Book Review: Resist by Emily Ann Putzke

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Munich, Germany 1942—Hans Scholl never intended to get his younger sister involved in an underground resistance. When Sophie Scholl finds out, she insists on joining Hans and his close friends in writing and distributing anti-Nazi leaflets entitled, The White Rose. The young university students call out to the German people, begging them to not allow their consciences to become dormant, but to resist their tyrannical leader and corrupt government. Hans knows the consequences for their actions—execution for committing high treason—but firm in his convictions, he’s prepared to lose his life for a righteous cause. Based on a true story, Hans, Sophie and all the members of The White Rose resistance group will forever inspire and challenge us to do what is right in the midst of overwhelming evil. — Synopsis from Goodreads

  It was with mixed feelings of excitement and dread that I read Resist by Emily Ann Putzke— excitement that I was finally able to read it and dread that it wouldn’t live up to my high expectations. I needn’t have worried. Once again, Miss Putzke has delivered another solid piece of historical fiction, only this time it’s a true story.

  The story of Hans and Sophie Scholl was unfamiliar to me before I read about them on the author’s blog. Their outstanding courage and steadfastness to their beliefs in the dark times of Nazi Germany is powerful to read. They are forgotten heroes whose story needs to be told. In Resist it has. And their story should make us think. I appreciated the author’s decision to include the White Rose leaflets in her novel. It gives the reader a higher appreciation of the risks the group ran and the words they were willing to lay down their lives for.

  A trademark I’ve begun to look forward to in Miss Putzke’s work is strong, clear characterizations. Hans, Sophie, and their friends jump off the page and into our imaginations as living and breathing men and women. They are historical figures that have come to new life through the author’s words and their story touches you all the more because of it.

  I highly recommend Resist to lovers of historical fiction, true stories, or readers with even the slightest interest in WWII. If I have one content warning for readers it would be a splattering of language throughout the book— it is mainly confined to several utterances of what is considered “mild” language.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.