The fascinating life of a courageous hero is presented in Bonhoeffer Student Edition Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy by Eric Metaxas. This edition is adapted especially for student readers in a much more condensed version than Metaxas’ full length biography of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and it includes sidebars, timelines, photographs, lists, and a glossary. It is also divided with subheadings into manageable sections.
Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy
Dietrich Bonhoeffer is an important historical figure, and any student studying Christian history or world history will find his story fascinating. He courageously defended God’s truth in the midst of Nazi Germany and played an important role in the German resistance:
He was a pastor and a theologian. And he was executed for his role in the plot to assassinate–to kill–Adolf Hitler (p. 5).
I especially like the format of this book and all the helpful extras it contains. The sidebars and timelines make it so easy to create lessons, such as the meaning of propaganda and how it affects us today. The critical thinking points on page 135 explain how the Nazis used propaganda, as well as how it is used today, especially in advertising. My kids were able to take the points they learned here and do a propaganda project, creating posters to promote their causes.
The extra explanations clear up concepts that students might not already know, like the rules of the Geneva Convention, who were the Hitler youth, what is the meaning of an oath, and what anti-Semitism means.
As a homeschool family, we use “living” books rather than textbooks for most of our studies. Bonhoeffer Student Edition is just the type of book I seek for history, literature, and Bible learning. As we delve into World War II, we study the history of the Holocaust and the stories of the people affected by it. Bonhoeffer is a wonderful accompaniment to our studies, and my kids are fascinated with his story.
The publisher provided a review copy of Bonhoeffer Student Edition.
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