He was already safe in the USA when he decided to return to Nazi Germany. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, one of the most famous German resistance fighters, was a very special person. In prison they said of him that he did not appear like a prisoner; he went his way upright and confidently. At the same time, he himself often felt miserable and weak. On 9th April 2020, it is the 75th anniversary of his execution upon Hitler’s personal orders. What events influenced Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s journey to resistance? What shaped him during this critical time? Which meetings, which conversations and which Bible texts helped him? Barbara Ellermeier touchingly portrays a turning point in the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer using a mix of diary extracts, letters and memos as well as a fine feel for narrative that puts it all into the historical context – just as she had already succeeded in doing with her successful book “Lesen ist Freiheit” (Reading is Freedom) about Sophie Scholl. In her new book, she illustrates how Dietrich Bonhoeffer repeatedly exercised the freedom to decide against the “usual” and the purportedly “safe”.
