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Saints and Villains
In the charnel house that was Europe in the Second World War, there were few instances of shining moral courage, let along secular sainthood. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German theologian and Nazi resister was the exception. This emblematic figure risked his life--and finally lost it--through his participation in a failed plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler and topple his regime. Saints and Villains gives us this exemplary life in a sweeping narrative that is bold in conception and utterly convincing in its power of imaginative reconstruction.
487 pages, Paperback
First published February 17, 1998
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926 people want to read
About the author
Denise Giardina
10Ìýbooks116ÌýfollowersOften labelled an Appalachian writer, or a historical novelist, Denise Giardina describes herself as a theological writer, exploring fundamental issues of faith and belief through literary characters.
Born and raised in the West Virginia coalfields, Giardina is an ordained Episcopal Church deacon, a community activist and a former candidate for the WV state governorship.
Her novels, fictionalizing historical characters and events, have been critically acclaimed and recognised with a number of literary prizes.
Born and raised in the West Virginia coalfields, Giardina is an ordained Episcopal Church deacon, a community activist and a former candidate for the WV state governorship.
Her novels, fictionalizing historical characters and events, have been critically acclaimed and recognised with a number of literary prizes.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
May 1, 2009
Is this the best book I have ever read about WW2? Maybe so. A perfect blend of fact and fiction. Fiction can help teach. I read sonewhere here on GoodReads a comment that the reader disliked non-fiction because it was so boring. OMG I believe the total opposite. There is no way that authors can dream up what life really throws at us. Emotionally, this is not an easy read, but it is impossible to put down. You can go on because the author writes of the true to life mixture of horror and beauty. If you open ypur eyes there is beauty and kindness and wonderful things going on at the same time as the horror. How is it possible to get through life if we are blind to the good things that are happening all around us? Giardina shows both. You are making a big mistake if you just put this on your to-read shelf. Read it soon!
Read
February 1, 2017As recently as two weeks ago I was shaking my head at the "inflammatory rhetoric" comparing Trump to Hitler. And then I started reading this book (published in 1999, and therefore in no way attempting to reference current events). I would have enjoyed it under any circumstances, as it is fascinating and well-written. But given the events of the past 12 days in the United States, the narrative was chilling, the section in 1933 especially so. I view having read it during these 12 days in particular as an act of resistance, and a call to bravery. Despite his apparent failures, Bonhoeffer is truly a hero.
October 22, 2022
This book was a real disappointment. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who was supposed to be the main character, was portrayed in a lack-lustre manner and didn't feel genuine.
The rating is two and a half stars, rounded up to three, since I did enjoy the first part of the book.
The writing style was uneven as well-sometimes very repetitive.
The rating is two and a half stars, rounded up to three, since I did enjoy the first part of the book.
The writing style was uneven as well-sometimes very repetitive.
September 10, 2017
Wow, what a story. Hard to read but important, I am not a huge fan on dwelling on humanity’s cruelness but during those times, so much goodness shines through as well. The author did a great job of writing it in a compelling story.
Only 4 stars because the verb tense seemed weird to me, it was hard to put a finger on it; also since it is a novel about a real person and events, I kept wondering if this or that really happened. I looked up several things to confirm.
Bonhoeffer is a modern saint but this story did a great job of showing his human side and his weaknesses.
After reading six books this year about black Americans (two women’s story, slave fiction, Civil Rights true stories and more) I thought I was going was to be reading about a different topic, but a huge hole in my knowledge about DB was that he traveled and studied in America and the black church really influenced him and his stance on prejudice, rights and social justice!
One of my favorite characters (and real person) is British Bell. His speech to his fellow countrymen and leaders about area bombing was amazing and I love that is he had to do it as a Christian (p 374). Sometimes I think that WWII was the last ‘just� war but even in it, things happened on the Allied side that were unjust.
Just as Bell considered himself a patriot as well as a follower of Jesus, DB maintained his love of his country, calling it out on wrongs because of that love. I think we can view our country (and our children) in two ways. 1. That we love them so much, we can’t imagine them doing anything wrong and will justify instead of speak up if they do or 2. that we love them so much that we lovingly confront any wrong in order to help it stay aligned with its values and to help it be even better. I think that is a lot of our current nation’s division problem, two groups having two different takes on that.
Which of course leads to our current president in the US, Trump. When I first began this book, I thought-yeah most comparisons of Trump to Hitler falls short as Trump isn’t making opponents disappear or be killed. Though the resistors of our day are often brought to mind while reading such as this conversation.
DB: what do we accomplish by treating him as if he were legitimate?
N: Damn it, man, he is legitimate. He’s running the country, in you’ve forgotten!
While reading, the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect issued a statement comparing the two including “creates his own media; exploits youth at a rally; endorses police brutality; demonizes people who believe, look or love differently; strips vulnerable people of their families, jobs and ability to live; and believes Congress should change its rules to give him more power.�
Wow, ok, I’ll just leave that there.
Which of course leads us to the question of when it is ok to kill? In war? I have heard people give DB as an example of why it might be okay to kill abortion doctors!
I do think these things should be discussed. I think in American, especially in the church we have gotten lazy. We now longer discuss pacifism (as DB was) and just war, we are just okay with preemptive strikes and torture.
No easy answers.
Only 4 stars because the verb tense seemed weird to me, it was hard to put a finger on it; also since it is a novel about a real person and events, I kept wondering if this or that really happened. I looked up several things to confirm.
Bonhoeffer is a modern saint but this story did a great job of showing his human side and his weaknesses.
