Keys to Bonhoeffer's Haus: Exploring the World and Wisdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer

by Laura M. Fabrycky

In Keys to Bonhoeffer's Haus, Laura M. Fabrycky, an American guide of the Bonhoeffer-Haus in Berlin, takes readers on a tour of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's home, city, and world. She shares the keys she has discovered there--the many sources of Bonhoeffer's identity, his practices of Scripture meditation and prayer, his willingness to cross boundaries and befriend people all around the world--that have unlocked her understanding of her own life and responsibilities in light of Bonhoeffer's wisdom.

Keys to Bonhoeffer's Haus tells his story in new ways and invites us to think beyond him into our own lives and civic responsibilities. Fabrycky shows readers how to consider what befriending Bonhoeffer might mean for us and the ways we live our lives today. Ultimately, through her transformative tour of Bonhoeffer's Berlin, she inspires readers to discover and embrace responsible forms of civic agency and loving, sacrificial action on behalf of our neighbors.

Genres: History, Faith, Christian, Memoir, Theology, Nonfiction

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 24, 2020

About the author

Laura M. Fabrycky is an author, essayist, a doctoral candidate in systematic theology, and a poet. She is married to a US Foreign Service officer and is a mother of three. With her family, she's lived in Doha, Qatar; Amman, Jordan; Berlin, Germany; Brussels, Belgium, various spots in the Washington, DC, area, and currently resides in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Her book Keys to Bonhoeffer's Haus: Exploring the World and Wisdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer is an historically-grounded memoir about her experience as a volunteer guide at the Bonhoeffer-Haus in Berlin, Germany (Fortress, 2020).

Her writing has appeared in Books & Culture, Christianity Today, Comment, The Review of Faith & International Affairs, Good Housekeeping Middle East, Fathom, Faith & Leadership, and the Foreign Service Journal. Fabrycky studied political science at Wheaton College (IL; BA 1999), and systematic theology, with an emphasis in political theology, at Virginia Theological Seminary (MTS 2006), and is a dissertating PhD student at ETF Leuven (Belgium).

She is also the author of Give Me the Word (2015), her first collection of poetry. Her poetry has also appeared in Glass and Dappled Things.

Reviews

[Jocelyn Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much to love about this book. Author Laura M. Fabrycky lived in Berlin for three years while her husband worked there with the US Foreign Service. While there, she became a tour guide to Deitrich Bonhoeffer's house. In this book, she shares with us eight main things she learned from her time studying this man's world and choices. It's not a biography. It's part travel memoir, part history, and wholly engaging as she invites us along with her on her discoveries. You won't find any hero worship here. Bonhoeffer is honored, yes, but he remains human in these pages. I found the discussion so thoughtful that my copy is now underlined and starred at key points. I highly recommend this book. ⁠

[Laura Booz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite. Laura shares the compelling story of her experience as a tour guide at the Bonhoeffer Haus. Laura writes in such a way that puts the ground beneath our feet and virtue before our eyes. She adeptly translates history, philosophy, and political theory to help us understand how Dietrich Bonhoeffer's story dovetails with our own. The very real characters, scenes, and ideas keep me company as I care for my children at home. In Chapter 2, Laura quotes a catalogue from The Bonhoeffer Haus, "The exhibition seeks to point back to a way of being faithful which also confronts us with an urgent, present question: What does it mean today to live faithfully as Christians?" Laura explores this question and guides us toward humility, wisdom, repentance, and awe.

[Haley Baumeister · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part memoir, part history, holding plenty of relevant observations & timeless wisdom.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm still processing parts of this book, and look forward to rereading it when my hard copy arrives in the snail mail, but I'm so incredibly grateful that this book came to me when it did. If the atmosphere surrounding the 2016 elections prompted Laura to carefully consider civic housekeeping, the current COVID-19 pandemic combined with the 2020 elections makes it absolutely critical for us all to evaluate how we take care of one another. Laura's voice is one of thoughtful contemplation, and her reflections on her relationship with Bonhoeffer's life and legacy provides a beautiful framework for self-examination.

