White Rose

Thank You Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book, My opinion is unbiased and my own."May we all be as noble one day"I honestly don't know where to begin. Reading this book was an experience. The fact that Kip Wilson chose verse to portray a story like this is still fascinating me. I was honestly skeptical but I felt more rushed, more on my toes, more sense of urgency reading the pages in this way. Urgent is what this book is so the choice was genius.This book tells the story of a Nazi resistance group called White Rose, a group that was brave enough to mail leaflets and share what would be considered treasonous materials with others at the time. They wanted to wake up the German conscience and let them see the atrocities that were happening. There weren't many members, but they were determined. We see this story through several POVs, but mainly through the eyes of Sophie. It is Sophie who opens the story in the midst of an intense investigation by Robert Mohr, the Gestapo investigator. In those first two verses in the book, I had so many visuals. Maybe it's because I have read a lot of Non-fiction about this time in history, but I could see her there being interrogated, them being angry, her sense of dread.This is why you keep reading. Every couple of pages the verses go from the present to the past and vice versa, helping to fill in the gaps of any questions you might have had. It fills a timeline between 1938-1943 in snippets of memories, events, thoughts, and letters. You get to see the inner workings of a German Family that did not sympathize with the Reich. Some were for it some were against it and this is a point of view rarely touched on. There must have been Germans who didn't think what Hitler did was right. It begs the question, Why didn't they do anything? Why were they complicit?"Boom, Boom""Boom, Boom"Every time the lines above came up in the book, I read it like a heartbeat, I found it strange. However, this must have been Sophie's feelings about everything that was going on in her life. Sophie is strong in so many ways, strong mind, strong will, she had an uncanny way of seeing the world, considering how complacent everyone else outside her family was being. In reality, it is scary to remember how ambivalent society was during that time yet, Sophie refused to be quiet just to be safe. I'm sure there were others, they were just afraid to speak up. Her actions make us face one daunting question, would we sacrifice ourselves for the sake of doing the right thing? Would we speak up if we were in her shoes? In this political climate, it is important that we have some kind of answer to this question because injustices are happening all around us."Today you'll hang us, but you'll be next"Most of us must know how the story ends but I won't spoil it for those who don't. Sophie, Hans, and Cristoph, who are also members of the White Rose experience it all together. They all hoped that what they did would cause revolt and change but they didn't. Even to me, it was the first time encountering the story of this brave group and those who stood tall in the representation of it. White Rose and Sophie might not have caused a wave then but I hope they do now. I hope a whole new generation is inspired by the members of the White Rose and Sophie, and this brilliant book. I hope it makes every single reader think, question others, and ask of society, will you stay silent? It isn't your family today but it could be. So will you be the first person to take a step for what's right? That's is what Sophie told the judge,"Someone needed to make a start."Rating 5\5 ❤❤❤❤❤What I liked about this story was that it was genuine. Kip Wilson made an effort to make Sophie as realistic as possible based on historical documents available about this amazing young woman and those in the White Rose group. It's only fiction because you couldn't possibly know everything Sophie was thinking at the time and even then, she tried to write those in the way of her personality and bring her character to life. Sophie loved and hurt in a realistic manner, she tried and failed, she was for the Reich and then She wasn't. She was human and I think that is what Kip Wilson wanted us to now. That for all our flaws, we can still choose to do the right thing."I did the best I could for my country. I don't regret what I did and I'm ready to accept the consequences for my actions.

I don't have sufficient words to explain how moving the story of Sophie Scholl is as told in verse by Kip Wilson, but I will attempt it.I didn't know who Sophie Scholl was before I read White Rose, and that is a shame. I'm so glad I learned about the White Rose resistance movement and Sophie's role in it. Furthermore, I felt that the verse format was gorgeous and provided such a perfect way to express Sophie's story. I was completely entrenched in her emotions as she reacted to the atrocities happening in the world around her, as well as decided how to live in such a world. The alternating timelines are so well-done and kept me turning pages quickly to learn how everything played out.This book is one that should be read by all teens. It's a story of resistance and standing up for what is right. I'm so glad I read it and highly recommend it.

We are on a roll with all these covers in 2019! The Most Gorgeous Cover Tournament is going to be impossible this year! I enjoyed this book very much. I’m a bit conflicted about my rating, simply because I like how the verse formatting allowed me to get thru it quickly, hence I felt super accomplished, but I also am not a huge fan of verse formatting in general and I think it took something away from the story. It felt so impersonal. And the story was emotional and passionate, so it’s sad that I didn’t get all the feels like I should have. This story also made me aware of something that has always been right under the surface, but keeps popping up and ruining wonderful things. Politics. Y’all know I hate politics in fiction. Fiction should be an escape from real life and usually you’re either on one side or the other and therefore, politics is a no win situation for half the population. Just keep it all out so everyone can enjoy stuff! The sad thing is that everything has become so saturated with politics and which side you’re on and who you voted for is your identity, that it seems to affect everything, even things that shouldn’t be politics related. I find myself comparing everything to our current political climate and in my mind, create problems that aren’t actually there. I’ve even starting looking for political jabs in books about WW2 and Nazi Germany that shouldn’t be there and aren’t there. I hate it. I don’t want to think this way. And what was nice about White Rose is that Wilson kept current politics completely out of it. Any comparisons made were completely out of my own mind. She didn’t even add any little lectures in her acknowledgment section. I really liked that. I felt rebuked by my own imagination and for doing things that I criticize others for. So even tho I doubt the author intended it, I learned more about myself and my perceptions and hopefully become more mature in my reading. So I did enjoy this book, I learned a lot, and I absolutely recommend it. I would also say this is one of the fiction books that belong on high school history teachers’ shelves! Very good book!

“How can we expect justice in this world if we’re not prepared to sacrifice ourselves for what’s right?” (p.74)Sophie and Hans Scholl lived a life true to their convictions and inspire hope for posterity. Just as they desired to get their pamphlets for freedom and justice into the hands of fellow Germans; this book should be in the hands of every teenager. May we forever remember their names, their faith, their courage, their perseverance, and their love for humanity as a whole.

I loved this book! I had never read a book written in poems before, but this really works to capture moments and keep the vibe tight and exciting. Because this is based on real people who resisted Nazi Germany it's even more interesting and touching, and it makes you want to learn more about the people involved. It's a fast read, and after you finish you want to go back and read it again. I'm an adult who loved the book, and my 14 and 17 year olds also enjoyed it, so I would recommended White Rose for any age.

IF YOU WANT TO READ ABOUT BRAVE PEOPLE, WHO RESISTED THE WORST EVIL EVER, YOU NEED TO GET THIS BOOK AND READ, AND DIGEST. ADMIRATION ISN'T STRONG ENOUGH A WORD (BUT THERE ISN'T A WORD TO SUM UP SOPHIE AND HER FRIENDS)