After reading six books this year about black Americans (two women’s story, slave fiction, Civil Rights true stories and more) I thought I was going was to be reading about a different topic, but a huge hole in my knowledge about DB was that he traveled and studied in America and the black church really influenced him and his stance on prejudice, rights and social justice!
One of my favorite characters (and real person) is British Bell. His speech to his fellow countrymen and leaders about area bombing was amazing and I love that is he had to do it as a Christian (p 374). Sometimes I think that WWII was the last ‘just� war but even in it, things happened on the Allied side that were unjust.
Just as Bell considered himself a patriot as well as a follower of Jesus, DB maintained his love of his country, calling it out on wrongs because of that love. I think we can view our country (and our children) in two ways. 1. That we love them so much, we can’t imagine them doing anything wrong and will justify instead of speak up if they do or 2. that we love them so much that we lovingly confront any wrong in order to help it stay aligned with its values and to help it be even better. I think that is a lot of our current nation’s division problem, two groups having two different takes on that.
Which of course leads to our current president in the US, Trump. When I first began this book, I thought-yeah most comparisons of Trump to Hitler falls short as Trump isn’t making opponents disappear or be killed. Though the resistors of our day are often brought to mind while reading such as this conversation.
DB: what do we accomplish by treating him as if he were legitimate?
N: Damn it, man, he is legitimate. He’s running the country, in you’ve forgotten!
While reading, the Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect issued a statement comparing the two including “creates his own media; exploits youth at a rally; endorses police brutality; demonizes people who believe, look or love differently; strips vulnerable people of their families, jobs and ability to live; and believes Congress should change its rules to give him more power.�
Wow, ok, I’ll just leave that there.
Which of course leads us to the question of when it is ok to kill? In war? I have heard people give DB as an example of why it might be okay to kill abortion doctors!
I do think these things should be discussed. I think in American, especially in the church we have gotten lazy. We now longer discuss pacifism (as DB was) and just war, we are just okay with preemptive strikes and torture.
No easy answers.
May 9, 2012
‘See, the nations count as a drop in the bucket, as a wisp of cloud on the scales; the coastlands weigh no more than a speck. . . . Before him all the nations are as naught, as nothing and void he counts them. To whom can you liken God? With what likeness can you confront him?� (Isaiah 40:15, 17-18)
In her biographical novel, Saints and Villains, Diana Giardina does a masterful job tracing a probable spiritual journey of Dietrich Bonhoeffer beginning with his intellectual study of theology to the awakening of his conscience as the realities and complexities of life under the Third Reich unfolded. Giardina describes Bonhoeffer’s early pre-war life through the miserable years he spent living a half life as a spy, a ‘theologian of ambiguities� patriotic in a higher sense, appearing a traitor by all outward appearances. Although he was misjudged by almost everyone—even those closest to him—what brought Bonhoeffer the most suffering during the war was his inability to take decisive action. When he saw such great injustices all around him, he could do so little: to help the Jews, his own family and friends, to end the war, even to eliminate Hitler. Giardina weaves other important historical characters into her story including: the great British Bishop George Bell and the young student conspirators Sophie and Hans Scholl (the White Rose) who were also martyred. I found the novel both moving and believable, despite it being fiction. I appreciated Giardina’s empathic rendering of Bonhoeffer the patriot who comes to see there is a higher duty than nation—as described many years ago by the Prophet Isaiah.
For the sake of the novel, the author introduces characters and composite characters and takes license with history which the reader not well acquainted with Bonhoeffer’s actual biography would be advised to note beforehand. This is a work of fiction, however much the author has tried to base it on the broader facts of a great man's life.
Most highly recommended!
In her biographical novel, Saints and Villains, Diana Giardina does a masterful job tracing a probable spiritual journey of Dietrich Bonhoeffer beginning with his intellectual study of theology to the awakening of his conscience as the realities and complexities of life under the Third Reich unfolded. Giardina describes Bonhoeffer’s early pre-war life through the miserable years he spent living a half life as a spy, a ‘theologian of ambiguities� patriotic in a higher sense, appearing a traitor by all outward appearances. Although he was misjudged by almost everyone—even those closest to him—what brought Bonhoeffer the most suffering during the war was his inability to take decisive action. When he saw such great injustices all around him, he could do so little: to help the Jews, his own family and friends, to end the war, even to eliminate Hitler. Giardina weaves other important historical characters into her story including: the great British Bishop George Bell and the young student conspirators Sophie and Hans Scholl (the White Rose) who were also martyred. I found the novel both moving and believable, despite it being fiction. I appreciated Giardina’s empathic rendering of Bonhoeffer the patriot who comes to see there is a higher duty than nation—as described many years ago by the Prophet Isaiah.
For the sake of the novel, the author introduces characters and composite characters and takes license with history which the reader not well acquainted with Bonhoeffer’s actual biography would be advised to note beforehand. This is a work of fiction, however much the author has tried to base it on the broader facts of a great man's life.
Most highly recommended!
January 1, 2022
A truly excellent look into one of the most thoroughly tested and brilliant theological minds of the 20th century. Written with compassion and care.
November 17, 2024
After finished reading a biography of Bonhoeffer, this fictional account of Bonhoeffer gives life to such a wonderful person. Not to mention "Saints and Villains" is a high quality WW2 novel without any cliched elements like unrevaeling family secrets or over-the-top-romance. I truely enjoyed this straightforward and simple historical novel.
