise to power.
"Niemoller's legacy to the twenty-first century is mixed. On the one hand, the bigotry and radical nationalism that characterized the first half of his life are repellant in an increasingly global and diverse world. On the other hand, vhe also provides an example of how we can all change--an imperfect example to be sure, but a useful one nevertheless. By coming to terms with his past and dedicating his later life to the service of justice, peace, and love for one's neighbor, he inspires us to look at our own prejudices and to try to do better." -- p. 265
Anyway, Niemoller started by supporting Hitler. Then as Hitler's opposition to Jewish people became more clear, Niemoller began to take a stand. But even then his stand was against the Nazi government interfering with the church. He opposed Hitler's stance that Jewish people could not be leaders in the church while remaining silent on the other indignities and terrors the Jewish people suffered in the broader society.
Even with his somewhat timid opposition to Hitler, Niemoller did end up being arrested for not falling into complete lockstep with the Nazis. He spent quite a few years in prison but was released at the end of the war.
This book covers the war period rather quickly. After the war, Niemoller became a leader in the German church and wrestled with how to help his people recover from the tragedies of the war while also trying to garner help from America to help build back Germany. Niemoller received a lot of criticism from certain parties . . . and a lot of support from others.
But the best part of this book is seeing the evolution of Niemoller. He started out supporting Hitler and eventually (decades after WW2) he recognized and acknowledge how wrong Hitler had been . . . and how Christians had been complicit in his rise to power.
"Niemoller's legacy to the twenty-first century is mixed. On the one hand, the bigotry and radical nationalism that characterized the first half of his life are repellant in an increasingly global and diverse world. On the other hand, vhe also provides an example of how we can all change--an imperfect example to be sure, but a useful one nevertheless. By coming to terms with his past and dedicating his later life to the service of justice, peace, and love for one's neighbor, he inspires us to look at our own prejudices and to try to do better." -- p. 265
September 6, 2019
Few people today know much about Martin Niemöller apart from his famous post-war confession (“First they came for the Communists…”). In this revisionist biography Niemöller comes across as a flawed yet courageous prophet. He was, in the words of Swiss Theologian Karl Barth, “a too good German.” He opposed Hitler, but was a strong nationalist who served as a U-boat officer in the German Navy in WWI, despised the Weimar Republic, and initially supported Hitler--including his foreign policy--though he never joined the Nazi party (he voted for Hitler twice). He was initially indifferent to the plight of German Jews and a supporter of replacement theology. Even at his trial Niemöller admitted that it was unfortunate that Jesus was Jewish. His opposition to the Nazis was threefold: he differed with Nazi plans to control the church, their near-worship of Hitler, and their leanings toward paganism. Hockenos expresses concern over attempts to “launder” Niemöller’s image. Hockenos takes care to separate fabricated, hero-worshipping accounts of Niemöller’s conduct with what can be verified.
Niemöller was no Bonhoeffer, yet like Bonhoeffer he suffered for his faith as a political prisoner at both Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps. After his trial, reflecting on the verdict, he stated, “Everything is lost, but not my honor.” His confinement led him to briefly consider converting to Catholicism; it did make him ecumenical. Niemöller survived the war, then (according to Hockenos) reinvented himself. Hockenos questions some of Niemöller’s post-war rhetoric, along with quotes others claimed he made (“Not you, Herr Hitler, but God is my Führer”), and describes Allied dissatisfaction over his defense of the German people who he claimed were unaware of Nazi atrocities. Nonetheless, with some prompting, Niemöller urged the German people to repent for their complicity in the Third Reich, and for their collective responsibility for the Holocaust; especially the church, which proved a hard-sell for a “self-satisfied” body. Hockenos credits Niemöller for boldly speaking truth to power. He shows how the atrocities of WWII and the birth of the nuclear age and Cold War led Niemöller to become a pacifist. As a celebrated world traveler, he spoke strongly against racism and anti-Semitism and for ecumenical peace work; in particular, strong opposition to the Vietnam war. Hockenos credits Niemöller as one “on the wrong side of history” who was able to evolve, recognize his faults, and change his convictions.
