Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required. Learn more
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Sophie Scholl and the White Rose Paperback – 12 April 2007
The stirring story of five young German students at the University of Munich who resisted the brutal Nazi regime, tried to spark an uprising, and met with a tragic fate.
- Print length256 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherOneworld Publications
- Publication date12 April 2007
- Dimensions13.06 x 1.7 x 20.24 cm
- ISBN-101851685367
- ISBN-13978-1851685363
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Product description
Review
'The animated narrative reads like a suspense novel'
(The New York Times)'This is a story that commands our attention'
(Newsweek International)About the Author
Annette Dumbach, is an author, journalist, and University
lecturer who currently resides in Munich.
Jud Newborn is Special Project Curator and Director of
Development for Cinema Arts Centre.
Product details
- Publisher : Oneworld Publications; 2nd edition (12 April 2007)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 256 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1851685367
- ISBN-13 : 978-1851685363
- Dimensions : 13.06 x 1.7 x 20.24 cm
- Best Sellers Rank: 577,427 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- 634 in Civil War Biographies
- 1,710 in Political History of Fascism & Nazism
- 2,863 in World War II Biographies (Books)
- Customer reviews:
About the author

JUD NEWBORN, Ph.D., is a NY based author, dramatic multimedia lecturer, film curator, & expert on anti-Semitism, extremism & the fight for human rights worldwide. Founding Historian of NY's Museum of Jewish Heritage (1986 to 2000), Dr. Newborn has lectured from San Diego's Old Globe Theater, L.A.'s Simon Wiesenthal Center & major universities & religious institutions to the United Nations, & from Canada to Cape Town.
He is co-author of the acclaimed SOPHIE SCHOLL & THE WHITE ROSE, providing the full story to the Academy Award-nominated German film, "Sophie Scholl: The Last Days." He has written for THE NY TIMES, JERUSALEM POST, etc., & appeared as a consultant throughout the media, from CBS MORNING NEWS & CNN to NPR's "All Things Considered." A lyricist & poet, he has collaborated with award winning composers & worked as a filmmaker & film consultant.
Awarded his PhD with Distinction by the University of Chicago, Dr. Newborn broke a decades-long barrier by giving the first lecture on the Holocaust ever held at the UN in July 1995, at which time he also called out against the UN's abandonment of Bosnia Muslims to mass murder. During his European fieldwork (1980-1983), Dr. Newborn hunted down former SS officers & worked briefly undercover for Poland's Solidarity Freedom Movement in 1982, 6 months into the Communist Declaration of Martial Law.
Today he serves as Curator of Special Programs for the renowned CINEMA ARTS CENTRE, LI, bringing celebrated artists to interview before live audiences. http://www.cinemaartscentre.org
SEE LECTURE PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONS AND SELECT TESTIMONIALS BELOW
SELECT TESTIMONIALS
**"Lauded by NEWSWEEK & THE NY TIMES, by the UN, PRINCETON & HEBREW UNION COLLEGE, Dr. Jud Newborn speaks with dramatic power & a deeply felt passion that leaves his audiences both moved & exhilarated." MARTIN BORIS, LIFESTYLES
**"Dr. Jud Newborn tells a riveting story about resistance to the Nazis. The White Rose students were brave beyond measure, & Dr. Newborn brings them alive again for us." JANE ALEXANDER, CHAIR, NAT'L ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS; TONY Winner, 4-TIME ACADEMY AWARD NOMINEE
**"I would strongly urge colleges and universities to offer their podiums to Jud Newborn. Matters of Human Rights, Justice, Peace, Courage, & Conscience find resonance with his lectures on the White Rose." - PROF. JAMES MCNUTT, THOMAS MORE COLLEGE, KY
**"We hit the jackpot with Jud Newborn. Great substance & really great drama. One of the best Holocaust & human rights presentations anyone will ever hear." - EDIE NAVEH, DIRECTOR, HOLOCAUST CENTER, PITTSBURGH
DRAMATIC MULTIMEDIA LECTURE: THE WHITE ROSE STUDENT ANTI-NAZI RESISTANCE - & HUMAN RIGHTS HEROES TODAY
Based on Dr. Jud Newborn's co-authored book, SOPHIE SCHOLL & THE WHITE ROSE, which tells the full story treated in the Academy Award-nominated German film, "Sophie Scholl: The Last Days." Using music, 80 historical images & suspenseful storytelling, Dr. Newborn recounts how Sophie Scholl and brother Hans - former Hitler Youth leaders, the latter arrested for a teen same-sex relationship - transformed uniquely to become the greatest heroes of the German anti-Nazi resistance.