April 20, 2007
It's odd to read a novel about a historical person in this century. I kept puzzling while I was reading whether, for example, his girlfriend was fictional or real, since I'd never heard of her. She's fictional but she fills a useful function in a novel. I recommend reading the author's note at the end first, if this sort of incongruence is going to bother you.
I read this book because the book club I belong to in town was reading it and I was dismissive of the idea that I might learn something, but ah! I did. The author draws parallels with our time that are not unwarranted. The insight into courage which is what I almost always hope to draw from biography was there in this novel.
I read this book because the book club I belong to in town was reading it and I was dismissive of the idea that I might learn something, but ah! I did. The author draws parallels with our time that are not unwarranted. The insight into courage which is what I almost always hope to draw from biography was there in this novel.
December 5, 2007
This is my all time favorite book about the plight of the jewish people in world war II and Dietrich Bonhoeffer's (Chrisian theologian and martyr)effort to help overturn the Nazi regime which cost him his life. Written as historical fiction, but the main story line is based on fact.
June 18, 2017
Very much enjoyed how this book humanized the legendary Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I was challenged and inspired by his story.
I was amazed, as well, by the numerous parallels between Hitler's Germany and our current political environment. Of course there are significant differences, but with certain passages I had to stop and remind myself that this book was written long before the era of Trump.
"[Bonhoeffer] shakes his head and decides this new tactic will fail, for how will anyone be able to bear the stale jokes and forced humor, the historical inaccuracies, spiritual vapidity, and upside-down logic that characterize Hitler's speech?"
"I believe," Niemoller said, "that Hitler is surrounded by fools and charlatans, and that he receives bad advice. But he's also quite obviously an intelligent man. He wouldn't have got as far as he has otherwise. Who knows, perhaps he's capable of listening to other voices as well. If so, we can do a great deal to alleviate the harsher measures the Nazis have proposed."
Bonhoeffer: "First, we Christians can challenge the state's actions and ask the state to live up to its responsibilities. Second, we must do everything we can to help those who have been victimized by the state. That includes those victims who are not part of the Christian community ... Third, if these first two courses of action do not achieve satisfactory results, we are obligated not just to bandage those who have been broken beneath the wheel of the state, but to jam a spoke in the wheel itself."
Bonhoeffer: "A national church which accepts Nazi policies may be popular, but it will never be Christian."
Bonhoeffer: "But I find now that I am angry, always angry. It's not just the bullying and the threats. It's the way all logic and knowledge and reason are twisted into their exact opposites. So that it is no longer possible to converse with these people. Only to scream at them..."
"Dr Frank Buchman, the great American evangelist, is in Berlin for the Games. At the Adlon Hotel he attends lavish receptions, holds private meetings with Himmler and Goebbels, and even talks briefly with Hitler himself. The Fuhrer assures Dr Buchman his work is appreciated and no roadblocks will be placed in the way as he preaches the Gospel ... [Buchman] suggests the the Nazis, like Franco in Spain, are making the world safe for true Christianity and protecting the West from godless Communism ... "I thank God for a man like Adolf Hitler, who built a front line of defense against the Antichrist of Communism...Of course I don't condone everything the Nazis do. Anti-Semitism? Bad, naturally...But think what it would mean to the world if Hitler surrendered to the control of God...Through such a man God could control a nation overnight and solve every last, bewildering problem."
I was amazed, as well, by the numerous parallels between Hitler's Germany and our current political environment. Of course there are significant differences, but with certain passages I had to stop and remind myself that this book was written long before the era of Trump.
"[Bonhoeffer] shakes his head and decides this new tactic will fail, for how will anyone be able to bear the stale jokes and forced humor, the historical inaccuracies, spiritual vapidity, and upside-down logic that characterize Hitler's speech?"
"I believe," Niemoller said, "that Hitler is surrounded by fools and charlatans, and that he receives bad advice. But he's also quite obviously an intelligent man. He wouldn't have got as far as he has otherwise. Who knows, perhaps he's capable of listening to other voices as well. If so, we can do a great deal to alleviate the harsher measures the Nazis have proposed."
Bonhoeffer: "First, we Christians can challenge the state's actions and ask the state to live up to its responsibilities. Second, we must do everything we can to help those who have been victimized by the state. That includes those victims who are not part of the Christian community ... Third, if these first two courses of action do not achieve satisfactory results, we are obligated not just to bandage those who have been broken beneath the wheel of the state, but to jam a spoke in the wheel itself."
Bonhoeffer: "A national church which accepts Nazi policies may be popular, but it will never be Christian."
Bonhoeffer: "But I find now that I am angry, always angry. It's not just the bullying and the threats. It's the way all logic and knowledge and reason are twisted into their exact opposites. So that it is no longer possible to converse with these people. Only to scream at them..."
"Dr Frank Buchman, the great American evangelist, is in Berlin for the Games. At the Adlon Hotel he attends lavish receptions, holds private meetings with Himmler and Goebbels, and even talks briefly with Hitler himself. The Fuhrer assures Dr Buchman his work is appreciated and no roadblocks will be placed in the way as he preaches the Gospel ... [Buchman] suggests the the Nazis, like Franco in Spain, are making the world safe for true Christianity and protecting the West from godless Communism ... "I thank God for a man like Adolf Hitler, who built a front line of defense against the Antichrist of Communism...Of course I don't condone everything the Nazis do. Anti-Semitism? Bad, naturally...But think what it would mean to the world if Hitler surrendered to the control of God...Through such a man God could control a nation overnight and solve every last, bewildering problem."