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Initial thoughts:
To me, a couple of signs of a great book are that I can't stop talking about it with my husband and friends, and that it leads me to other books that I want to read and ideas I want to explore. I'm only about halfway through with The Keys to Bonhoeffer's Haus, but I've already narrated almost every chapter so far to my husband, recommended it to my mom, and added about three other books to my wish lists at the library, Paperbackswap, and Amazon. I expected nothing less given everything I've read of Laura's previously, but I'm loving every page thus far!

[Adam · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 - I haven't given a 5 star review in a while. I'll try to write this review spoiler free. Laura Fabrycky writes a compelling and thoughtful narrative on the intersection of place and society. Her approachable writing style was a joy to read and balanced historical fact with memoire and personal reflection. As someone who has been fed up and, of late, disconnected from day to day politics, this book challenged me to look for ways to be more culturally engaged (which is a pretty big deal for me). She points to Bonhoeffer not as a hero, but as a human being who we can learn from. There are many takeaways and I can already tell this will be one of the few books I re-read. Highly recommended.

[Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good books slip by so quickly. This is one of those. The author's observations on Bonhoeffer's life and legacy, informed by her physical presence in the spaces he lived, will stick with me.

[Trista · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes it's hard to keep the German places straight, but man everyone should read this book! One of the many amazing things said in this book...

"In this house [Bonhoeffer-Haus], in this place of memorial and encounter, I urge you to see that we are connected with each other; we belong to one another. What happens in one community often directly affects another. We have to learn to listen to each other, to speak in the presence of one another, and to take seriously when our neighbor tells us they are afraid, or suffering because of us."

[Paola Barrera · Rating 5 out of 5]

I adored reading this book. It was evident this was a work of love for the author. Laura Fabricky combines academic curiosity with personal reflection in this beautiful and thought-provoking account of her experience living in Berlin and volunteering as a guide at the Bonhoeffer Haus. 

Part memoir, she takes you with her into the alleys and street corners her curiosity takes her to, in her quest to learn more about the German theologian. Part biography, Laura takes you by the hand and walks you through many details of Bonhoeffer’s journey navigating the dangerous 1930s in Germany that gave rise to Hitler, and Deitrich’s own steps of faith and the places these took him to. 

As a TCK and an immigrant, I appreciated how the book shows how place shapes us. The place where we are from, the place(s) where we live, will form and inform so much of our criteria and mindset. 

What makes this book unique and why it’s among my top reads this year (2020) is Laura’s honest look at her own culture as she processes her own country’s past and present in light of the grace and tragedy she unpacks about her host country’s past and present.  

The book opens with her just having moved to Berlin with her family, for her husband’s assignment at the US Embassy. The year is 2016 and presidential elections are wrapping up. The rhetoric and division travels across the Atlantic and can be felt even in her new dwelling. 
Needless to say, the similarities with what we witnessed in November 2020, are captivating enough. 

But the way faith informs his politics in the life of Dietrich, and Laura’s own candid reflection makes the words she’s written stay with me long after I put it down. 

[Bayta · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a beautiful and timely book! “Keys to Bonhoeffer’s Haus” is not a biography as such (though you do get an overview of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s life) but offers a unique blend of story and reflection. During her time in Berlin, the author was a volunteer guide at the house where Bonhoeffer’s parents lived and where he was arrested, causing her to reflect deeply on his life and legacy. She takes us along on her own journey of not just learning, but also of relating some of the principles and tensions she discovers to living in today’s world. The book was written prior to the current pandemic but reading it, as I did, in the midst of it, it seemed even more relatable and relevant! In this, I was so impressed with Laura Fabrycky’s humility in looking at Bonhoeffer’s life and decisions in the context of the time, and her intentionality in taking off her own cultural glasses. And all of that in a profound, but also very down-to-earth style. Highly recommended!

