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.