Overall, Niemöller is portrayed as a questionable champion. It is true that his courage inspired the free world. Hockenos objectively and engagingly tells Niemöller’s story, neither making him a hero nor a villain.
Niemöller was no Bonhoeffer, yet like Bonhoeffer he suffered for his faith as a political prisoner at both Sachsenhausen and Dachau concentration camps. After his trial, reflecting on the verdict, he stated, “Everything is lost, but not my honor.” His confinement led him to briefly consider converting to Catholicism; it did make him ecumenical. Niemöller survived the war, then (according to Hockenos) reinvented himself. Hockenos questions some of Niemöller’s post-war rhetoric, along with quotes others claimed he made (“Not you, Herr Hitler, but God is my Führer”), and describes Allied dissatisfaction over his defense of the German people who he claimed were unaware of Nazi atrocities. Nonetheless, with some prompting, Niemöller urged the German people to repent for their complicity in the Third Reich, and for their collective responsibility for the Holocaust; especially the church, which proved a hard-sell for a “self-satisfied” body. Hockenos credits Niemöller for boldly speaking truth to power. He shows how the atrocities of WWII and the birth of the nuclear age and Cold War led Niemöller to become a pacifist. As a celebrated world traveler, he spoke strongly against racism and anti-Semitism and for ecumenical peace work; in particular, strong opposition to the Vietnam war. Hockenos credits Niemöller as one “on the wrong side of history” who was able to evolve, recognize his faults, and change his convictions.
Overall, Niemöller is portrayed as a questionable champion. It is true that his courage inspired the free world. Hockenos objectively and engagingly tells Niemöller’s story, neither making him a hero nor a villain.
August 19, 2018
This fascinating non-fiction book should stay long in the memory. It should – but I think the fact the author has gone for forensic detail in order to provide for the definitive volume on the subject means a lot of it will not register. I certainly learnt that I was very ignorant of the side of World War 1 focussed on here – and the resulting turn against the old school authorities that led to the Weimar Republic. In times of hyperinflation or not, the powers-that-be tried to ignore the fact that their aged stuffiness and idiocy had lost them the war (a feeling shared by their fellow Axis powers in Turkey, who in identical fashion blamed the loss on 'foreigners' and caused the Armenian Holocaust, but that's a side issue). This book will counter the thought that the damaging Versailles Treaty caused Nazism and WW2 – that's reductionist, and you certainly need one step deeper and one step further back in time to find the truth.
You may think all that is a side issue, too, really, when you consider the subject of this book is one man and not his milieu. But the core of the read is the milieu – from the idiocy of the German Christians, who refused to believe in the Old Testament, or Jesus' being Jewish, to the machinations that all were engaged in when Hitler got his people into positions of church authority. That at least is where the author can lose the man on the stereotypical omnibus – in sections regarding whether Jewish blood could be in the pulpit, even once Baptised, the layman will know the ultimate conclusion to that debate, and not wish to see it all played out.
Still, thorny characters who do not relinquish their anti-Semitism as quickly as we would have liked, or as rapidly as they were to later claim, make for intriguing books. This then could easily be shelved alongside works by Gitta Sereny in discussing such matters, and making a biography of a character who really should be more known. A flawed man with the flawed thinking of the time (and, of course, of the current UK Labour Party) does not feature in a flawed book, but I can see many preferring a less academic and completist approach.
You may think all that is a side issue, too, really, when you consider the subject of this book is one man and not his milieu. But the core of the read is the milieu – from the idiocy of the German Christians, who refused to believe in the Old Testament, or Jesus' being Jewish, to the machinations that all were engaged in when Hitler got his people into positions of church authority. That at least is where the author can lose the man on the stereotypical omnibus – in sections regarding whether Jewish blood could be in the pulpit, even once Baptised, the layman will know the ultimate conclusion to that debate, and not wish to see it all played out.
Still, thorny characters who do not relinquish their anti-Semitism as quickly as we would have liked, or as rapidly as they were to later claim, make for intriguing books. This then could easily be shelved alongside works by Gitta Sereny in discussing such matters, and making a biography of a character who really should be more known. A flawed man with the flawed thinking of the time (and, of course, of the current UK Labour Party) does not feature in a flawed book, but I can see many preferring a less academic and completist approach.
