#Sophie Scholl: The Final Days

[tmarshconnors]

“How can we expect righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone willing to give himself up individually to a righteous cause?"

Sophia Magdalena Scholl was a German student and anti-Nazi political activist

Born: 9 May 1921, Forchtenberg, Germany

Died: 22 February 1943, JVA Stadelheim München, Munich, Germany

[rochenn]

The year is 2034. Disney announces the production of the show "Resistance: Dooku of Serenno", set during the early days of the Empire, starring CG Christopher Lee.

We begin with a flashback to Revenge of the Sith. After Dooku is beheaded, we learn that he used the Force to supply his brain with blood and oxygen. The movie is visibly retconned - as Obi-Wan, Anakin and Palpatine flee the Invisible Hand, four human parts can be spotted stealthily floating after them.

Dooku, being Dooku, survives the crash and manages to steal away. His head is surgically reattached. Don't ask why nobody else ever stitched their lightsaber-chopped limbs back on. He ends up getting prosthetic hands, anyway. David Filoni said in a behind-the-scenes interview that he thought they were cool.

Previously established canon prevents Dooku from doing anything in-character until Order 66. He lets loose in Coruscant's undercity and becomes the local kooky old man who couldn't possibly be public enemy number one until Mace Windu, freshly fried and unhanded, crashes down in front of him. What a coincidence.

Mace is still played by Sam L. Jackson. He is So Old. He is only there for the paycheck. Disney didn't know how to recast him. He is acting alongside the shell of a man who has been dead for two decades.

After a joke about missing hands that is very funny, the two get along swimmingly. They don't really talk about Dooku's various war crimes. "My droid army would never traumatize a young child," Dooku says with a wink into the camera. Remember to buy your Mandalorian merch.

Mace and Dooku organize an underground resistance on Coruscant in the spirit of the Confederacy. Mace is okay with this. Choice aspects of this arc are compelling, like the fight against fascism under the yoke of cruel state suppression, but tone-deaf allusions to the work of Sophie Scholl cause controversy abroad. Andor did it better. Critics on YouTube who thus far lauded the return of fan favorites and 'faithful casting' tear into the show for pushing the woke agenda.

Nothing Mace and Dooku accomplish has any impact on the Original Trilogy. What were you expecting? The end of the show teases a second season with the arrival of a mysterious woman. Dooku's secret wife. You never knew of her because she was never relevant before. As the final credit music slowly creeps in, she says: "Don't you want to see your son?"

The music swells and we cut to Serenno. The planet has never been mentioned throughout all 15 episodes of the show. Standing in the ruins of Dooku's castle is Dooku's son: back turned to the viewer, gazing into the sunset. Dooku II of Serenno, proud heir, turns his head. He is played by Harry Styles.

Roll credits.

[visualpoett]

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (2005)

Director: Marc Rothemund

[jmoon901]

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days (Full film)

[latestmoviesblog]

Picture Tree To Launch Marc Rothemund’s Weekend Rebels’ At EFM – Deadline

EXCLUSIVE: Picture Tree Int’l (PTI) has boarded sales on German Sophie Scholls – The Final Days Oscar-nominee and hitmaker Marc Rothemund’s heart-warming family drama Weekend Rebels, inspired by the true story of a father who forged a special bond with his autistic son through the search for a perfect soccer club. The film, currently in post-production, is produced by Justyna Muesch, Quirin Berg…

[tiapandayblogs]

Celebrate National Girl Child Day by making the lives of girls better

National Girl Child day is celebrated on January 24th every year. Since 2008, this day has been celebrated with only one purpose in its mind, to raise awareness about the plight of the girl child in India. The day was introduced by the ministry of women and child development. The government has made continuous efforts to improve the state of girls in our country. National campaigns like ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’, subsidised education for girls, reservations for girls in universities, and colleges, have been introduced to reduce the disparity against women.

While India has made tremendous strides in improving the lives of girls in the country, the statistics reveal a heart-breaking and depressing reality. In contrast to the male literacy rate of 82.14, the female literacy rate stood at a measly 65.46. According to the annual bulletin of the The sexual harassment rate went from 28.9% to 33.6%, 3.7 % of girls were married below the age of 18 in 2011, and over 2,000 girls are illegally aborted every day in India. The male employment rate is 56.8, while the female employment rate is only 22.2. This shows

that despite the constant efforts of feminist movements, the girl child in India is far from empowered and independent.