[Robby Eckard · Rating 5 out of 5]

When you think of Berlin, there are several things that might come to mind: Nazis, espionage, the Wall of course, and more recently club culture and personal freedom. But if you're in the center of that Venn Diagram of Christian and from America, you're likely to think of Dietrich Bonhoeffer as well. A slew of books about him that have come out in the last 2 decades have ensured that, and if you lean a certain direction on the political landscape the last 4 years have only cast his shadow longer as we watch carefully whether the world has stumbled once more into his times. Following confirmation that her family would be moving to Berlin as part of her husband's Foreign Service posting, Laura Fabrycky takes us along on her own journey of discovery as she thinks through Bonhoeffer's life and times while working as a tour guide at his family's home. Though the book is about Bonhoeffer, it's not "really" about him. Fabrycky reveals to us 8 "keys" that made Dietrich Bonhoeffer who he was, and how they had an impact on her and can for us as well. In applying these keys to our own lives and times, we too can have a positive impact in the lives of those around us.

This book is engaging and masterfully weaves together a satisfying amount of detail of Bonhoeffer's life and times with our own modern moment. She gives us details of her and her family's personal experiences, but in a way that allows us to feel like we might be along with her on the journey.

[Martish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started this book a couple years ago and good timing to have finished it now. The ending is thought provoking on some of the “house cleaning” the US is currently undergoing with divergent opinions. I knew little about Bonhoeffer prior to reading it and there much to admire in the example he set.

[Salliann Ran · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful intertwining of Bonhoeffer's life and the practical implications for our everyday lives. The author's reflective words guide us to learn from history and to live in the present more fully.

[Collin Huber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dietrich Bonhoeffer has become something of a cultural staple these days and with his rise in popularity has come varieties of hagiography. Laura Fabrycky's book is not one of those. Rather, it is a patient and honest look at the life of a man who was just that—a man. But as Fabrycky points out, he was a man who committed himself to a lifetime of small, daily sacrifices that ultimately led him to the ultimate sacrifice of his life. You will not regret reading this book.

[J.W. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The intersection of the scholarly and the intimate is a rare gift. At first, some readers may think that scholarly works simply cannot be intimate. How can someone be so closely associated with a topic while also writing in a serious, academic way? Laura M. Fabrycky’s work, Keys to Bonhoeffer’s Haus: Exploring the World and Wisdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer shows how that can be done related to Dietrich Bonhoeffer. By integrating her personal experiences of leading tours at the Bonhoeffer Haus and in Germany with insights into the background of Bonhoeffer’s life, Fabrycky manages to create a unique read in the field of Bonhoeffer scholarship.

Keys to Bonhoeffer’s Haus is a kind of memoir, exploring Fabrycky’s own interaction with Bonhoeffer through her time in Germany. Because of this, it offers a deeply personal look at many aspects of Bonhoeffer’s life. But alongside that, Fabrycky also offers scholarly details to go along with her reflections such that a compelling narrative-driven exploration of Bonhoeffer. But the book provides more than that–it is much more a kind of look at Bonhoeffer’s place and how that impacted his life and decisions. Seeing how locations in Germany were set up helped to understand certain points in Bonhoeffer’s life more thoroughly.

Fabrycky’s style is excellent. The chapter on learning to ride bikes and finding locations related to Bonhoeffer’s life while navigating the strange world (to Americans) of European rules regarding bikes was an absolutely fascinating read. Time and again, Fabrycky’s style drew this reader in to the extent that it truly felt like riding along the streets with her while exploring the interior of Bonhoeffer’s life through buildings and places. Another example of this was her note of the roadside crucifixions, which, contextually, were used by the Nazis to bolster anti-Semitism in portraying the Jews as those to fully blame for killing Christ.

But a strong sense of place and personal reflection are not all that is offered in this fascinating work. Fabrycky continually draws readers’ eyes and imaginations to reading alongside and experiencing alongside Bonhoeffer, examining concepts of friendship, how Bonhoeffer read Scripture, and concepts of loyalty and nationalism. Because these are integrated into a broader, personal narrative, it once again presents readers with a feeling of sitting next to Fabrycky and exploring and experiencing these things oneself. One example is related to Bonhoeffer’s use of Moravian watchwords, called Die Losungen (see Kindle locations 1718ff). Fabrycky writes, “These were, and are, daily Scripture meditations published every year by the Moravian Brethern, a Protestant group that traces its religious heritage to a pre-Reformation movement of pietists who were committed to Scripture, prayer, an evangelism… Bonhoeffer and many others used their so-called watchwords… as a daily devotional practice, and it was one he commended to others as well” (ibid). After reading this, this reviewer looked it up, and it turns out one can subscribe to these to this day via email, and it has been edifying practicing a religious discipline Bonhoeffer himself commended. After reading this from Fabrycky, moreover, this reviewer was reading in Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s works and noticed several times these very watchwords were mentioned in letters and elsewhere. It was a fascinating insight that let this reader focus more on aspects of Bonhoeffer’s works that had been missed before. These kind of insights are found in abundance throughout Keys… and make it an invaluable look at Bonhoeffer’s thought life.