November 10, 2019
“First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Communist.”
Then the Nazis rounded up the trade unionists and then the Jews. Finally: “Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
The words are credited to Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran pastor who spent the years from 1937 to 1945 in various prisons and eventually Dachau for defying Adolph Hitler.
Reading Niemoller’s biography by Matthew D. Hockenos can be painful. One doesn’t have to struggle to see a parallel fixation today by some Americans who confuse Christianity with country, at the expense of following Jesus.
Niemoller, a dedicated Christian, began as a supporter of Nazism. He was a German U-boat commander during World War I. He was fiercely patriotic and did not protest the roundup of Jews because he believed they were anti-Christian and disloyal to Germany.
Niemoller had left the military and become a pastor, as his father had been. Yet his Christianity was wedded, at that time, to belief in his country as much as in his faith.
In a time of worldwide spiritual and economic crises, Niemoller and others believed that Hitler’s government would “fill our culture again with the Christian spirit.” Germany had a special role to fill in bringing in Christ’s kingdom.
Eventually, as Hitler’s intent to use Germany’s church for his own ends became apparent, Niemoller’s ultranationalism cracked. Over time, he became a leader against Hitler’s nazification of the church. That was the beginning of the pastor’s obedience to God rather than man.
The long story of Niemoller’s change to ardent pacifist after World War II is fascinating. It isn’t necessary to subscribe to all of Niemoller’s beliefs. (He seemed not to understand the loss of freedom under the Soviet Union, for example.)
Niemoller, Hockenos writes, was able to come to terms with his past, “dedicating his later life to the service of justice, peace, and love for one’s neighbor.”
The story should give hope to those of us living in this time of internet amplified hatred.
Then the Nazis rounded up the trade unionists and then the Jews. Finally: “Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.”
The words are credited to Martin Niemoller, a Lutheran pastor who spent the years from 1937 to 1945 in various prisons and eventually Dachau for defying Adolph Hitler.
Reading Niemoller’s biography by Matthew D. Hockenos can be painful. One doesn’t have to struggle to see a parallel fixation today by some Americans who confuse Christianity with country, at the expense of following Jesus.
Niemoller, a dedicated Christian, began as a supporter of Nazism. He was a German U-boat commander during World War I. He was fiercely patriotic and did not protest the roundup of Jews because he believed they were anti-Christian and disloyal to Germany.
Niemoller had left the military and become a pastor, as his father had been. Yet his Christianity was wedded, at that time, to belief in his country as much as in his faith.
In a time of worldwide spiritual and economic crises, Niemoller and others believed that Hitler’s government would “fill our culture again with the Christian spirit.” Germany had a special role to fill in bringing in Christ’s kingdom.
Eventually, as Hitler’s intent to use Germany’s church for his own ends became apparent, Niemoller’s ultranationalism cracked. Over time, he became a leader against Hitler’s nazification of the church. That was the beginning of the pastor’s obedience to God rather than man.
The long story of Niemoller’s change to ardent pacifist after World War II is fascinating. It isn’t necessary to subscribe to all of Niemoller’s beliefs. (He seemed not to understand the loss of freedom under the Soviet Union, for example.)
Niemoller, Hockenos writes, was able to come to terms with his past, “dedicating his later life to the service of justice, peace, and love for one’s neighbor.”
The story should give hope to those of us living in this time of internet amplified hatred.
September 28, 2018
Admittedly, outside of the famous quote: "First they came...”, I knew nothing of Niemöller. As someone who was previously satisfied with a vague, imagined figure of man who was decent but ultimately defeated by his own passivity, this book was quite an eyeopener. In fact, the more I read of the biography, I couldn’t help but think of another quote involving hyenas and faces.