Even horrific crimes against girls rose up. The sexual harassment rate went from 28.9% to 33.6%. 3.7 % of girls were married below the age of 18 in 2011, and over 2,000 girls are illegally aborted every day in India.

So what can you do to raise awareness about the miserable situation of girls in India on National Girl Child Day?

At the grassroots level, you can share inspiring stories of female changemakers in diverse fields on social media. Never underestimate the power of your voice, as a single share can spark an immediate chain reaction. Spreading stories about historical figures like Rani Laxmibai, Savitribai Phule, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart etc. Modern female leaders like New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern, Finland’s Sanaa Marin, Germany’s Angela Merkel, Denmark’s Mette Frederiksen, and Taiwan’s Tsai Ing-Wen, proved to be more apt to handling the pandemic than major world powers. Such tales can be shared to boost the morale of girls.

The events of the day should not be limited to girls. You can make boys aware of menstrual hygiene and health, teach them about appropriate behaviour towards the female sex, and make them aware of ‘good touch’ and ‘bad touch’. Boys should be taught that their female peers, are not inferior to them in any way, and should be instructed to stand up for girls around them.

In your institutes, you can screen films which have feministic narratives like Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Women, Marc Rothemund’s Sophie Scholl- The Final Days, Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade, Aniruddha Roy’s Pink, Jasmeet Reen’s Darlings. Examples of powerful female fictional characters like Wonder Woman, and The Bride, can also be shared with young children.

You can also donate money to NGOs that actively work to improve the lives of girls. NGOs like Aarti for Girls, Nanhi Kali, Big at Heart etc, are some of the many NGOs working in India.

So, on 24th January, let’s take an oath to improve the lives of female children in India.

Source - https://childhelpfoundation.in/blog/posts/Celebrate-National-Girl-Child-Day-by-making-the-lives-of-girls-better

[rwpohl]

[c-m-li]

Underrated WWII Movies:

(All of these are based on true stories, but I only added links to the books that I’ve actually read.)

Sophie Scholl: the Final Days (2005)

Tells the story of The White Rose Society which was a secret anti-war resistance organization made up of students and professors at Munich University in Nazi Germany. Kind of a legal drama, the movie takes place when several of the members of The White Rose are arrested for distributing anti-war leaflets at the university and ends a few days after their trial. The movie is entirely in German.

Here’s the trailer.

Sophie Scholl and the White Rose by Annette Dumbach and Jud Newborn is the written counterpart with more background details.

Anthropoid (2016)

Follows the Czech resistance in occupied Czechoslovakia and the mission to assassinate Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich. The movie version of the real-life scenario when anything that can go wrong goes wrong.

Here’s the trailer.

The Zookeeper’s Wife (2017)

The story of how a family who owned the most successful zoo in the world used it to help hide Jews during the Holocaust. The movie starts just before the invasion of Poland and goes all the way through the entire occupation of Poland and both Uprisings to end after the war.

Here’s the trailer.

Based on the book, The Zookeeper’s Wife by Diane Ackerman who used Antonina’s the wife’s wartime diaries as the main source.

Dunkirk (2017)

About the Disaster at Dunkirk and the fight to evacuate Allied troops. Follows three POV’s between the men trapped at the beachhead, those manning the boats that are sailing to Dunkirk from England to help, and the pilots who were trying to keep the German air raids from bombarding those at Dunkirk. A lot of no-name soldiers, but it follows the very big picture, the scope is very much more zoomed out. The movie takes place over the course of a few days.

Here’s the trailer.

Midway (2019)

Focuses on the naval and aerial battles in the Pacific theater. Though it’s titled Midway, the movie starts at the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941 and goes all the way to the battle of Midway which didn’t actually happen until 1942. It focuses on a specific group of pilots and naval personnel. It also follows the intelligence gathering for the naval operations as well as a few POV scenes for the Japanese naval forces.

Here’s the trailer.

And a couple honorable mentions:

Band of Brothers (2001)

A mini-series that follows Easy Company of the American Army. It focuses on the men of the company and their commanding officers starting from jump training to the end of the war.

Here’s the trailer.

It was inspired by the book of the same name, Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest by Stephen E. Ambrose.

Denial (2016)

Not really taking place in WWII, but a must-watch of Holocaust history. A legal drama about the true story of how historian Deborah Lipstadt was sued for libel when she called a Holocaust denier a liar and she had to defend herself and prove that the Holocaust happened in a court of law. The movie takes place over the course of the trial and follows both Lipstadt and her attorney as they research proving the Holocaust.