"We will not be silent," their wartime leaflets declared. "We are your bad conscience. The White Rose will not leave you in peace!" On February 18, 1943, they mounted a gallery high above the University of Munich's vast atrium & scattered hundreds of leaflets down upon the heads of astonished students. It was the only public protest against Nazis ever to be staged.
But Dr. Newborn's program does not remain in the past. Relating the White Rose story to today's most compelling current events, he presents an array of "White Rosers" - inspiring heroes of all backgrounds, abroad and at home - who risk themselves for freedom and our shared humanity.
**"A combination of erudition & panache." - ANNETTE INSDORF, COLUMBIA UNIV.; AUTHOR, INDELIBLE SHADOWS: FILM AND THE HOLOCAUST
**"The overflowing room was spellbound as you painted a portrait of courage more like a storyteller than a lecturer. The lessons to be learned were invaluable, especially in light of current world events & need for heroes to step forward." - HEDY BERMAN, COLORADO STATE UNIV., FT. COLLINS
**"Jud Newborn is a vibrant speaker on subjects of the utmost importance. He is terrific." - DR. RUTH WESTHEIMER
**"Unique & passion-filled. Riveting presentation. The large room filled with lay people, scholars, Jews & gentiles sat together in silent fascination, awaiting the story of Jewish resistance to unfold. And unfold it did, with all the drama of a Le Carre spy novel. Dr. Newborn was complimented as one of the best speakers ever to grace our community." - MELANIE ZEITLER, JEWISH FED., SOUTH BEND, IN
**"You knocked the ball right out of the park! This is the largest audience we've ever had for our Zahm Lecture - the annual keynote for our academic year - & you received a rousing standing ovation to boot! Your topic also allowed us to partner with organizations that have never been at the university before. Bravo! - PROF. KAREN EIFLER, CO-DIRECTOR, GARAVENTA CENTER, UNIVERSITY OF PORTLAND (ORE)
**"What impressed your correspondent most was the revelatory lecture by dynamic Jud Newborn. Thanks to this event, his great works have come to the attention of the world." - DAVID HOROWITZ, SR. CORRESPONDENT, UN PRESS CORPS
**"Dr. Jud Newborn's riveting account left me spellbound, enlightened & inspired. Truly the most compelling, well-organized lecture I've heard in my 25 years in the Wichita community." - ELLY FITZIG, JEWISH FED, KS.
**"You are making a huge intellectual impact with your public lectures." - PROF. JOHN BOYER, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO
**"Wide-ranging knowledge, masterful delivery. Related the story of unsung Jewish and Christian Holocaust heroes to today's most pressing current events. Our ideal scholar-in-residence." - DR. RACELLE WEIMAN, HEBREW UNION COLLEGE., CTR FOR HOLOCAUST ED., OH
**"A stellar presentation!" - MAUREEN McNEIL, ANNE FRANK CENTER USA
**"Delivered a public lecture to a capacity crowd - relating the topic to resistance against apartheid. His use of PowerPoint slides and music added so much. The audience was notably moved." - RICHARD FREEDMAN & MARLENE SILBERT, CAPE TOWN HOLOCAUST CENTRE, SOUTH AFRICA
PROGRAM 2: LIONS OF JUDAH: THE COMPLETE, UNSUNG STORY OF JEWISH ANTI-NAZI RESISTANCE & ITS LESSONS FOR TODAY
Dr. Jud Newborn sets the dramatic story of Jewish anti-Nazi resistance in a unique, eye-opening framework that also explains its relevance for today. Treating the entire scope of Jewish resistance, from Western to Eastern Europe and North Africa, "Lions of Judah" provides accounts of Jewish heroism that will astound and inspire--while fundamentally changing our assumptions about how Jews responded to Nazi terror. Relevant and morale-boosting for peoples of all backgrounds, "Lions of Judah" teaches audiences the true meaning of courage and resistance, as we face the ever-present dangers of fanaticism and anti-Semitism today.
