Freiheit is the German word for liberty and is an apt title for this graphic biography of The White Rose. Ciponte depiction of the non-violent resistance group in Nazi Germany led by a group of students from the University of Munich is chilling. The decision to struggle against all odds against the tyrannical fascist regime is driven by intellectual disgust of Hitler's Germany and some its members' faith demonstrates a level of bravery that is inspiring.

Ciponte's art is just lush. Stylistically it is impressionistic; panels look like stills from a rotoscoped film, which lends a sense of motion and realism to the pages. There is genuine flair in the way some of the pages are composed. The combination of quotes from the leaflets that The White Rose produced with the grainy Pointillism inspired colouring produced some deeply affecting images. Ciponte somehow imbues the characters with a sense of youthfulness.

The dialogue here deserves special mention. It is sharp, clever, and perfectly pitched. Despite their shared aims, each of the characters are driven by slightly different motivations. They have different hopes and fears, which really comes across in the dialogue. I would be interested in finding out how much of it came from diaries or was imagined by Ciponte.

Freiheit! is a compelling biography of the rebels that came together at the University of Munich to resist in whatever way they could, one that immerses the reader in the tragic journey both they and Germany went through. It is both inspiring and shame-inducing. It begs the question of the reader: These young people did what they could, what are you doing to better the world? A though-provoking and prescient novel especially given protests around the world. Brilliant stuff.

A very short non-fiction graphic novel about the group known as The White Rose, an anti-Nazi group, who distributed leaflets of their beliefs around Germany and beyond. This is a very short history and flashes of the group's main members - specifically Sophie and Hans Scholl, Alexander Schmorell, and Christoph Probst.

I usually love a good non-fiction graphic novel, especially about a topic I really enjoy, but this one just didn't do it for me. It was very short, less than 100 pages, and did not cover much within those pages. I knew about this group from university and another book I read a few months ago, but if I didn't, I feel like I would have been very lost. There is not a lot of actual backstory or history given in this book, so anyone who may pick this up without any previous knowledge may be very confused. This is a very serious topic and it really didn't feel like it was taken seriously, more so just a quick telling of a famous group.

The art work wasn't bad, not my personal favourite style but it was done nicely. It did kind of fit the topic as it was mainly dark and dreary like the subject.

Overall, just kind of meh

I am seeing the rise of the graphic novel and I love it. The format is expanding and I am seeing more and more nonfiction graphic novels added to shelves and it makes me happy. As a student, I would 100% be more invested in history and nonfiction if it came in bite-sized, highly visual formats like these graphic novels have been. Also, story has always been key for my memory. If history is connected to an engaging story, I am 100% bought into it. This was the case with this graphic novel.
Freiheit! tells the story of a group of college students who saw wrong in Nazi controlled Germany. They formed their own form of rebellion with an underground printing press and rebellious leaflets and pamphlets that they published and distributed throughout the university. Their dedication to point out the wrong in society and their effort to inspire others to rebel with them was emotionally heart wrenching. I cheered for them the entire time knowing that their fate was not a happy one. They were beheaded for what they believed in. They gave their lives to try to fix the wrong they saw in the world. This graphic novel gave voice to their story.
What I loved: the story, the character, the actual published material by the White Rose at the end of the novel
What I didn't love: the graphic novel felt grainy and there were a few jumps in the narrative that were hard to follow/jarring.
Overall, highly recommended. I didn't know about the White Rose before this graphic novel.

Words cannot really express how important this true story is both to our history and our current situation. I highly recommend this to high school students and adults. A bit of research into the White Rose Society for background will help before reading this graphic novel. The actual writings of the Society at the end are a nice and vital touch. Highly recommended.

'Freiheit!: The White Rose Graphic Novel' by Andrea Grosso Ciponte is based on the true story of German students who stood in opposition to Hitler.

The White Rose was an intellectual group that stood against fascism in Germany. The printed and distributed flyers stating their case, even though this was extremely dangerous. They worked to get their pamphlets distributed wider, but this ultimately got them caught and executed without a defense or a fair trial.

There are a lot of characters which is the first problem with an attempt to tell this story. The events presented also feel a bit disjointed. What is nice is including the full text of the pamphlets at the end of the book. The art is a photorealistic style and a bit grainy which works well for this story.

I received a review copy of this graphic novel from Plough Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.