November 22, 2020
“All my life, I have listened to the teachings of Luther . . . [He said that] the state is ordained by God and must be obeyed. Loyalty to one’s own country above anything else. But I no longer believe this. Germans, English, Americans, Italians, Russians all believe this, and are all wrong. The nations have become idols and I will not worship them. I have brothers and sisters everywhere on Earth. I have another country.�
“Being evil is worse than doing evil. Better for a lover of truth to lie than for a liar to tell the truth. Which is worse? To stay clear of political conflict for fear of compromising the church [and one's soul], or to be become involved out of love for neighbor and sin greatly in the process? To escape sin may be the ultimate guilt.�
“It would be self-serving to allow concern for the disposition of my soul to push me off my current course.�
Perhaps objectively Giardina’s best novel in my opinion, Saints and Villains chronicles the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. While the story on the whole is rooted in fact and research, the narrative gets constantly filtered through a novelist’s mind—and, as such, Giardina does not shy away from taking creative licenses in order to enhance the story, fashioning even a major Jewish love interest for Bonhoeffer who did not exist in real life.
Probably the most fascinating aspect of the novel for me would be Giardina’s depiction of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. She does not at all shy away from presenting him as a deeply complex and decidedly flawed individual. Young Dietrich is raised in an affluent household and quickly develops an apparent aptitude for the piano. While the Bonhoeffer parents initially hold high hopes of Dietrich becoming something a prodigy someday, they are told by a musical expert that their son—despite being technically flawless on the piano—lacks the passion or the innate “it factor� necessary for him to emerge as a truly remarkable musical artist or composer. Pushing his disappointment aside, Dietrich—being an exceptionally bright boy with a deeply philosophical mind—resolves to study theology instead. His family, being just nominally religious, are floored, and they endeavor to persuade him otherwise. But Dietrich insists that he aspires to challenge himself mentally, and that nothing can be more challenging than grasping the mind of God; to him, theology is simply a more rigorous form of philosophy. So Dietrich goes off to study Theology in America and throws himself into his studies there. While he becomes quickly obsessed with understanding theological concepts, he seems far more like an intellectual than a deeply passionate follower of Christ. He even at one point refers to himself as a “theologian who would like to be a Christian.� Although it is important to note that Bonhoeffer does have a few formative experiences in the United States. For one, he witnesses firsthand the persecution of the African Americans there and is enraged by it. Secondly, he meets a French student at his seminary, whom Dietrich initially deems as a rival due to latent World War 1 resentment—but the French student explains to Dietrich that, in his view, one’s allegiance to God out ought to come first and that nationalism is a form of idolatry. While it’s hard to say how much of this back story is factual, the research that I have done has shown me that the real-life Bonhoeffer was indeed initially much more interested in abstract theology than in any kind of tangible Christian practice.
But everything changes for Dietrich when he returns home and the Nazi party begins to take over Germany. He knows that the Nazi’s rhetoric toward the Jews and other groups is deeply incompatible with the teachings of Christ, and he knows from his studies that it is the duty of any proper Christian to speak out. And speak out he initially does, even becoming a founding member of the “confessing church,� which opposed the Nazi party—and which Bonhoeffer claimed to be the only true church in Germany, as it was the only national church to oppose Hitler. However, when World War 2 starts and military service becomes military becomes mandatory for Germans, Dietrich realizes that he must pretend to be on Hitler’s side. So he begins working from inside to topple the Nazi regime, even involving himself in a failed plot to assassinate Hitler. As Bonhoeffer is a pacifist, he sees himself as endangering his own soul for the greater good, which gives rise to some of the thought-provoking quotes that I included above. To Dietrich, escaping “sin may be the ultimate guilt� for him. His love of neighbor drives him to do what he regards as sin and thus endanger the state of his soul (at least in his mind).
The deconstruction of Bonhoeffer’s character and the ideas explored through his experiences make for some of the most impressive aspects of this novel. And his character particularly resonated with me on this reading, as—even while the stakes for me are not nearly as high as they were for Dietrich—I have also been endeavoring to follow my conscience lately and make a stand for my convictions, even if it means differing from of the majority of the church on certain issues.
Yet another thought-provoking aspect of Saints and Villains are the “Doppelganger� sections—where Giardina explores how a man who is not too different from Dietrich (being deeply intelligent and obsessed with classical piano) might have turned out very differently and even come to supported Hitler, if given an abusive upbringing and deprived of all the advantages that Dietrich had throughout his life. Giardina is a Christian Universalist, and I think it shows in her writing. She makes us ponder, “but for the grace of God, there goes I.�
My only real issue with Saints and Villains would be that few of the characters besides Dietrich and his “doppelgänger,� Alois Bauer, stand out much. Fred Bishop is fascinating, but he is only in the novel for a very short period of time. Most of the rest of the characters rather seem like names that blend into one for me personally. Eventually, I stopped even endeavoring to differentiate between all of Dietrich’s friends and allies and confidants.
Nonetheless, Saints and Villains makes for one of the most thought-provoking novels I’ve read in a very long time. It has been my second time reading it—and I definitely plan on reading it a third time eventually!
“Being evil is worse than doing evil. Better for a lover of truth to lie than for a liar to tell the truth. Which is worse? To stay clear of political conflict for fear of compromising the church [and one's soul], or to be become involved out of love for neighbor and sin greatly in the process? To escape sin may be the ultimate guilt.�
“It would be self-serving to allow concern for the disposition of my soul to push me off my current course.�
Perhaps objectively Giardina’s best novel in my opinion, Saints and Villains chronicles the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. While the story on the whole is rooted in fact and research, the narrative gets constantly filtered through a novelist’s mind—and, as such, Giardina does not shy away from taking creative licenses in order to enhance the story, fashioning even a major Jewish love interest for Bonhoeffer who did not exist in real life.
