The Faithful Spy by John Hendrix

This is another one of those books that you can buy for the amazing cover and not feel guilty because the story is just as incredible as the artwork.  Full of vibrant colors, captivating illustrations, and handwritten text, The Faithful Spy tells the story of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a young pastor who set out to assassinate Adolf Hitler.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a devout young pastor who felt compelled by God to put an end to World War II before it began.  The Faithful Spy gives us the complete picture starting with Bonhoeffer early years, his studies at Seminary school, and how he was able to make contacts with and help the resistance against the Nazis.  Hendrix is able to seamlessly weave together Bonhoeffer’s life story alongside the rise of both the Nazi party and the resistance providing a real depth to the story. Within the Author’s Note, Hendrix writes how he wanted to tell the story of how Germany was so easily swayed by Hitler and his atrocious ideas and he does an amazing job of doing so.  

This would be a great pick for your younger history buff-I wouldn’t go much below 12 years old because you know, Nazis are kind of a deep topic.  The artwork is absolutely incredible and really adds to the story. I really appreciate the “Research and Authenticity” section at the end. Hendrix provides some great information about why he included what information he did and also why he excluded the information that he did.  

Fun Fact-this is a Junior Library Guild pick, which I found out after I had already ordered a copy of this for the Library and then received a second copy in my JLG shipment.  But some goofs are just meant to be-this gave me the chance to purchase one of them for myself and I loved reading it. I even caught The Kid reading it one night even though it’s not a full on graphic novel.  It provided a great opportunity to have a conversation about power and hate.

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