One critique I have is of the portrayal of church and state in Lutheran theology. Fabrycky writes, for example, that Bonhoeffer’s pacifism challenged Lutheran ideals in German society. She also writes that “Being a good Lutheran and a good German meant inhabiting two worlds at the same time… the spiritual… and the secular…but these worlds were fully compartmentalized from one another” (Kindle Location 3922). Much debate has gone into Bonhoeffer scholarship regarding Two Kingdoms theology, and Fabrycky here aligns herself with those who read as Lutheran what others read as distortions of Luther. This may be semantics, but many (such as Trey Palmisano in Peace and Violence in the Ethics of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, review here) have argued that Bonhoeffer’s stance on church and state is the genuine Lutheran position. Further, several have argued that Bonhoeffer’s position is both consistent and draws directly from Luther to offer a corrective to the notion of Volk that turned the Two Kingdoms doctrine into a justification of essentially any state action (see Michael P. DeJonge’s Bonhoeffer’s Reception of Luther, review here). I also favor an approach that sees Bonhoeffer’s theology of church and state–the Two Kingdoms doctrine–both as genuinely Lutheran and consistent, such that his view of pacifism would have challenged those Lutherans who had effectively ceded the Two Kingdoms doctrine to a carte blanche for the state.

Keys to Bonhoeffer’s Haus is an enthralling, captivating read. It reads as though one is exploring Bonhoeffer’s world through the mind of one who has been deeply impacted by close connection with his physical world, even decades removed. It will give readers insights into Bonhoeffer that this reader, at least, hasn’t found elsewhere. It’s the kind of unique work that even the most thorough reader of Bonhoeffer’s life and related works will likely find fresh and insightful. Highly recommended.

Disclaimer: I was provided with a copy of the book for review by the publisher. I was not required to give any specific kind of feedback whatsoever.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura Fabrycky's husband works for the US Embassy and so their family is uprooted every three years for his work all around the globe. When they land in Berlin, Germany for his work Laura wants to visit the Dietrich Bonhoeffer museum that was created in the Bonhoeffer's former home. After their initial tour Laura comes back several times and eventually ends up volunteering there as an English-speaking guide as the museum is very close to their house. This book is part memoir of her family's time in Berlin and part exploration of how Dietrich Bonhoeffer influenced her life and faith. Being in Berlin and studying Bonhoeffer's legacy during the 2016 Presidential election felt like eerie timing. I happened to read Eric Metaxas's book Bonhoeffer: pastor, martyr, prophet, spy the summer of 2016 and it also felt like eerie timing for me. I found this to be a really unique book and an interesting view of Bonhoeffer and his continued legacy. Fabrycky is an excellent writer and I very much enjoyed this one.

Some quotes I liked:

"But ignorance and silence - telltale hallmarks of civic irresponsibility - are the shadows into which both victors and vanquished can easily retreat. After the war, those who had once been full-throated Nazis were reinstalled into their places in polite German society in rather astonishing numbers. A report released in October 2016 by a commission of German historians and lawyers found that 77 percent of the senior officials in the post-World War II West German justice ministry had been Nazi Party members, a success made possible by 'the fascist old-boys network' protecting its own from punishment." (p. 22)

"Though I wanted to discover the secrets that allowed him to live with such courage and tenacity, and though I was tempted to discern analogies between his world and mine, I saw that his times are not my times, and the world he lived in is not my world. That is not to say there is no correspondence - far from it. It is more to say that, like Bonhoeffer, we also choose whether to enter more fully into the questions of our time and step into them courageously with hope or to ignore them and try to evade our responsibilities, shrinking back in fear, disconnection, or despair. Above all, I wrote this book as a sign that I have chosen hope and invite you to do so too." (p. 27-28)