Probably the most fascinating aspect of the novel for me would be Giardina’s depiction of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. She does not at all shy away from presenting him as a deeply complex and decidedly flawed individual. Young Dietrich is raised in an affluent household and quickly develops an apparent aptitude for the piano. While the Bonhoeffer parents initially hold high hopes of Dietrich becoming something a prodigy someday, they are told by a musical expert that their son—despite being technically flawless on the piano—lacks the passion or the innate “it factor� necessary for him to emerge as a truly remarkable musical artist or composer. Pushing his disappointment aside, Dietrich—being an exceptionally bright boy with a deeply philosophical mind—resolves to study theology instead. His family, being just nominally religious, are floored, and they endeavor to persuade him otherwise. But Dietrich insists that he aspires to challenge himself mentally, and that nothing can be more challenging than grasping the mind of God; to him, theology is simply a more rigorous form of philosophy. So Dietrich goes off to study Theology in America and throws himself into his studies there. While he becomes quickly obsessed with understanding theological concepts, he seems far more like an intellectual than a deeply passionate follower of Christ. He even at one point refers to himself as a “theologian who would like to be a Christian.� Although it is important to note that Bonhoeffer does have a few formative experiences in the United States. For one, he witnesses firsthand the persecution of the African Americans there and is enraged by it. Secondly, he meets a French student at his seminary, whom Dietrich initially deems as a rival due to latent World War 1 resentment—but the French student explains to Dietrich that, in his view, one’s allegiance to God out ought to come first and that nationalism is a form of idolatry. While it’s hard to say how much of this back story is factual, the research that I have done has shown me that the real-life Bonhoeffer was indeed initially much more interested in abstract theology than in any kind of tangible Christian practice.
But everything changes for Dietrich when he returns home and the Nazi party begins to take over Germany. He knows that the Nazi’s rhetoric toward the Jews and other groups is deeply incompatible with the teachings of Christ, and he knows from his studies that it is the duty of any proper Christian to speak out. And speak out he initially does, even becoming a founding member of the “confessing church,� which opposed the Nazi party—and which Bonhoeffer claimed to be the only true church in Germany, as it was the only national church to oppose Hitler. However, when World War 2 starts and military service becomes military becomes mandatory for Germans, Dietrich realizes that he must pretend to be on Hitler’s side. So he begins working from inside to topple the Nazi regime, even involving himself in a failed plot to assassinate Hitler. As Bonhoeffer is a pacifist, he sees himself as endangering his own soul for the greater good, which gives rise to some of the thought-provoking quotes that I included above. To Dietrich, escaping “sin may be the ultimate guilt� for him. His love of neighbor drives him to do what he regards as sin and thus endanger the state of his soul (at least in his mind).
The deconstruction of Bonhoeffer’s character and the ideas explored through his experiences make for some of the most impressive aspects of this novel. And his character particularly resonated with me on this reading, as—even while the stakes for me are not nearly as high as they were for Dietrich—I have also been endeavoring to follow my conscience lately and make a stand for my convictions, even if it means differing from of the majority of the church on certain issues.
Yet another thought-provoking aspect of Saints and Villains are the “Doppelganger� sections—where Giardina explores how a man who is not too different from Dietrich (being deeply intelligent and obsessed with classical piano) might have turned out very differently and even come to supported Hitler, if given an abusive upbringing and deprived of all the advantages that Dietrich had throughout his life. Giardina is a Christian Universalist, and I think it shows in her writing. She makes us ponder, “but for the grace of God, there goes I.�
My only real issue with Saints and Villains would be that few of the characters besides Dietrich and his “doppelgänger,� Alois Bauer, stand out much. Fred Bishop is fascinating, but he is only in the novel for a very short period of time. Most of the rest of the characters rather seem like names that blend into one for me personally. Eventually, I stopped even endeavoring to differentiate between all of Dietrich’s friends and allies and confidants.
Nonetheless, Saints and Villains makes for one of the most thought-provoking novels I’ve read in a very long time. It has been my second time reading it—and I definitely plan on reading it a third time eventually!
August 22, 2007
This is probably one of my very favorites of all times. I was first introduced to Denise Giardina through an Appalachian studies class, and learned of her Appalachian writings. This is a completely different genre, but she does an excellent job of developing an theologic figure into a three dimensional human being. I felt like I could relate, on some level to his struggles to continue to believe. Plus, it made me curious to learn more about the historical Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I've read it twice, and will probably read it again!
February 4, 2012
I'm currently fascinated with Dietrich Bonhoeffer and have also just finished the Metaxes biography—a much better book. What I didn't like about this novelization of Bonhoeffer's life is that he comes off as a person who was pushed along by events rather than someone acting out of moral conviction. The very point of Bonhoeffer's writings � and his death � was that he acted out of his Christian moral convictions. Giardina did not do him justice.
August 13, 2007
I entered the fictionalization of the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer with some trepidation, since he is one of my heroes. But Denise Giardina did a fine job with this, evoking the evolution the German pastor went through and his eventual decision to join in a plot to assassinate Hitler, which he paid for with his life. Very well done.
October 24, 2009
Hated it - couldn't finish it. I finally got within 100 pages of the end and just couldn't force any more on myself.
