We Will Not Be Silent: The White Rose Student Resistance Movement That Defied Adolf Hitler

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In his signature eloquent prose, backed up by thorough research, Russell Freedman tells the story of Austrian-born Hans Scholl and his sister Sophie. They belonged to Hitler Youth as young children, but began to doubt the Nazi regime. As older students, the Scholls and a few friends formed the White Rose, a campaign of active resistance to Hitler and the Nazis. Risking imprisonment or even execution, the White Rose members distributed leaflets urging Germans to defy the Nazi government. Their belief that freedom was worth dying for will inspire young readers to stand up for what they believe in. Archival photographs and prints, source notes, bibliography, index. 

Lexile Measure: 630 (What's this?)

Hardcover: 112 pages

Publisher: Clarion Books (May 3, 2016)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0544223799

ISBN-13: 978-0544223790

Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 0.5 x 9.6 inches

Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #66,541 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #16 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > History > Holocaust #39 in Books > Children's Books > Geography & Cultures > Explore the World > Europe #52 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > History > Military & Wars

Age Range: 10 - 12 years

Grade Level: 5 - 7

I have read quite a bit about World War II and have read a fair amount about the German and French resistance movements, but have never seen anything about this group or their activities. What they did is inspirational and should be known by school children as a message of courage and standing for what you believe in.The story revolves primarily around several members of one family. The father was never happy about Hitler, yet his children entered the Hitler Youth for boys and similar programs for girls. It was there that they became disillusioned with what they saw. As luck would have it, the oldest child entered university to study medicine and had to do military service while studying medicine. It was there that he saw the destruction and stupidity of the war and vowed to fight it.The individuals involved secretly printed leaflets that were distributed anonymously throughout Germany by mail. They would print them, they send them to random people that they took from phone directories, with the hope that people would give them to friends. Their activities caused massive problems for the Gestapo and tied up resources while the government tried to find who they were. Eventually, their leaflets made it into the hands of the Allies, who mass produced them and dropped them all over Germany from planes during bombing missions.Eventually caught, none of them would give up the names of any of the others and they were sentenced to death in kangaroo courts. Nobody broke and they kept their secrets to their deaths. The Gestapo liked to use guillotines for civilian traitors, which was how they were executed. Eventually a number of members were caught, and enough were sentenced to die that it stirred up public opinion enough that the executions were stopped.The book is well written and relatively age appropriate. Parents may want to determine for themselves how well their child can handle a book about this subject as it does deal with death and execution. Although not graphic, it might upset readers who are sensitive in the younger age brackets. I would highly recommend this, even for adults, as we can only stop mistakes in the future by studying the mistakes of the past.

In June of 1942, leaflets started being delivered around the German city of Munich – leaflets criticizing the Nazi regime and Adolf Hitler, personally. And, with time, the campaign grew and spread. The Gestapo was so alarmed at the activities of this organization, which called itself the White Rose, that they set agents investigating the movement full-time. Eventually, the Gestapo did crack the organization, and numerous University of Munich students were tortured and executed for their actions. This book is the story of the White Rose, from its creation to its destruction.Overall, I must say that I found this book to be very interesting. Though it is somewhat short (112 pages), it is very informative. Even better, the author does a great job of keeping the narrative interesting as it flows along, keeping the reader glued to what’s going on. Plus, quite a few interesting black-and-white pictures are included.I must admit that I had not heard of the White Rose before, but this book did an excellent job of teaching me all about the brave young men and women who undertook this resistance to evil. I think that it’s a great book and I highly recommend it!

Russell Freedman's "We Will Not Be Silent" is about the White Rose Resistance Movement. The members of this small group of German teachers and students believed that every human being, regardless of race or religion, should have the right to live in peace and engage in nonviolent protest without fear of reprisal. Hans and Sophie Scholl and their three siblings joined the Hitler Youth movement as youngsters, even though their father, Robert, told them that the Nazis "are wolves and deceivers.” Years later, Hans and Sophie came to believe that Hitler's decrees were brutal and immoral. They and other like-minded individuals risked their lives to awaken their fellow citizens to the truth about the direction in which their country was headed.What exactly did the White Rose Resistance Movement do? In 1942, the resistors began to write and reproduce leaflets on a mimeograph machine. These pamphlets proclaimed Hitler to be a "liar and blasphemer" who ran a "dictatorship of evil." Who would be reckless enough to disseminate anti-Nazi literature at a time when such activities were punishable by death? These were Germans with a social conscience who could not stand idly by while Hitler's followers carried out his policies of discrimination, repression, torture, and persecution of Jews and other "undesirables."This is a poignant account of the courage and altruism of Hans, Sophie, Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, Professor Kurt Huber, and others who dared publicize Hitler's hidden agenda. The author includes evocative black and white photographs, each of which tells its own story: We see fresh-faced boys and girls raising their arms in the Hitler salute; an idyllic portrait of the Scholl family taken in the early 1930s; and a memorial to the White Rose Movement that is located at the entrance of Munich University. "We Will Not Be Silent" pays tribute to people of valor who took a stand at a time when doing so was tantamount to putting one's head in the lion's mouth.“We Will Not Be Silent” includes source notes, a bibliography, and an index.

I did not realize this was a book aimed at younger readers. It tells the story of the student organization, the White Rose, that produced 6 leaflets protesting Hitler and the Nazi's. It a good book for the youth to read.

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