Try This Suspenseful Page-Turner to Whisk the Pandemic Away...
Friends! When was the last time you enjoyed a book so much you hated for it to end? This just happened to yours truly and I am completely exhausted! Oh, but in such a refreshing, brain-bustin’ way.
If you don’t already know of author Amanda Barratt, allow me to introduce you to her and to her second novel, The White Rose Resists: A Novel of the German Students Who Defied Hitler.
While this is a novel, most of the characters are real and quite literally made history. They were not only wise, old souls, they were very brave souls—in fact, they were mere college students during the Hitler regime. They stood for what was right, birthing a resistance movement. They covertly created leaflets and secretly distributed them.
They named their group The White Rose largely for its symbolism of purity. One of the main characters, Sophie Scholl, has become legendary as well as her brother, Hans.
Spoiler alert: Sophie and Hans were both executed on February 22, 1943, at the ages of 24 (Hans), and 21 (Sophie). Amanda tells us, “They’re buried in the Perlacher Forest near Stadelheim Prison. To this day, visitors from all over the world come to honor them, many leaving white roses on their graves.”
I enjoyed the interview Amanda did with Eric Metaxas this past June. Eric and Amanda share their enthusiasm for Bonhoeffer, each having written books about him, as well as for Sophie. Eric also reveals that in his next book, 7 More Women, Sophie Scholl is one of the seven women he writes about!!
Here’s the link to the interview re: The White Rose Resists.
Amanda’s gift for writing blesses us readers on every page. Her craft of creating killer suspense causes us to lose sleep to finish the book! (I found myself that much more in awe of Amanda’s writing given she’s not even thirty years old yet!)
You feel as if you’re right with each one of the characters, trying to help them reach as many people as possible with the truth without getting caught. Another enjoyable aspect of the book is each chapter is told from a different character’s point of view allowing you to get to know them better.
Amanda shares how convicted she herself was from uncovering records from Hans’ and Sophie’s interrogations, trials, and even execution. She wonders what we readers also find ourselves wondering: “Would I be so brave? Or would I close my eyes to the evil wrongdoings?”
Sophie’s resolve is astonishing. Early on, in speaking with her father who’s about to be imprisoned, they say a Goethe quote together: “Gewalten sum Trotz such erhalten” which translates, “Despite all the powers, maintain yourself.”
Sophie tells herself,
Near the end of the book, at her execution, Sophie again “maintains herself” by saying, “Someday perhaps my story will be told, and others will remember. That to witness wrong and stay silent is as much a crime as committing evil oneself. That youth does not exempt one from responsibility. That freedom is a gift.”
Sophie reminds me of the Apostle Paul when he said in 2 Timothy 4:7-8,
Lord, please help us to stand firm in our faith…
I believe the common thread that wove the friends in the resistance together was their faith. While the members of the White Rose came from different church backgrounds, they were all Christians. It was their bold beliefs that bonded them together in the most inspirational way. This feature beautifully enhances the story.
While most of the characters were real historical figures, we also get to meet a few factionalized characters who help weave the story together. My two favorites are Kirk and Annaliese. What a love story in an impossible and improbable scenario! You don’t want to miss becoming acquainted with these two.
The White Rose Resists leaves you wanting to know more about Sophie and Hans as well as the others. I’m happy to report Amanda gives us a “for further reading” section in the back of the book. There’s even an academy award nominated movie available, “Sophie Scholl: The Final Days.”
Likewise, with Amanda’s first novel, My Dearest Dietrich, about Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s fiancée, Maria, I wanted to know more about Dietrich and Maria’s relationship. I discovered, Letters and Papers from Prison thanks to Amanda’s “for further reading” section. If you’d like to read snippets from both books, here are the links to my reviews. And fun fact: My Dearest Dietrich was a huge hit at book club last year.
An avid researcher, Amanda shared she’s already working on another novel, this time set in Poland, I believe also during WWII. Her enthusiasm is contagious, causing us readers to wait impatiently for her next release. Hint: “PLEASE STEP ON IT, AMANDA!!!”
Friends, run, don’t walk to your nearest bookstore and snag The White Rose Resists. You’ll lose a little sleep, but trust me, it’s worth every minute!
‘Til next time!
Disclosure of Material Connection: Some of the links in the page above are “affiliate links.”