Here’s the trailer.

It’s based on the biographical book, History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier by Deborah Lipstadt.

[douxreviews]

History Nerd's Review: Sophie Scholl, die letzen Tage (2005)

"If you and Hitler weren't afraid of our opinion, we wouldn't be here."

Sophia Magdalena Scholl (Julia Jentsch) and her brother Hans (Fabian Hinrichs) were college students in Munich and members of the "White Rose," an idealistic anti-Nazi resistance group. They were arrested in 1943 for distributing leaflets calling for an end to the war and the overthrow of National Socialism. This 2005 German-language film tells the story of their arrest, "trial," and execution, emphasizing Sophie's calm defiance and deep religious faith.

KEEP READING

[thepastisalreadywritten]

Within the United States, Sophie Magdalena Scholl is not the best-known resistance fighter, but her story is a powerful one.

She was a key member of the Weiße Rose (White Rose)—a resistance group run by students at the University of Munich who distributed leaflets and used graffiti to decry Nazi crimes and the political system, while calling for resistance to the Nazi state and the war.

On 22 February 1943, she was beheaded for treason at just 21 years old. 

Sophie was born in May 1921, the fourth of six children to an upper-middle class family in the south of Germany.

Robert, her father, was mayor of Forchtenberg, an idyllic town in the northeast of the modern state of Baden-Württemberg.

When Sophie was 10, the family moved to Ulm, a mid-size southern town dating back to the Middle Ages, where her father worked as state auditor and tax consultant.

After the Nazis came to power in January 1933, Sophie, along with most of her siblings, was an excited and happy follower of the National Socialist cult of youth.

The teenager believed in the ideals propagated at the time. Similar to many of their contemporaries, Sophie was particularly intrigued by the focus on nature and communal experiences.

She joined the BDM, the Bund Deutscher Mädel (League of German Girls) and quickly rose in their ranks.

The parents, especially her father, did not like their children’s’ involvement in the Nazi youth groups and made no secret about it.

A critic of the party from the beginning, who had raised their children firmly grounded in the Christian tradition, Robert Scholl viewed the developments in Germany and their children’s interest in Nazism with growing fear and horror.

Lively discussions were a daily occurrence at the dinner table, teaching the children the value of open and honest conversation—a rarity at the time.

Sophie’s siblings, especially her oldest brother Hans, later to become a founding member of the Weiße Rose, also were members of non-Nazi groups of young people.

These associations shared and propagated a love for nature, outdoor adventures, as well as the music, art and literature of German Romanticism.

Originally seen as compatible with Nazi ideology by many, these alternative groups were slowly dissolved and finally banned by 1936.

Hans remained active in one such group, however, and was arrested in 1937 along with several of the Scholl siblings.

This arrest left a mark on Sophie’s conscience and began the process that eventually turned her from happy supporter of the Nazi system to active resistance fighter.

On 1 September 1939, Hitler invaded Poland, and two days later, France and Britain declared war on Germany.

The older Scholl brothers were sent off to fight on the front. Sophie’s life in Ulm changed as well. She graduated high school in the spring of 1940 and started an apprenticeship to become a kindergarten teacher.

She eventually wanted to study biology and philosophy. In order to be admitted, students had to spend a period of time working for the state in the Reichsarbeitsdienst (RAD; National Labor Service).

Sophie’s hopes that becoming a teacher would allow her to substitute for the RAD were quashed and she instead had to enter the service in the spring of 1941. She hated it.

The military-like regimen and mind-numbing routine caused her to find solace in her own spirituality, guided by readings of theologian Augustine of Hippo.

She wrote down her thoughts, noting that her “soul was hungry"—she longed for an autonomous life, an end to the war, and for happiness with her boyfriend Fritz Hartnagel, who was now fighting on the Eastern front. Her doubts about the regime grew.

When she finally moved to Munich to study biology and philosophy in May 1942, her brother Hans, a medical student at the same university, and some of his friends had already begun to actively question the system.

Serving on the Eastern Front, they learned about the crimes committed in Poland and Russia first hand and saw the misery with their own eyes.

They knew they couldn’t remain quiet. Starting in June 1942, they began printing and distributing leaflets in and around Munich, calling their fellow students and the German public to action.

Other members of their circle joined in the endeavor, writing four pamphlets until the fall of the same year.

As a student, Sophie had seen the flyers and applauded their content as well as their authors’ courage to speak truth to power.

