The White Rose 75th anniversary - Blog Tour

Hello all! You may remember two years ago when I participated in the blog tour for Resist by Emily Ann Putzke. Well, today I'm joining Miss Putzke again in a blog tour commemorating the event the book is about - The White Rose Resistance group.

:-Author Interview-: 

1.) What got you interested in writing WWII fiction?

I’ve loved writing and history for as long as I can remember, but WWII became my favorite time period to write about after I went aboard an original WWII ship and submarine ten years ago. I remember sitting in the back of my car on the way home with a notebook and pen in hand, scribbling down a story of a young man who enlisted in the Navy. After that I was hooked!

2.) Trying to write a true story in a way that reads like fiction can be difficult. How were you able to pull it off so well in Resist? Any tips you can share?

It can be very difficult at times! The characters in Resist were real people and I had to figure out how to write them as true to life as I possibly could. One of the most helpful resources I found was the book The Diaries and Letters of Hans and Sophie Scholl. Reading their words helped to bring their story to life and keep my interpretation of them as true to reality as possible. I knew what kind of words and phrases they used and had a better grasp on their personalities. Every time I sat down to write, I would read a part of this book to put myself in their shoes. I highly recommend finding the actual words of the person you're writing about if possible!

3.) When writing, it seems that you always end up attached to the characters. Which member of The White Rose do you feel the most connected to?

That’s a tough question! I feel really connected to Hans because I wrote the story through his eyes from his boyhood up until his death. I was really immersed in his life during the entire research and writing process. But I also feel connected to Sophie because I can relate to some of her personalities traits.

4.) Was it hard to start the book knowing how it would end?

Yes, it definitely was. There were times in the research and writing process when I was in tears. It was so hard because I was very attached to each character and I felt like I was losing dear friends.

5.) What is one lesson you want people in our day and age to take away after reading Resist?

I hope readers leave the book feeling more courageous to stand up for what they believe is right. The White Rose resistance was up against seemingly impossible odds, but they never lost their faith or courage to take a bold stand. I’ve been humbled, inspired, and motivated by their example and I hope my readers will have the same experience. 

:-Book Review-: 

(Just to note, this review was written just after I read the book a year and a half ago. Obviously I'm due for a re-read soon!) 

Whoa. I don't have words to describe what this book did to me. 

Up until the last 1/3 of the book or so, I was planning on giving it a 4 star rating, simply because there was some language. Not a lot (and I had been warned before hand), but I also just couldn't seem to connect with the characters. I also knew how this book would end from the research I have done about this time in history, so I might have been unintentionally trying my best not to connect with them. 

And than I hit the ending. And realized I had connected with the characters in a way I hadn't realized. Not many books evoke emotion in me, far less will make me actually cry. This was an exception. 

In a lot of books when they ending is not what I would have wanted, I tend to tell myself "Oh, they're just fictional characters. It didn't really happen like this." The problem with this book was that it did!

This story really happened. These people really lived, and they were actually really treated this way. They believed in this cause, and they believed in it so strongly that they were willing to even give their lives if it came to that. 

Reading this made me stop and think. What if we stood up for what we believe in, just as the characters in this book did? I mean, really. For instance, I believe abortion is wrong, but what do I do to stand up for those beliefs? Nothing. I don't to anything. 

This book made me stop and take a look at my own life. Do I just ignore what is happening around me? Do I try to just blend in and not be seen? Do I cringe at the fact of being looked at as different? Am I willing to take a stand for what I believe in? 

I'll end with with a quote from the book. 

"I ask you, you as a christian wrestling for the preservation of your greatest treasure, whether you hesitate, whether you incline toward intrigue, calculation or procrastination in the hope that someone else will raise his arm in your defense? Has God not given you the strength, the will to fight? We must attack evil where it is strongest.