PROGRAM 3: TO LIFE! A HOLOCAUST HERO'S MODERN MIRACLE--AN EVENING OF MYSTERY & REVELATION(Link)
In this unique, moving "post-modern" Hasidic Tale of the Holocaust, Dr. Jud Newborn poignantly interweaves his own personal story (his adventures, heartbreak and triumphs in confronting the Holocaust) with the lost world of the Jewish Shtetl--and the amazing tale of the first man to bring the news of the Holocaust to the West. Revolving around the author's thrilling discovery of Polish Bund Spokesman Szmul Artur Zygielbojm's lost artifacts, Dr. Newborn tells a miraculous, life affirming story of how three seemingly disconnected lives magically intersected over time and space. Newborn's discovery links him by surprise to Zygielbojm's surviving niece, a 75 year-old champion ballroom dancer who "brings me under her spell, inducing me to dance--not to mourn, but to celebrate Jewish survival." (With dramatic visuals)
**"Dr. Jud Newborn captivated the minds & hearts of 250 people with 'To Life! A Holocaust Hero's Modern Miracle.' Remarkably, he invested this poignant tale with hope & inspiration. Eveyone complimented me our choice of speaker & praised Dr. Newborn's ability to connect with a popular audience. They were especially impressed with the way he drew them into his own excitement discovering previously unknown artifacts of the Holocaust." - RABBI BRUCE GINSBURG, SONS OF ISRAEL, WOODMERE, NY
**"Your work is so impressive & important." - LIZ SMITH, NATIONAL COLUMNIST
**"In his passionate, moving program, Jud Newborn gave a dramatic, heartfelt account of his personal connection to the Holocaust - creatively interweaving three poignant, powerful stories of survival, empowerment & inspiration. His storytelling ability swept the audience along with him on a journey that kept everyone riveted & fascinated. A beautiful and powerful experience for all!" - LISA STERN, EVENT COORDINATOR, JCC of the GREATER FIVE TOWNS, LI, NY
**"Wonderful presentation. It was educational, informative--and just beautifully executed." - KARA MARITZER, MONTREAL FED.-CJA, QUEBEC, CANADA
Print this
Customer reviews
Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings, help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyses reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on Amazon-
Top reviews
Top reviews from United Kingdom
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
What is surprising is that they were able to operate so long, and find so many like-minded associates, in such a despotic regime.
Now my memory maybe wrong but it seems that one of the exchanges in the court, which in the film Sophie Scholl -- Die Letzten Tage was said by Sophie, turns out actually to have been said by her brother, Hans.
The book is very slow at the beginning as it goes through the background information needed to help the reader put the events into context. As the book progresses it tells us what happened.
In the middle of the book there are photographs of the members of the White Rose resistance group and a photo of their first leaflet. There are several appendices at the end (pages 186-227):
Appendix 1: A translation of all their leaflets
Appendix 2: A list of trial dates for all the members
Appendix 3: A translation of Indictment of Hans and Sophia Scholl, and Christoph Probst
Appendix 4: A translation of the transcript of the sentences for Hans and Sophia Scholl, and Christoph Probst
Appendix 5: A translation of the article in the Münchener Neuste Nachrichten (Munich Newest News) of the result of the trial of Hans and Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst
Appendix 6: A translation of the article in the Völkischer Beobachter (People Oberserver), Munich edition, following the trial of Alexander Schmorrell, Kurt Huber, Wilhelm Graf and others
Appendix 7: Translation of excerpt from Deutsche Hörer (German Listeners) Radio Series by Thomas Mann
Appendix 8: Translation of a leaftlet issued by the National Committee for a Free Germany after the trial of Hans and Sophie Scholl, and Christoph Probst
Appendix 9: Articles on the White Rose from The New York Times in 1943
The absence of the fifth star for me is first of all for the American-English of the text. It may be my problem rather than the author's, I admit, but it jars. The second and more important reason is that there's a lot of speculation in the backstory, along the lines of semi-serious textbooks for young readers rather than history. At some points it felt like the narrative was a book accompanying an American tele-biopic. It's true that some correspondence of the Scholls and their friends and family survives, and that Sophie and Hans's sister Inge spoke about her executed siblings after the war, but the book begins, "As the train pulled out of the Ulm railway station, Sophie Scholl sat back in her seat..." and continues in that vein. Quite how much is documented account, and how much the author's whim, is unclear, and in a book about young idealists' sacrifice in order to expose the truth, it feels like it should be an important distinction.
In 1989, I visited an exhibition in the Reichstag, where there were a variety of uniforms for every aspect of life -- the postman, the milkman -- one for everyone! It was as if all German society was so bound up in this regimented and unforgiving mode of living.
Thus it was all the more refreshing to learn about the Scholl siblings and their quest to make Germans think. "We are your bad conscience!" they declared in one of the leaflets.
Sophie School and the White Rose could not have been a better written book. Dumback and Newborn describe not only the events in fine detail, but provide insightful background perspectives of all the characters involved.
No advanced knowledge of the war is required. This is a story of a desperate campaign for freedom during Europe's darkest days. As such, it should be required reading on every civics, philosophy, history or ethics course.
To cite the last sentence of the book, "...if people like those who formed the White Rose can exist, believe as they believed, act as they acted, maybe it means that this weary, corrupted, and extremely endangered species we belong to has the right to survive, and to keep on trying."