When she found out about her brother’s involvement, she demanded to join the group. She did not want to stay passive anymore.

The White Rose was a small endeavor with large consequences. At its core were siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl, their fellow students Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, Christoph Probst, and a professor of philosophy and musicology at the University of Munich, Kurt Huber.

Together they published and distributed six pamphlets, first typed on a typewriter, then multiplied via mimeograph.

At first, they only distributed them via mail, sending them to professors, booksellers, authors, friends and others—going through phone books for addresses and hand-writing each envelope.

In the end, they distributed thousands, reaching households all over Germany.

Acquiring such large amounts of paper, envelopes and stamps at a time of strict rationing without raising suspicion was problematic, but the students managed by engaging a wide-ranging network of supporters in cities and towns as far north as Hamburg, and as far south as Vienna.

These networks were also activated to distribute the pamphlets, attempting to trick the Gestapo into believing the White Rose had locations all across the country.

In reading the group’s leaflets today, one cannot help but think of how chillingly accurate they were in their accusations and calls to action, and the powerful insights they provide about Nazi Germany.

The third pamphlet reads: 

“Our current ‘state’ is the dictatorship of evil. We know that already, I hear you object, and we don’t need you to reproach us for it yet again.

But, I ask you, if you know that, then why don’t you act? Why do you tolerate these rulers gradually robbing you, in public and in private, of one right after another, until one day nothing, absolutely nothing, remains but the machinery of the state, under the command of criminals and drunkards?”

- White Rose Pamphlet

In their attempt to gain traction for the resistance and to stop the war effort, they gave clear advice and advocated sabotage of Hitler’s war machine.

Their fifth pamphlet stated:

“And now every convinced opponent of National Socialism must ask himself how he can fight against the present ‘state’ in the most effective way….

We cannot provide each man with the blueprint for his acts, we can only suggest them in general terms, and he alone will find the way of achieving this end:

Sabotage in armament plants and war industries, sabotage at all gatherings, rallies, public ceremonies, and organizations of the National Socialist Party. Obstruction of the smooth functioning of the war machine….

Try to convince all your acquaintances…of the senselessness of continuing, of the hopelessness of this war; of our spiritual and economic enslavement at the hands of the National Socialists; of the destruction of all moral and religious values; and urge them to passive resistance!”

In January 1943, the group felt empowered and hopeful. Their activism seemed to be working, rattling the authorities and sparking discussions amongst their peers.

Their group was well-organized and they were about to set up even more connections to other underground resistance groups.

Observing the political situation in Germany in January of 1943, Sophie and the White Rose members believed a change in the country was imminent.

The German army’s disastrous defeat at Stalingrad was a turning point on the Eastern Front and voices of dissent grew louder at the University of Munich after students were publicly called out as leeches and war resisters.

This encouraged them to work more boldly, distributing the flyers directly in person and writing slogans like “Down with Hitler” and “Freedom” on the walls around Munich.

Their sixth—and last—pamphlet reads:

“Even the most dull-witted German has had his eyes opened by the terrible bloodbath, which, in the name of the freedom and honour of the German nation, they have unleashed upon Europe, and unleash anew each day.

The German name will remain forever tarnished unless finally the German youth stands up, pursues both revenge and atonement, smites our tormentors, and founds a new intellectual Europe.

Students! The German people look to us! The responsibility is ours: just as the power of the spirit broke the Napoleonic terror in 1813, so too will it break the terror of the National Socialists in 1943.”

Hans and Sophie distributed them at their university on February 18, for their fellow students to find walking between classes.

At some point, in what we can assume was an attempt to make even more people see the flyers, Sophie pushed a stack off a railing unto the central hall.

What is now an iconic scene in every movie and documentary about the group, was the moment that changed everything.

The pamphlet drop was seen by a janitor, a staunch supporter of the Nazis, who had Hans and Sophie immediately arrested by the Gestapo.

The draft for the seventh pamphlet was still in Hans’ bag, which led to Christoph Probst’s arrest the same day.

The three endured a mock trial after long and arduous interrogations. They took all blame for the White Rose’s actions.

This attempt to save their friends from persecution failed in the end. Willi Graf, Alexander Schmorell, and Kurt Huber were arrested later in February and put to death shortly after.

After a half-day trial led by the infamous Roland Freisler, president of the People’s Court, Hans, Sophie and Christoph were sentenced to death for treason.

