Defying Hitler

The Germans Who Resisted Nazi Rule

By: Gordon Thomas, Greg Lewis

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 22 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

"A terrifying and timely account of resistance in the face of the greatest of evils.” (Alex Kershaw, New York Times best-selling author of The First Wave)

An enthralling story that vividly resurrects the web of everyday Germans who resisted Nazi rule.

Nazi Germany is remembered as a nation of willing fanatics. But beneath the surface, countless ordinary, everyday Germans actively resisted Hitler. Some passed industrial secrets to Allied spies. Some forged passports to help Jews escape the Reich. For others, resistance was as simple as writing a letter denouncing the rigidity of Nazi law. No matter how small the act, the danger was the same - any display of defiance was met with arrest, interrogation, torture, and even death.

Defying Hitler follows the underground network of Germans who believed standing against the Fuhrer to be more important than their own survival. Their bravery is astonishing - a schoolgirl beheaded by the Gestapo for distributing anti-Nazi fliers; a German American teacher who smuggled military intel to Soviet agents, becoming the only American woman executed by the Nazis; a pacifist philosopher murdered for his role in a plot against Hitler; a young idealist who joined the SS to document their crimes, only to end up, to his horror, an accomplice to the Holocaust. This remarkable account illuminates their struggles, yielding an accessible narrative history with the pace and excitement of a thriller.

©2019 Gordon Thomas and Greg Lewis (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“The question was often asked amid the ruins of the Third Reich: why did the Germans fight on for so long when all was lost? Those liberated from concentration camps knew the answer. Terror, mass murder, ruthless and barbaric persecution - all opposition had been mercilessly quashed. In Defying Hitler, Gordon Thomas and Greg Lewis show in chilling and vivid detail just how courageous were those who dared to defy Hitler. A terrifying and timely account of resistance in the face of the greatest of evils.” (Alex Kershaw, New York Times best-selling author of Avenue of Spies: A True Story of Terror, Espionage, and One American Family's Heroic Resistance in Nazi-Occupied Paris)

“Were the Germans of the 1930s and '40s 'Hitler's Willing Executioners,' in Daniel Jonah Goldhagen's memorable phrase? This important book offers alternative profiles in courage - portraits of the ordinary men and women who resisted Hitler, aided Jews and spied for the Allies during the dark days of World War II.” (Newsday)

“This carefully researched book challenges the myth that the German people were virtually unanimous in support of Hitler.... Defying Hitler is filled with almost unbearable suspense and drama.” (Booklist)

The Righteous Few

This book is the among the best books I have listened to. In great detail, well researched, the author shares with us the lives and, even deaths, of those sacrificed their own lives to save others and to stand up against the evils of Hitler's Nazi regime. Hard to put down. LLD.

Bittersweet

It feels terribly odd for me to say this is an uplifting or inspiring book when so many people died, but it is. It is a classic good vs. evil drama played out in real life, with consequences heavy and often permanent.

History is Al about the story!

This book started a little slowly for me. I have read son much WWII history that I initially thought this book would just be a repeat of things I knew. However, even though the facts may be familiar, the stories behind those facts are new and engaging. Very well-worth my time to read.

Very well read and written

An exceptional story of all of the heroes who tried to overturn tyranny in Nazi Germany. The author did a great job weaving together multiple stories. of course Mark Bramhall did his usual fantastic job of reading.

Magnificent

The story is infuriating - why did no one listen to the warnings given by so many? It’s also terrifying because it could happen again. The writing and narration literally made my heart hurt when hearing the fates of all those who dared defy in honor of their country. I’ve listened three times to memorize the names of the heroes who should be celebrated for their heroism.

A record of those who opposed Hitler

A great account and record of those who opposed Hitler's Nazi regime during WII. This book brings the question of the moral responsibility of a people who is forced to face evil and either oppose it or affirm it - and how important it's to seek to have a clear conscience before God and one self.

Great Read!

Incredible account of those who tried to rid Germany of the Nazis and Hitler. Recommend reading if you like this history. Warning, there are some events that are disturbing.