Then They Came for Me is an incredibly well researched biography of Pastor Martin Niemöller. A deeply flawed and complicated individual who lived an extraordinary life to say the least. The historical events surrounding Niemöller are chronicled and detailed in broad brush stokes to put his actions and opinions into context for the reader. I'll admit, in that regard, there was a small detail or two that kept coming up within the text that made me raise an eyebrow every so often. However, I doubt many people will pick up on it, so I suppose it's negligible in the grand scheme of things.
The biography, doesn’t sugar coat Niemöller's stances throughout the early years of the Nazi Party's reign or his continued authoritarian impulses after the war. The author is also quick to point out the pastor’s revisionist accounts to allied officials, only adding commentary where there isn’t enough information available.
Hockenos also gives a compelling account of Niemöller's transformation into an advocate for peace and racial equality, still successfully interweaving the turbulence and tragedies from the pastor’s personal life into the narrative throughout.
Ultimately, this is a remarkable book with an incredible amount of information to digest. Although Hockenos concludes the book solidly, I’m not sure I agreed with some of his opinions on Niemöller. Either way, though I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
This was an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. With thanks.
Then They Came for Me is an incredibly well researched biography of Pastor Martin Niemöller. A deeply flawed and complicated individual who lived an extraordinary life to say the least. The historical events surrounding Niemöller are chronicled and detailed in broad brush stokes to put his actions and opinions into context for the reader. I'll admit, in that regard, there was a small detail or two that kept coming up within the text that made me raise an eyebrow every so often. However, I doubt many people will pick up on it, so I suppose it's negligible in the grand scheme of things.
The biography, doesn’t sugar coat Niemöller's stances throughout the early years of the Nazi Party's reign or his continued authoritarian impulses after the war. The author is also quick to point out the pastor’s revisionist accounts to allied officials, only adding commentary where there isn’t enough information available.
Hockenos also gives a compelling account of Niemöller's transformation into an advocate for peace and racial equality, still successfully interweaving the turbulence and tragedies from the pastor’s personal life into the narrative throughout.
Ultimately, this is a remarkable book with an incredible amount of information to digest. Although Hockenos concludes the book solidly, I’m not sure I agreed with some of his opinions on Niemöller. Either way, though I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.
This was an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. With thanks.
March 1, 2020
This is a difficult book to get through. Not because the writing is bad. On the contrary; the author does a superb job in research, and in pulling together so many details and writing an interesting story about a complex person.
The difficulty is that one so desperately wants an easy hero who stood up against Hitler, and Martin Niemoller is not that man. He DID oppose Hitler, but not clearly or completely. He opposed the Nazis' interference in Church affairs, but that was the extent of his opposition. He was imprisoned in Dachau, but as a "special" prisoner, he was set apart and didn't suffer nearly to the extent that most concentration camp victims did.
Later in life, Niemoller acknowledged to a far greater extent than most Germans of his time how much Germany had to atone for, and yet was bitterly angry at the process of "denazification" that the Allies put Germans through after WWII.
Most of all, Niemoller went from being a militant U-boat commander in WWI to a Pacifist by the mid 1950's. His beliefs had changed so much that he believed both Stalin and later Ho Chi Minh could be reasonably persuaded to come to peaceful agreements with the West. The man had serious blind spots.
And yet, for all that was hard to read, there was one bright hope in this biography, and the author says it best in his conclusion:
"This middle-class, conservative Protestant, who harbored ingrained prejudices against those not like him, did something excruciatingly difficult for someone of his background: he changed his mind."
I would amend that comment to say this: Niemoller did what is excruciatingly difficult for ANYONE: he changed his mind.
He wasn't always correct, but he was willing to recognize when change was necessary. For this reason alone, this book is worth reading.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
The difficulty is that one so desperately wants an easy hero who stood up against Hitler, and Martin Niemoller is not that man. He DID oppose Hitler, but not clearly or completely. He opposed the Nazis' interference in Church affairs, but that was the extent of his opposition. He was imprisoned in Dachau, but as a "special" prisoner, he was set apart and didn't suffer nearly to the extent that most concentration camp victims did.
Later in life, Niemoller acknowledged to a far greater extent than most Germans of his time how much Germany had to atone for, and yet was bitterly angry at the process of "denazification" that the Allies put Germans through after WWII.