Despite this horrific prospect, Sophie did not waver. Freisler asked her as the closing question whether she hadn’t “indeed come to the conclusion that [her] conduct and the actions along with [her] brother and other persons in the present phase of the war should be seen as a crime against the community?”

Sophie answered: 

“I am, now as before, of the opinion that I did the best that I could do for my nation. I therefore do not regret my conduct and will bear the consequences that result from my conduct.”

- Sophie Scholl

Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, and Christoph Probst were executed by guillotine on 22 February 1943.

While their deaths were only barely mentioned in German newspapers, they received attention abroad.

In April, The New York Times wrote about student opposition in Munich. In June 1943, Thomas Mann, in a BBC broadcast aimed at Germans, spoke of the White Rose’s actions.

The text of the sixth leaflet was smuggled into the United Kingdom where they were reprinted and dropped over Germany by Allied planes in July of the same year.

In post-war Germany, the White Rose was and is revered.

A myriad of schools, streets, and a prestigious award are named after individual members, the group or the siblings Scholl.

Sophie’s story looms especially large in the history of Ulm, my hometown.

She personifies the importance of acting according to one’s beliefs and of following your conscience, even in the face of great sacrifice.

In our collective memory, her story reminds us to not be silent, and fight for what Sophie wrote on the back of her indictment a day before she was killed: Freiheit—Freedom.

Sophie Scholl age 21 was executed by the Nazis for distributing anti war leaflets… hey Meghan that is courage not the baloney you pull

Spot on!!!!❤️

[cedarspiced]

i am so fucking furious i'm literally about to kill someone

[girlactionfigure]

Anti-Nazi Activist – Sophie Scholl

She was executed for treason.

Sophie Scholl was a German college student and political activist who bravely fought the Nazi propaganda machine at the cost of her young life.

Sophie was born in 1921 to a Lutheran family. Her father Robert was the mayor of Forchtenerg am Kocher. As the Nazi party rose to power in the 1930’s, Robert Scholl became a fierce critic of the oppressive regime.

Exceptionally bright and curious, Sophie was an excellent student and a talented artist. High school was difficult for her, however, because the curriculum was increasingly poisoned with Nazi indoctrination.

After high school and a stint as a kindergarten teacher, Sophie attended the University of Munich with her brother Hans. In Munich, the siblings reveled in the sophistication of big-city life. They met artists and intellectuals, but nobody knew what to do about the darkness overtaking their country.

A devoted Christian, Sophie was an admirer of Cardinal Newman, who preached a “theology of conscience” which advocated resisting authority when necessary in service of a greater good.

Determined to do what she could to save her country from the evils of Nazism, Sophie formed a resistance group with Hans and a few other friends from university. They named their group the White Rose.

Sophie knew that Hitler’s most powerful weapon was the pro-Nazi propaganda that saturated the country. She decided to combat the newspapers’ hateful lies with truthful publications delivered directly to ordinary Germans.

The White Rose wrote and printed pamphlets denouncing the Nazi regime and warning Germans that Hitler was destroying their country. Despite the extreme danger, they handed out thousands of pamphlets in Munich, and later in other parts of Germany.

The pamphlets contained sharp warnings such as: “Hitler is leading the German people into the abyss. Are we to be forever a nation which is hated and rejected by all mankind?”

On February 18, 1943, Sophie and Hans were distributing their sixth leaflet when they were arrested by the Gestapo. Sophie was interrogated so cruelly that her leg was broken.

Brought before a judge, Sophie was not allowed a lawyer. Her sole defense consisted of the following statement:

“Somebody after all, had to make a start. What we wrote and said is also believed by many others. They just don’t dare express themselves as we did.”

Sophie, Hans and fellow White Rose activist Christoph Probst were found guilty of high treason on February 22, 1943. They were sentenced to death and executed that same day.

Witnesses later described Sophie’s remarkable serenity and courage walking to the guillotine. Her last words were: “Such a fine, sunny day, and I have to go, but what does my death matter, if through us, thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?”

Hans’ last words were “Long live freedom.”

A copy of the White Rose’s sixth and final leaflet was smuggled out of Germany and given to Allied forces. In mid-1943, the Allies dropped millions of copies over Germany. They renamed it “Manifesto of the Students of Munich.”

Today, over 200 schools in Germany are named for the Scholls.

For standing bravely for truth and freedom against Hitler’s government, we honor Sophie Scholl and the other members of the White Rose as this week’s Thursday Heroes at Accidental Talmudist.