This was a bookclub selection and the concensus was unanimous!
This was a bookclub selection and the concensus was unanimous!
October 3, 2019
Powerful, thought provoking, and often difficult to read. Giardina does an excellent job of portraying Bonhoeffer as a human being, warts and all. Conversations explain his thoughts and philosophy, and Giardina carefully sets the background 1930s German culture. I liked learning how Bonhoeffer’s experiences in the United States (civil rights, West Virginia’s Hawk’s Nest tunnel disaster, Jazz, dancing) informs and influences his theology. It’s hard to read without thinking of Trump (though written in 1987). Comparisons with the Nazi regime are chilling.
1933, after the Reichstag burns: “This won’t be the first unjust government in the world,� Dietrich said, “or the last. God knows I won’t be happy living under it, but it will come to an end.� 132
“A government which suppresses the freedom of its citizens can only be called illegitimate, however legal its institution.� 139
“Perhaps I shall not be so polite as to raise my hand,� Dietrich said. “Not that I’m used to making a scene. But I find now that I am angry, always angry. It’s not just the bullying and the threats. It’s the way all knowledge and logic and reason are twisted into their exact opposites. So that it is no longer possible to converse with these people. Only to scream at them...� 169
“If it was so wrong, why did God let it happen?�
“How was God supposed to stop it? You’re a free man, Alois. There are no invisible strings connecting you to God, directing your every move.�
“But if God is all-powerful, God could intervene. God could find a way.�
“And because God didn’t intervene, it was all right.�
â€Ô¨±ð²õ.â€�
“Too bad you don’t believe in God, then. You’ve lost your excuse.�
Bauer blinked. He looked away. “Perhaps I do believe in God,� he said.
“Oh, yes,� Dietrich said. “God makes a convenient scapegoat. Or people always think God is absent when things are going bad for them. Things go better and God is back. Well, I want to live in the world as if there were no God. That is the only way God can truly be with any of us. You, on the other hand, want a God you can blame for everything you’ve done. Oh yes, you will believe anything you must to exonerate yourself.� 455
“I do not know which of us God loves best. But it hope it is you. However, I warn you, the love of God burns like fire. You will not be able to stand in the face of it.� 456
1933, after the Reichstag burns: “This won’t be the first unjust government in the world,� Dietrich said, “or the last. God knows I won’t be happy living under it, but it will come to an end.� 132
“A government which suppresses the freedom of its citizens can only be called illegitimate, however legal its institution.� 139
“Perhaps I shall not be so polite as to raise my hand,� Dietrich said. “Not that I’m used to making a scene. But I find now that I am angry, always angry. It’s not just the bullying and the threats. It’s the way all knowledge and logic and reason are twisted into their exact opposites. So that it is no longer possible to converse with these people. Only to scream at them...� 169
“If it was so wrong, why did God let it happen?�
“How was God supposed to stop it? You’re a free man, Alois. There are no invisible strings connecting you to God, directing your every move.�
“But if God is all-powerful, God could intervene. God could find a way.�
“And because God didn’t intervene, it was all right.�
â€Ô¨±ð²õ.â€�
“Too bad you don’t believe in God, then. You’ve lost your excuse.�
Bauer blinked. He looked away. “Perhaps I do believe in God,� he said.
“Oh, yes,� Dietrich said. “God makes a convenient scapegoat. Or people always think God is absent when things are going bad for them. Things go better and God is back. Well, I want to live in the world as if there were no God. That is the only way God can truly be with any of us. You, on the other hand, want a God you can blame for everything you’ve done. Oh yes, you will believe anything you must to exonerate yourself.� 455
“I do not know which of us God loves best. But it hope it is you. However, I warn you, the love of God burns like fire. You will not be able to stand in the face of it.� 456
April 28, 2018
Every so often I come across a clunker of a book -- in this case, a howler of stilted language, improbable events and anachronisms. I'm sure that a lot of research went into this book and the intriguing historical figures and events on which it's based, but it's been wasted by a treatment that's as overloaded and preposterous as the heavy, dark oak furniture and woodwork that's repeatedly invoked in the text.
For any masochist who's thinking about reading the book, here's the briefest of plot lines. Note that this is based on me being able to get through only about 100 pages of a nearly 500-page book. An upright, moral young German, raised in a sophisticated and comfortable bourgeois home the aftermath of WWII, decides to become a theologian because he loves the intellectual challenge. He is not a religious believer. His eyes are opened to both religion and social activism through religion on a one-year program to Harlem. He becomes a resister to the Nazis and decides -- though he's against killing -- to try to kill Hitler before too much damage is done to the German nation-state and the world. He fails (I read the back cover -- oh, and Hitler did go on to do a lot of things instead of being killed by a patriotic German theologian).
The book is loosely based on a real person, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and it includes many other real people -- Hitler, of course; but also Reinhold Neibuhr, probably the most respected theologian of the 20th century (at least in the US); Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., who became one of the most powerful Black activists in the civil rights era, but by becoming a member of the US Congress (until being forced from office due to multiple scandals); and others. It weaves in such ridiculous things as trips to Harlem to see jazz, where Dietrich wows the crowd with his updated version of a polka, and two theologians and a doctor dressing as hobos so they can infiltrate a dangerous tunnel operation being built in West Virginia.
And then there are the ponderous Latin and German chapter titles, in Gothic typeface, of course.
Enough. Just read something else.
