No Ordinary Men by Elisabeth Sifton and Fritz Stern

No Ordinary Men follows the lives of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Hans von Dohnanyi as they resisted Hitler in Church and State. This book does an excellent job of revealing the mindset of the German people as they approached and experienced the Second World War.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer is more well-known than his brother-in-law Hans von Dohnanyi. Both worked in different ways to resist the Nazis. Hans von Dohnanyi worked within the system as a high-level lawyer, recorded Nazi crimes and worked to help Jews escape. Dietrich Bonhoeffer worked hard to resist Hitler’s takeover of the Protestant churches. Hans and Dietrich became close friends. It was Hans who influenced Dietrich to join him and others in a plot to assassinate Hitler, for which both were later executed.

After World War I, the Germans were humiliated and outraged by the terms of the Versailles Treaty, especially the “war-guilt” clause, which declared that only Germany was responsible for the First World War. Their country was in shambles. Unemployment skyrocketed. Runaway inflation destroyed personal savings and retirement plans. They were ready for solid leadership to restore their pride, economy and place in the world. The Nazis seemed to be able to do just that.

Hitler was a mesmerizing speaker, and his policies seemed to lead them out of the dark pit into which they had fallen. His increasing brutality and antisemitism were overlooked, justified or wholeheartedly supported. One thing was sure; to be a loyal German was to support Hitler and the Nazi system. From this safe vantage point of history, it is amazing that so many good, ordinary people could unwaveringly support such tremendous evil. It is a warning to all about putting personal or national advantage above moral conduct.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Hans von Dohnanyi were among the rare Germans who resisted the Nazi juggernaut. German resisters received no support from their countrymen and very little support from those outside the country. Astonishingly, even after the end of World War II, when the extent of the Nazi atrocities was being exposed, the German resisters and their families were still viewed by the German people as disloyal traitors to be despised. It was years before this attitude began to change.

This is a great book to read if you want an in-depth look at the lives of these men, their courage and the times in which they lived.