"By reminding the world of evil's banality, Arendt challenged a dominant narrative that the Nazis were blood-thirsty monsters, red hot rather than coolly, mindlessly indifferent. In her reporting on the significant trial for Adolf Eichmann - one of the administrators of the Final Solution, the Nazi plan to slaughter all Jewish people - Arendt saw Eichmann as the pathetic embodiment of the rule-following bureaucrat, incapable of his own thought, desperate for direction from those stronger than him, a person who has surrendered his agency to others. Nazi pabulum and propaganda were his thought and speech, and he saw himself as fulfilling his duties but did not believe himself to be morally responsible for his actions." (p. 40)

"One line in Ozment's book [A Mighty Fortress] stood out to me: 'Historical experience has...left Germans more fearful of anarchy than of tyranny, inclining them to hedge, if hedge they must, on the side of good order. This they have done in a compelling belief that is is not freedom, once attained, but discipline, carefully maintained, that keeps a people free.'" (p. 71)

"In that one moment, I saw how casually I had fashioned him in my mind as a successful hero without considering how much he let go of in life, the many private sufferings and dying-to-self moments he chose, long before the Nazis put him to death in 1945." (p. 186)

"Beyond all their unrealistic political plans, a more depressing reality remained: even if they had succeeded in killing Hitler, the German population was unlikely to have cheered their coup as a liberation from tyranny. More likely, Hitler's death would have made a martyr of the Fuhrer since the general public was already so trained to worship him - even if with a fearful awe." (p. 194)

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I recommend this book to friends – and I’ve recommended it to several – I never know quite how to describe it. It’s about the life and times of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but not really. It’s about the author’s time spent living in Berlin and giving tours at the Bonhoeffer haus, but not really. Ultimately it’s about pondering what it means to live the Christian life well in a world scarred with pain and evil.

And I think “pondering” is exactly the right word. To me, the great value of this book is less about the main conclusions that the author is drawing – though those are wise and insightful – and more about the thoughtful pondering that the author provides en route to arriving at those conclusions. Each chapter is like a large hunk of meat that you want to gnaw on for a while, or, to use another food metaphor, like a rich broth that you want to simmer in for a while. The author tells you at the beginning of each chapter what the main point of that chapter is, but if you stop there believing that you've already gotten what the book is trying to communicate, then you will have missed out on the richest part. Stay, and simmer in the broth for a while.

In all, I found this book to be very thought-provoking and personally convicting in a few places. The church and the world could benefit from more Christians giving thoughtful consideration to what it means to live the Christian life well. This book is an excellent place to start.

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura Fabrycky was my tour guide when I visited the Bonhoeffer House in 2017. We shared a common interest in Bonhoeffer. We discussed the Bonhoeffer biography by Eric Metaxas. She also recommended a second biography, “Strange Glory,” which I read after I returned home. Aware of her extensive knowledge of Bonhoeffer, I was excited to read in a “Christianity Today” article that she had written a book about her time at the Bonhoeffer house. I got the book on my Kindle and read it immediately.

This is an excellent book which can be enjoyed on many levels. You’ll learn about the Bonhoeffer House and Bonhoeffer’s family. Her descriptions of the house are spot-on with my memories. She also takes the reader to other locations associated with Bonhoeffer, giving me a list of new places to visit when I go to Germany.

On another level, the book is an interesting look at what it’s like to be an American living in another culture - everything from language barriers to rules of the road whether it’s cars or bicycles.

Amazingly, she ties all these things into Bonhoeffer’s ideas, what she calls the “keys” to the Bonhoeffer house. These are the things you’ll want to discuss with others using the study guide that’s available on the publisher’s website. This book is definitely a “must read.”

[Baylor Heath · Rating 3 out of 5]

Since I won’t have the money to travel to Germany and visit important sites in the life of Bonhoeffer and church history anytime soon, at least I can live vicariously through Laura M Fabrycky! She is a volunteer at the Bonhoeffer Haus in Berlin and a student of the man’s life.