For any masochist who's thinking about reading the book, here's the briefest of plot lines. Note that this is based on me being able to get through only about 100 pages of a nearly 500-page book. An upright, moral young German, raised in a sophisticated and comfortable bourgeois home the aftermath of WWII, decides to become a theologian because he loves the intellectual challenge. He is not a religious believer. His eyes are opened to both religion and social activism through religion on a one-year program to Harlem. He becomes a resister to the Nazis and decides -- though he's against killing -- to try to kill Hitler before too much damage is done to the German nation-state and the world. He fails (I read the back cover -- oh, and Hitler did go on to do a lot of things instead of being killed by a patriotic German theologian).
The book is loosely based on a real person, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and it includes many other real people -- Hitler, of course; but also Reinhold Neibuhr, probably the most respected theologian of the 20th century (at least in the US); Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., who became one of the most powerful Black activists in the civil rights era, but by becoming a member of the US Congress (until being forced from office due to multiple scandals); and others. It weaves in such ridiculous things as trips to Harlem to see jazz, where Dietrich wows the crowd with his updated version of a polka, and two theologians and a doctor dressing as hobos so they can infiltrate a dangerous tunnel operation being built in West Virginia.
And then there are the ponderous Latin and German chapter titles, in Gothic typeface, of course.
Enough. Just read something else.
August 4, 2022
It took me a while to get through this book, as it's loaded with details of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life and took me through some of his difficult times. The book also includes his thoughts and philosophy on many subjects, most importantly, God. I already knew a little about this pastor who resisted Hitler and was a part of a plot to kill him and had read a couple of his writings from prison. I was surprised to learn that he had attended Union Theological Seminary in New York as part of his religious education. While there he traveled to the south during the depression and happened upon an instance of corporate disregard of human life in the extracting of silica. Most of the book is about the rise of Hitler, the German church's cooperation with the Fuhrer, the thought processes of the German people who cooperated and those who didn't. Even though I gave this novel only 3 stars, it is an important work for anyone dedicated enough to read through it. It's a very important warning about mixing the Christian church with government, how a demagogue rises to power, scapegoating certain outsiders, and many other issues that are as relevant today as they were 80 or so years ago.
July 10, 2019
I hadn’t heard of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. But I should have. He was a German theologian and Nazi resistor during the 1930s and 1940s who always showed moral courage from the time he was a young man. He took part in various attempts to kill Hitler and was hanged as a result at the end of World War II just as the Allies were coming to occupy Germany.
SAINTS AND VILLAINS by Denise Giardina is a novel based on the truth of Bonhoeffer's life. From the time he was 14 he knew he wanted to study theology. As a Christian, Bonhoeffer couldn’t justify what he saw happening to his country when the Nazis came into power. He (and his family) hated what he saw the Germans doing to the Jews much earlier than others acknowledged it.
Bonhoeffer's moral courage was obvious as early as his seminary days in New York. But it was in Germany that he spoke out against Nazis, often in sermons, even when it seemed the majority of Germans supported Hitler.
This should not have been a new story to me, and I’ll always remember it. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
SAINTS AND VILLAINS by Denise Giardina is a novel based on the truth of Bonhoeffer's life. From the time he was 14 he knew he wanted to study theology. As a Christian, Bonhoeffer couldn’t justify what he saw happening to his country when the Nazis came into power. He (and his family) hated what he saw the Germans doing to the Jews much earlier than others acknowledged it.
Bonhoeffer's moral courage was obvious as early as his seminary days in New York. But it was in Germany that he spoke out against Nazis, often in sermons, even when it seemed the majority of Germans supported Hitler.
This should not have been a new story to me, and I’ll always remember it. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
January 2, 2018
I picked up this book partly because I wanted to read something by Denise Giardina, a renowned West Virginia author. I was surprised to find this, inasmuch as I assumed all of her books were about Appalachia. But, I have always been intrigued with Dietrich Bonhoeffer, but didn't know much at all about his life, so I picked it up. I was hesitant to read this because I realize it was a work of historical fiction, and I do intend to delve more into the life of this heroic and brilliant man.
With that being said- WHAT AN AUTHOR!!! I loved her prose, and, although the subject matter was very intense, it was written in a way that compelled me to keep reading. Reading this story in our current political climate made it that much more chilling- to realize that an entire country could so easily be swept up in a fever of patriotic fervor while ignoring warnings that bubbled below the surface.
I will eagerly seek out Ms. Giardina's other books!
With that being said- WHAT AN AUTHOR!!! I loved her prose, and, although the subject matter was very intense, it was written in a way that compelled me to keep reading. Reading this story in our current political climate made it that much more chilling- to realize that an entire country could so easily be swept up in a fever of patriotic fervor while ignoring warnings that bubbled below the surface.
I will eagerly seek out Ms. Giardina's other books!
July 3, 2018
In her afterward the author says "some 'facts' have been altered because of the demands of the story"--that pretty much summarizes what is wrong with this book. Had the story been altered to meet the demands of the facts, then we probably would have had a much better book--the truth makes a great story, the author's poetic license not so much. Where the author departed from the facts, i.e. added garbage for melodrama, the story became a cheesy soap opera unsuitable to the serious subject, and the fictional characters, well, even the non-fictional ones, were rather weak compared to the real life characters they replaced. Making up insipid fictional characters when the real life Franz Hildebrandts and Franklin Fishers would have done so much better is an insult and disservice to such fine and noble people. The weakest material in the book was the barfworthy affair with the fictional Elizabeth Hildebrandt and the arrogant, whiny Elizabeth's perpetual high horse. What was I thinking downloading historical fiction about the life of Deitrich Bonhoeffer! Integrity? Nah, forget it! You will not come away from this book with much real insight or understanding of Bonhoffer, although the author may have tricked you into believing that you did.
