“We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler”
by Russell Freedman.
Clarion Books, Boston and New York, 2016, 104 pages, Grades Six and higher.
Fascism is a political movement that is opposed to monarchy, parliamentary democracy and political control of a country by normal citizens. It is strongly nationalistic, often violent and given to the cult of a strongman.
Fascists make and break laws at their own convenience, crush opposition through lies and through the use of paramilitary tactics. Fascist leaders will not broach dissent and rule using repeated, simple slogans that finally brainwash a country. In Germany, after World War I, the vengeful tactics used by the successful Allied Powers at the Versailles Peace Treaty laid the grounds for an eruption of fascism. Tragically, Adolf Hitler emerges and imposes a form of vicious fascism on Germany.
But while dissent is being crushed out, a group of students refuse to turn over the truthful, positive side of Germany. They rebel against Nazism and form The White Rose movement. The great writer of nonfiction in children’s literature, Russell Freedman, tells their heroic story. The name of this compelling book is “We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler.”
Hans Scholl is a young German university student studying medicine. Disillusioned with the Hitler Youth Movement, Hans is searching for the truth. The idiotic slogans of the Nazis that Germany was stabbed in the back by Jews and international bankers seem ludicrous to Hans. Additionally, he sees Germany turning from its traditional Christian values and becoming a society where neighbors tattle on each other to curry Nazi favor.
As World War II breaks out with the German invasion of Poland, Hans feels helpless. But he must do something to protest the evils being committed by the Nazi government. After being sent to the Russian Front as a medic, young Scholl returns to Germany determined to protest. At the same time, his younger sister, Sophie, enrolls in the university. She too is determined to do something to fight the descending darkness of the Third Reich.
Hans and Sophie decide to write pamphlets decrying the actions of Hitler’s government. They begin typing their protests and make copies on a mimeograph machine. With a small group of brave friends, they circulate their protests in various locations. With heroic courage, they travel to a number of German cities and spread their truthful statements. Powerfully written, they call the German nation back to the traditional values of decency and love of God.
All the while they are carrying out these dangerous tasks, the Nazi secret police, the Gestapo, begins hunting them down. And finally, they are caught.
What happens next as a result of their courageous actions? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this fine work of nonfiction, “We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler,” by Russell Freedman.
Hans and Sophie Scholl are modern day heroes in Germany. They have been recognized in German and international books and films for their bravery and valor. The White Rose Museum and the nearby copies of their letters imprinted on beautiful tiles is located next to the Munich University where they studied and fought against tyranny. This book describes the courageous and ultimately heartbreaking account of the White Rose Society, but it is a very timely read in our own troubling times.
Additionally, this is the last book written by Russell Freedman before his death at the age of 89 in 2018. During Freedman’s marvelous career, he was the preeminent biographer in the field of children’s literature. A meticulous researcher, Freedman never glamorized his subjects but felt that his subjects’ flaws often showed the greatness of their character. He is sadly missed.
Thank you, Mr. Freedman, for the many wonderful books you wrote for us. May you rest in peace.