This book was inherently meandering because it’s not a biography — instead it’s interested in the frayed edges of Bonhoeffer’s life that most may not know well. Everything good and not so good about the book came from this fact that is meandering. Laura goes down rabbit holes like a biography of Bonhoeffer’s grandfather’s town, an exploration of the Moravian Church (because B. used their lectionary), the Harlem Renaissance (because B. visited Harlem), and a lot about bike lanes (for…a far reaching metaphor?) You see what I mean. Some of these rabbit holes were great and some a little less compelling.

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn't quite sure what to think of the book when I started it, maybe because I've been on enough dreadfully boring house tours in my life to be wary of one in printed form. But I persevered, and am glad I did.

Fabrycky takes us along with her on a double journey of exploration. As the wife of a U.S. diplomat in Germany, she gives us a first-person account of her journey from awkward American to seasoned expatriate--an account rich with descriptions of the sights, smells and tastes of Germany. As a gifted political theologian in her own right, she also takes us with her as she tromps to and from the places that mattered to Bonhoeffer, putting them in historical and theoretical context and drawing out challenging implications for our own lives.

I enjoyed the book and learned much from it. But be careful: it will catch you unawares and make you think.

[Rebekah Eckard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such an wonderful read, both thrilling and insightful. As someone who has read a handful of books on Bonhoeffer over the years, let me tell you that this book is one of a kind (and just possibly my favorite Bonhoeffer book thus far). Fabrycky approaches Bonhoeffer in an incredibly distinct way, that as a human being first and foremost. In doing, she allows us to see his failures as well as his victories (and suggests perhaps, that they go hand in hand). We see him not as some pre-formed icon, but rather as a man who was shaped by the people around him and his experiences. We walk with Fabrycky as she discovers the things that were important to him, such as family, friends and faith, and how those things influences and informed the man that he was and the decisions he made.
And when we begin to take him off his pedestal and see him as human rather than hero, we begin to allow his life and experiences to influence and inform our own.

All that to say, this book was truly impactful for me as I discover what is truly important to me and how those things might influence my own actions and decisions. I cannot help but say over and over that Fabrycky’s book was written “for such a time as this.”

Incredible Read.

[Jeffrey Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and thought provoking book

This is not a biography of Bonhoeffer, but instead a journey of discovery for both the author and the reader into the life of a great man’s struggle in a difficult time. The book does not descend into idol worship or attempt to draw anachronistic analogies to our own time. It is a thought provoking exploration of Bonhoeffer’s life that has practical lessons for today. The book is very well written with personal details in a narrative style that keeps the reader engaged in a bridge between Bonhoeffer’s time and ours.

[Immanuel Daniel]

Escape from the current news of COVID19 and hunker down with this amazing book. The writer shares her own experiences of living the Expat life with language barriers, kids, and her discovery of Bonhoeffer's haus. Throughout the book, she displays the lessons that can be gleaned from the life of Bonhoeffer. The author is incredibly relatable and walks you through this journey in the most entertaining way! While you are practicing social distancing pick up this book, you won't be sorry you did!

[Robin Wallin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love how Laura Fabrycky weaves what she learned about Dietrich Bonhoeffer into the fabric of her own life and experience. Her reflections have caused me to also reflect on my own privilege and whether I could have the courage to lose everything for a greater good. I am planning to share this book with my book club because I would love to have discussions with others about what they too have gleaned from this great read.

[Nancy Shank · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an intimate and thoughtful book that interprets Dietrich Bonhoeffer's legacy to our world today. The American author was a docent at the Bonhoeffer Haus for several years while her husband's career took their family to Berlin. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Her careful analysis and personal anecdotes challenged me to think in new ways about how Bonhoeffer's very human witness calls those of us in the 21st century to deeper faith and community.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exquisite and generous, "Keys" ushers us into Bonhoeffer's world and nourishes us with his wisdom. I was stirred deeply to live faithfully in such a time as this.

Fabrycky has a gift for capturing moments in all their complexity and beauty. "Keys" moved me to tears and left me resolved to engage civically, here and now.

[LKM · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book for so many reasons. Laura's writing is intelligent and engaging yet accessible. It is especially poignant that it would come out during the current COVID19 crisis. It would seem we all have lessons to learn from Herr Bonhoeffer in this moment in particular! I highly recommend this wonderful read.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book - and the epilogue was the best part. Definitely worth reading.

