The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler

Gr 7 Up--Combining drawings and text, Hendrix presents a contemplative look at German martyr Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Readers learn of Bonhoeffer's lifelong interest in theology and his search for God. As Hitler and Nazism came to power, he asked whether it is moral to assassinate a tyrant. Ultimately, his decision to plot with other conspirators to kill Hitler cost him his life. The author provides a fascinating examination of the man and his commitment to his Christian faith. The narrative deftly moves between Bonhoeffer's struggles and Hitler's ascent. Hendrix's dynamic images complement the text, using green and red to indicate good and evil. The dense text may turn off some readers, but the illustrations are bound to entice many others. Those seeking a more traditional biography should also look to Patricia McCormick's The Plot To Kill Hitler: Dietrich Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Spy, Unlikely Hero. VERDICT The bold visuals will attract graphic novel fans. An excellent introduction to a great man and his fight for justice.--Margaret Nunes, Gwinnett County Public Library, GA

Hendrix (Miracle Man) captures the powerful and purposeful life of the pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, whose faith and philosophy eventually led him to take a stand against Hitler when few others in Germany would. Using a variety of art styles, the book highlights Bonhoeffer's intellectual, spiritual, and personal development alongside the cultural and political shifts behind Hitler's rise to power. It also shows Bonhoeffer's struggle to question his country's leader and his work to become more than mere witness to history--his writings, his work as "chief pastor to the conspiracy"--before his eventual capture and hanging. Hendrix details Bonhoeffer's life in accessible prose, offering appropriate, meaningful context and in places using Bonhoeffer's own words. Provocative background imagery enhances the comic's mood and atmosphere: a noose wrapped around a church shows religious strangulation in Hitler's Germany; prose shown on the moonlit wall of Bonhoeffer's prison cell conveys imprisonment's isolation. These visuals powerfully communicate the dread, despair, and violence inherent in living--and fighting against--Hitler's Germany. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 10-14. (Sept.)