Accidental Talmudist

[gzmtt]

[siena-sevenwits]

From @valiantarcher: 1-5, 7, 9, 29, and 30, please? (cont'd)

A book you love that it seems like no one else has read.

I am going to briefly highlight three whilst I have the opportunity.

The Man From Rocca Sicca by Reginald M. Coffey, O.P., is a slim out-of-print biography of St. Thomas Aquinas. Like many a liberal arts student, I tended to think of Thomas Aquinas as a book rather than a man. This book changed all that for me, offering a picture of a man so vibrantly in love with Christ and His Cross, with a distinct and wonderful personality, for whom theological scholarship was charged with all the passion of a first love, the banner of academic orthodoxy and fidelity to Scripture as robust and red as the banner of a triumphant army's banner.

Three Religious Rebels by M. Raymond is a set of historical novellas about the fore-founders of the Trappist movement to reform the Benedictine Order. The first one, about St. Robert, is especially great. I have never forgotten the line "to do something gallant for God."

On a less spiritual note, let me note that while for some reason Rudyard Kipling's works don't tend to click for me, I have a deep-rooted love of his Stalky and Co (get the "complete" edition if you can.) These rollicking tales were inspired by his own school days, about the most outrageous kings of mischief you can get up to in a British public school. They burst with both affection and hatred for late Victorian military schools. The amount of culture-based in-jokes is and delightful and mind-boggling, much like one finds in the Wimsey books. These stories are some of the most quotable works on earth, and Mr. King, the Latin master, deserves to be remembered among literature's great characters - his assertion "it sticks" has often encouraged me as a teacher.

A book that left you feeling overwhelmed with happiness.

The Man Born to Be King by Dorothy L. Sayers. This cycle of twelve plays on the life of Christ was insightful, reverent, but most of all, such an ode to the humanity of Christ. She knew how to show him, as down-to-earth and real as fresh-baked bread that needs no butter, it's so good and hot, but without any need to downplay his divinity to do it. She realizes, unlike so many authors, that there is no need to "humanize" Jesus, for He is human. The characterization of each of the apostles is great. The joy and understanding, the wit and sacredness of these plays is amazing, and fanned my desire for scripture while loving it as a literary work in itself.

A book that you found yourself thinking about a long time after you finished it.

The White Rose by Inge Scholl was recommended to me by a trusted professor. It was my introduction to the Munich student resistance and their infamous pamphlets calling upon their fellow citizens to rise up on behalf of the true Germany, rejecting the false Germany Hitler had stained over it as a veneer. Inge was the younger sister of Sophie and Hans, university students who, along with several others, established a basement hideout from which to print and prepare their pamphlets for mass dispersal. They were caught while attempting to secretly leave piles of pamphlets in the university corridors while no one was about, and were executed after a few days' interrogation. Their heroism, in death and life, resounded with me on so many levels - spiritual, political, passionate. Inge's account is especially poignant, because while she strives for impartiality she was still a little girl at the time these events took place, and she never knew what he her siblings had become involved in until their final days. To read the six pamphlets themselves one must do some honest self-examination in their light. The story this book introduced me to stayed with me so long I ended up writing and directing a play about the White Rose in the following years, and incorporating the story and pamphlets into at least two curricula. One of my actors still texts or emails me on the day of the execution to remind me of it, even after all this time.

An author you recently discovered and would like to read more of.

I must admit I haven't done much in the way of discovering new authors lately. Other than Katherine Addison (whose other books don't look like something I plan on reading,) I've mainly been exploring or rereading authors with whom I am already familiar lately. Shakespeare, the Pentateuch, Homer, Austen, Tolkien, Sanderson, Beagle. I suppose I did just begin The Thief - the world and its dog have recommended the series to me for years, but I'm not far enough in to call myself properly invested. Oh, Andrew Peterson, possibly?

A fictional book that taught you about/increased your interest in a real-life subject.

George Bernard Shaw's gem of a one-act play, "The Man of Destiny," kickstarted my fascination with Napoleon Bonaparte. The play concerns him before his rise to power, as a young general who ran before cannons to secure the victory. It's about an encounter he has at an inn with a lady known only as "the strange woman" who has stolen his military dispatches, and the cat-and-mouse game of wits they play for who shall walk away with the letters. As usual, Shaw is tremendously wordy in his commentary, even during the play itself, enough to ignite me on a true kick of learning about the real life Napoleon.

Thank you so much for the ask! The original ask post is here. My asks aren't working, but if you'd like to ask, feel free to tag me in a comment!