[James Prothero · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep. Honest. Profound.

[Adam Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary: An American ex-pat in Berlin becomes an English-speaking guide at Bonhoeffer's family home. As she encounters the physical spaces of Bonheoffer, she explores the world around her through that lens.

I have no idea who coined the term "Usable History," and there is likely nuance to the history of that term that I do not know. But as I have spent more time reading biography and memoir the last year, part of what has drawn me is finding "usable history" to help me understand my life.

Laura Fabrychy is the wife of a US diplomat. As a stay-at-home parent in an overseas posting, she has to learn how to manage the responsibilities of a family in a new culture and with a language that she does not understand well. Fabrychy and her family moved to Berlin in the summer of 2016 and spent three years living not far from Bonhoeffer's family's home. She had been interested in Bonhoeffer before moving to Berlin. (She has a Master's in political theology and is working on her Ph.D. in Systematic Theology.) However, after visiting the home several times for herself or bringing visitors, she was asked if she wanted to become a guide for English speakers.

Keys to Bonhoeffer's Haus is part memoir of her time in Berlin and exploration of culture and what it means to be an ex-pat. It is also an exploration of who Bonhoeffer was and how we can learn from others that can influence our own lives. This is not hagiography or utilitarian "five things we can learn from Bonhoeffer to make our life better," but an honest grappling of a very human Bonhoeffer. As she attempts to balance family life and the strains of a new culture and language with her interest in Bonhoeffer, she reads several books by and about Bonhoeffer.

One of them, The Battle for Bonhoeffer by Stephen Haynes, explores the use and misuse of Bonhoeffer, a particular problem since Bonhoeffer died so young and interest in his work has so often appropriated part of his life and abandoned other parts. (I am reading A More Beautiful and Terrible History: The Uses and Misuses of Civil Rights History right now, which is attempting a similar thing for Civil Rights history.) I am fascinated by how we shape our understanding of the past for current use (also well explored in Race and Reunion: The Civil War in American Memory ). Of course, simply repeating history is the first step in understanding. But it is higher-order understanding to interact to bring a fundamental understanding of both history and current reality and to engage the two meaningfully. Part of the reason that books like Battle for Bonhoeffer and A More Beautiful and Terrible history exist is that so often, there is a flat appropriation of history in a way that distorts instead of illuminates. Haynes has a particular disdain for the ways that Eric Metaxes distorts Bonhoeffer for his own purposes, and it is easy to do the same.

Laura Fabrychy recounts that after reading Battle for Bonhoeffer, she attempted to try out what she had learned in the book in one of her tours and how it had gone so poorly, in part because she had not processed the ideas well herself. As a reader, I do the same thing all the time. I read for spiritual insight and as a spiritual discipline, but the ways I use what I learn can be distorting. The Keys to Bonhoeffer's Haus is an act of discernment; Fabrychy is grappling with Bonhoeffer's life while seeking keys to her own. Simple insights, like exploring Bonhoeffer's spiritual practice of reading Moravian watchwords or thinking about how looking at the neighborhood is different when riding a bike versus driving a car or exploring how thinking about death (and Ars Moriendi) impacted Bonhoeffer, give space to reflect on our world. And we can only rightly discern when we reflect deeply.

I have a lot of love for Bonhoeffer and have read books by and about him widely, but he is an excellent subject for a book like this. I am still not sure how to describe Keys to Bonhoeffer's Haus; it isn't quite biography or memoir or travelogue or spiritual formation, but a mix of all of them, and well worth reading.

[Kristin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laura Fabrycky has written a book that manages to be both spiritually and intellectually challenging and emotionally honest, one that I'm sure will stay with me for a long time. Weaving together Dietrich Bonhoeffer's story with her own experience acting as a volunteer guide at his house museum during her family's foreign service tour in Berlin, Fabrycky isn't afraid to ask hard questions, or to leave us without easy answers. How are Christians to engage with the communities we live in? What would our own faith in action look like, if the costs were impossibly high? What does it mean to live faithfully? Her book provides a new perspective on Bonhoeffer, and asks readers to consider how we can choose to make a difference in our own "small centers." Highly, highly recommend.