Most of all, Niemoller went from being a militant U-boat commander in WWI to a Pacifist by the mid 1950's. His beliefs had changed so much that he believed both Stalin and later Ho Chi Minh could be reasonably persuaded to come to peaceful agreements with the West. The man had serious blind spots.
And yet, for all that was hard to read, there was one bright hope in this biography, and the author says it best in his conclusion:
"This middle-class, conservative Protestant, who harbored ingrained prejudices against those not like him, did something excruciatingly difficult for someone of his background: he changed his mind."
I would amend that comment to say this: Niemoller did what is excruciatingly difficult for ANYONE: he changed his mind.
He wasn't always correct, but he was willing to recognize when change was necessary. For this reason alone, this book is worth reading.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND
August 31, 2020
A good read, not only for the biographical information of Niemoller, but also an in depth look at the German protestant church in the first half of the 20th century. Well written, well researched using a lot of primary source material, footnoted. My only criticism is with the last part of the book, after he was liberated from the concentration camp. Dealing with his world travels, his family, president of the church in Hesse and Nassau, co-president of the World Council of Churches, I found it on the whole to be too detailed. I think Hockenos should have condensed this stuff and added it to the conclusion. Niemoller's claim to history is what he did during the Nazi hears in Germany, not what he did after the war.
October 16, 2018
The story of Martin Niemoller is complex, from his career as a naval officer during World War I, to becoming a Lutheran minister, and then 8 years in a Nazi concentration camp. He started out conservative (he voted for the Nazis twice!) and ended up a pacifist. With such a compelling story, this book could have been fascinating. Unfortunately, it is so dry and academic that I found myself distracted by details of dates and locations of meetings instead of being immersed in the narrative. Overall, it is worth the effort but could reach a wider audience with some editing and a stronger emphasis on the man's spiritual and political journey.
September 6, 2019
Very interesting biography of Martin Niemoller, German pastor who defied the Nazis ad spent 8 years in concentration camps for it. Interesting history of the rise of the Nazis and of the remarkable transformation of this man from a strong Nationalist and anti-semite to a protestor and champion of peace.
October 25, 2020
A revisionist biography that chronicles Niemoller’s gradual change from an anti-Semitic Nazi supporter to an advocate for equality and pacifism. The author argues that while Niemoller cannot (and should not) be seen as a hero, he is a tremendous example of a leader who fought against his prejudices to change his mind.
February 28, 2025
This is one of the most important books I've ever read. It is a must-read for Americans, and especially American Christians today. Martin's evolution tells us that even the most ardent among us has within them a capacity to change and evolve - to choose love, to bevin willing to live out the beatitudes not just within the confines of one's church, but throughout the world.
August 28, 2025
Excellent new biography of Rev. Marti Niemoller and certianly worth reading these days. I had no idea of the latent anti-semitism that existed in Europe and specificially in the German Lutheran Church as Hitler rose to power. Rev. Niemoller's story is a lesson for everyone who thinks they can control a group out for complete authoritarianism.
April 25, 2020
“Once the legend is stripped away, Niemoller necessarily disappoints us.” A balanced look at a man who was as human an anyone else. The latter part of the book tends to glorify his ability to “change his mind.” But if we leave a flawed belief for another flawed belief, what is gained in the end?
March 16, 2022
Martin Niemoller was a complex person. Hockenos explores Niemoller’s life and shows the positive and the negative side of his life. What you can conclude is he was human. Great read and interesting where you want to continue reading it.
April 14, 2025
“But it is the imperfection of Niemoller’s moral compass that makes him all the more relevant today. This middle-class, conservative Protestant, who harbored ingrained prejudices against those not like him, did something excruciatingly difficult for someone of his background: he changed his mind.”
October 11, 2018
At two hundred and sixty five pages the book serves as only a primer on the life of such a complex man.
February 21, 2019
Tedious at times, but a must read if interested in WWII.
April 11, 2019
Fascinating read.
Want to read
August 2, 2019gift to Craig and I from Tom Carpenter with a note that he hopes we will read - looks interesting :)
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