Shattering the German Night: The Story of the White Rose [Hardcover]

Annette E. Dumbach (Author), Jud Newborn (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1942, in wartime Munich, a group of medical students calling themselves the White Rose circulated anti-Nazi tracts aimed at fomenting resistance among Germans. "We will not be silent, we are your bad conscience; the White Rose will not leave you in peace!" they declared. Within months, the group's calls for sabotage of the Nazi war machine were heard throughout Germany, prompting an immediate Gestapo crackdown that resulted in the trial and execution of the student leaders. In this detailed, dramatic account, Dumbach and Newborn draw on documents and interviews to re-create the stirring outburst of opposition and its sources in the Catholic and existential beliefs of the students. The White Rose tracts, later distributed throughout Germany and occupied Europe, brought hope and encouragement to prisoners and subjugated peoples.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

This superbly written book recounts the courageous but ill-fated stand by young German medical students against the Third Reich during 1942-43. The authors have skillfully drawn personal information about White Rose heroes from published diaries, interviews with survivors, and secondary (mostly German) sources. Therefore, this is an intimate look at the gradual alienation of sensitive young people like Hans and Sophie Scholl away from Hitler Youth membership to active resistance, and a stark depiction of the tense university life and anti-intellectual climate of wartime Munich. A welcome addition to the sparse writings available on World War II German civilian resistance; recommended for academic and public libraries. James B. Casey, Pickaway Cty. P.L., Circleville, Ohio
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 259 pages
• Publisher: Little Brown & Co (T); 1st edition (July 1986)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0316604135
• ISBN-13: 978-0316604130
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,624,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Unforgettable history, July 3, 2002

By 

cnyadan (Bavaria, Germany) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shattering the German Night: The Story of the White Rose (Hardcover)

I'm not sure how I first got acquainted with the story of the White Rose, but it is a story that deserves to be known.

During the darkest days of World War II, a small group of German university students, along with a pair of mentors, took it upon themselves to try to raise awareness of what Hitler and the Nazis were doing to Germany, and were looking for a way to organize enough resistance to try to throw the Nazis out.

Unfortunately, this took place during 1942 and 1943, and instead of this resistance taking hold throughout Germany, the members of the "Weisse Rose" were arrested and executed.

Many may argue that they sacrificed their lives in vain, since this broad-based resistance never came to pass. However, it was the faith that all of these students had, that they had to do what was right, despite the danger, that is truly inspiring.

This book is well-researched, well-written, and quite readable, even for people who don't know much about the White Rose to begin with. My main gripe with the book is that, although it is not as bad as a lot of stuff about the White Rose, it tends to idolize the Scholls to begin with, and when introducing the other members, especially Alexander Schmorell and Willi Graf. Later on in the book, when more is written about these people, there seems to be more of a balance in what is said.

And though a lot of people seem only to be interested in the leaflets themselves, or the more 'political' motivations of the group, I, for one, was delighted with the chapter about Russia, because in it it was able to portray more of the "emotional" reasons for the actions of the White Rose, and throws some color onto what could be regarded as "boring history".

I just wish that this book were not out of print in English, as it is amazingly hard to find, and it is something that I would recommend to almost anyone who is interested in history, interested in ethics, religion, or just wants to read an unbelievably moving tale.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Proof of hope, March 6, 2001

By 

P. C. Hodgell - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shattering the German Night: The Story of the White Rose (Hardcover)

It's been some years since I read Shattering the German Night, but it left a deep impression. One tends to think of Nazi Germany as monolithically evil, but these little known, idealistic students disproved that with their lives and, ultimately, with their tragic deaths at the hands of the Gestopo. It's a heart-breaking story in many ways, but also an inspiring one, enriched by letters, diaries, and interviews with the survivors. It gave me an unique insight into a period that has always fascinated me, and I highly recommend it to anyone with similar interests.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An incisive account of Nazi student resistance, March 12, 2001

By 

Prof. Martha Feldman (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shattering the German Night: The Story of the White Rose (Hardcover)

As a university professor, I found this book's treatment of the White Rose incisive and moving, the kind of dramatic yet scrupulous historical account that not only appeals to all readers, but has the special power to reach young people in high schools and colleges who might otherwise be turned off by drier academic writing. Bravo!