September 13, 2021
This fictionalized life of theologian Dietrich Bonhoffer has many parallels to what is going on in the US today. Sometimes we say, oh, I would have never gone along with what the Nazis did, I would have spoken up or worked to undermine and end the Nazi regime, as Dietrich Bonhoffer did. But how many of us are speaking up right now, as our rights are being abridged, right-wing minorities use religion to bludgeon the majority into conformity, immigrants are attacked, and disinformation wreaks havoc amidst a pandemic? Too many of us are silent in the face of extremism, unwilling to pay the price of living authentic Christian lives. This story is that of one man who was unable to reconcile his love of country with what his country was doing to "others" in the name of "purity" and nationalism. In order to live as a Christian, he chose to die as a martyr. It's a compelling story.
September 30, 2017
A diary of the birth, the flourishing and collapse.
This is no bodice-ripper masquerading as historical fiction. If you have always wondered what it was like to live in Germany, especially from 1933-1941, as a good person within the Reich, this is a fantastic book. At times the writing feels so immediate it's hard to remember it is a piece of fiction. For readers not totally immersed in Nazi Germany, it will be helpful to have access to Wikipedia to look up facts, but not it's not required to understand on an emotional level. The question the author wants us to ponder is, how does a person with good morals exist during a regime that utilizes all its power to corrupt and commit atrocities. This book was some of the best I've ever read, truly a masterwork
This is no bodice-ripper masquerading as historical fiction. If you have always wondered what it was like to live in Germany, especially from 1933-1941, as a good person within the Reich, this is a fantastic book. At times the writing feels so immediate it's hard to remember it is a piece of fiction. For readers not totally immersed in Nazi Germany, it will be helpful to have access to Wikipedia to look up facts, but not it's not required to understand on an emotional level. The question the author wants us to ponder is, how does a person with good morals exist during a regime that utilizes all its power to corrupt and commit atrocities. This book was some of the best I've ever read, truly a masterwork
July 26, 2019
This is a novelization of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life. It follows the influences of this sheltered, upper class boy from the loss of his older brother in World War I to Union Theological Semenary in New York where he meets fellow theologians who struggle with God's call to confront racism and economic inequality and even a corporate secret leading to the deaths of thousands of workers!
All this prepares Bonhoeffer to face his confrontation with the Third Reich. Does God call us to do things He won't? What is our responsibility to act when we aren't "called"? Does the church have any validity if it doesn't fight injustice? I see people of all faiths wrestling with these same questions in our own times. This book gets us inside the head of someone else who has taken that journey.
All this prepares Bonhoeffer to face his confrontation with the Third Reich. Does God call us to do things He won't? What is our responsibility to act when we aren't "called"? Does the church have any validity if it doesn't fight injustice? I see people of all faiths wrestling with these same questions in our own times. This book gets us inside the head of someone else who has taken that journey.
May 10, 2025
This book is a fictionalized account of the life of German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer so it features many of the ideas found in Bonhoeffer's own writings and the known events of his life, filling in the rest in fictional ways. I found the writing to be somewhat uneven and at times the book was difficult to read. That said, it offered a compelling look at Bonhoeffer and actively imagined the ways that he experiences from his childhood until his death unraveled in the midst of the ongoing conflicts in Germany in the first half of the twentieth century and particularly with the rise of Nazi power. Overall, this book serves as a good introduction to Bonhoeffer's life and times, but I found that it was not the easiest book to read.
September 3, 2019
I have heard so much about Dietrich Bonhoeffer over the years but never read any books by or about him. This novel is a fictional biography of his life and tells his story very well, from his time in America and England to his work with Hitler's intelligence service to his final days as a prisoner. The book brings out his story well, allowing us to understand both his beliefs and doubts and those people who were important to him. It humanizes him by bringing out when he was weak and did not do the right thing. This is a very powerful novel that helped me understand the life of this man who I had heard so much about over the years.
November 5, 2018
I will always love this book because it introduced me to Dietrich Bonhoeffer. I am amazed that I never heard of him before randomly picking up this book. Since then I have devoured much of Bonhoeffer's writing. It makes me sad that I cannot read German, because I would love to read him without translation. Bonhoeffer is a man who knew God. Period. This is historical fiction so it takes some liberties, but I an eternally grateful for picking up this book. Five stars because it led me to a man who fills my soul!
December 26, 2024
Denise Giardina's book here is a bit of a biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer. It's a good read, but Giardina lets the reader know this is historic fiction. While the story is great and powerful, it is a little too much fiction for what I'd hoped. The author admits in the afterward that she has blended several real people and even made some people up. And she has left out one of his most valued cohorts. So, there is a whole lot of good here, but I'm left to wonder just how much is real and how much is the product of a very talented author. I recommend it, but with that buyer beware clause.
September 27, 2017
I've been interested in Dietrich Bonhoeffer for several years and was interested in learning more about the man. Now that I've read this novel about his life and times, I'm still interested in learning more about the man and his work. This work definitely describes his life, attitudes and the times (ie the German Third Reich).
June 12, 2021
This is a novel, so the author has taken liberties with characters and names, but she brings a gripping sense of the reality of the people, especially Bonhoeffer and those close to him, as well as the events of this time period - both in Germany as Hitler rises to power and in the US and UK, as the rest of the world is drawn in.
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