Firebrand

“Live fully or not at all!” wrote Hans Scholl, and it is amazing how much experience was contained in his short life. Even though he had been promoted to troop leader in the Hitler Youth, he led a banned youth group that took adventurous trips and read outlawed writers. He loved boys and girls, composed poems and stories. As a medical student, he was particularly interested in philosophy and he experienced the horror of war as a paramedic on the frontlines. He was friends with artists and writers, admired Stefan George and Thomas Mann. Zoske shows how much Scholl’s radio speeches influenced the White Rose leaflets, which he wrote and distributed with his fellow campaigners. “Long live freedom” were his last words and this captivating book brings his legacy impressively to life.