World War II is one of my favorite periods in history. This was a time when various groups of people stood up for what they believed and were even willing to die for it. Freiheit! tells the story of one such group of young people. It was such an inspirational story. As I read, it was as if I was receiving lessons for this present time. We are living in a time when we will be challenged about our beliefs and we don’t know how taking a stand will be received. May the courage displayed by this group of young people serve as inspiration to all who read their story.

I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book provided by the publisher and Net Galley but the thoughts expressed are my own.

The actual history is fascinating and the attempt is admirable. Unfortunately, the actual execution leaves much to be desired as the story does not flow as seamlessly as necessary.

I'm here with a book review for Freiheit!, the White Rose Graphic Novel by Andrea Grosso Ciponte. I requested the arc from Netgalley after the cover caught my eye. I am not Jewish, so I have read other reviewers who are Jewish and have more knowledge of this to ensure my review is thorough.

About The Book 📚
Title: Freiheit!

Author: Andrew Grosso Ciponte

Publication Date: February 16, 2021

Publisher: Plough Publishing

Suggested Reader Age: 16+

Genre: Biography, Memoir, History, World War II, Holocaust

About The Author

"Andrea Grosso Ciponte works in Belvedere M.mo, Italy, as an artist and filmmaker, professor of art at various High Schools and as professor of computer graphics at the Academy of Fine Arts, Catanzaro, Italy, where in 2000 he graduated in painting. In his paintings Grosso Ciponte works since 2000 on paintings produced in a single session “alla prima” originated from images that passed through the filter of different mediums, such as photography, video and computer. A couple of years ago he also started creating “life” paintings. 2011 Grosso Ciponte showed his work at the 54th International Art Exhibition Venice Biennale. In the areas of video and computer art there are numerous collaborations with artists and musicians." https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13458810.Andrea_Grosso_Ciponte

My Review

› The White Rose was a German anti-Nazi group that formed in 1942. Medical students Alexander Schmorell, Willi Graf, and Hans Scholl formed the group with Hans's sister Sophie, and Christopher Probst. These young adults used their knowledge to write leaflets against the Nazis which they helped distribute to the masses. In 1943, Hans, Sophie, Christopher, Willi, and Alexander were all executed for their involvement with the White Rose leaflets.

› The art is breath-taking. The colour palette conveys what I can only imagine would be the dire life of living during the Holocaust. I'm not an art expert, so take this with a grain of salt. The pages looked like paintings, and I could feel the atmosphere with each page. Reading this on a tablet was wonderful, the pictures were clear, however, reading the physical book would be a much better experience. Another thing I did like was the fact the actual White Rose leaflets are included in this book, translated to English.

› While reading Freiheit! I felt incredibly confused. The story was being told in snapshots that didn't flow together like a story, which is incredibly disappointing considering this is an extremely important story to get right. While reading reviews I learned that Hans Scholl was gay, and for some reason, that was left out of the book. This is yet another example of how this book simply didn't live up to its potential.

› Sadly, I don't remember learning about the White Rose group before. You'd think reading a graphic novel about them would have left me feeling like I learned what I needed to know about it, but I had to go read websites and reviews in order to gather more information so I could truly understand just how courageous these young people were.

› I use the CAWPILE method to rate books.
0-3 Really bad
4-6 Mediocre
7-9 Really good
10 Outstanding

› Characters: 4
› Atmosphere: 5
› Writing Style: 4
› Plot: 5
› Intrigue: 5
› Logic: 5
› Enjoyment: 6
Average 4.9

1.1-2.2 = ★
2.3-4.5 = ★★
4.6-6.9 = ★★★
7-8.9 = ★★★★
9-10 = ★★★★★

My Rating ★★★

› Final Thoughts
• Freiheit means freedom and this nonfiction graphic novel is all about a group of courageous young people who put their life on the line for the liberty of others. While this isn't a complete picture of the White Rose group, it does give an overall feeling and somewhat tells their end. Some reviewers have said this would be suitable for younger readers, however, I would have to disagree. The way that this is written is confusing and I would recommend it to readers 16+ who already have prior knowledge of the White Rose group.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

NOTE: I received a free preliminary, and likely unedited copy of this book from Netgalley for the purposes of providing an honest, unbiased review of the material. Thank you to all involved.

There’s a tendency, in World War II scholarship, to almost entirely concentrate on Hitler and the battles of the war, keeping some of the more human aspects of the war in the background. Even the Holocaust is usually spoken about in vague terms if its not explicit something like a diary or journal of one the victims. Something I knew almost nothing about, prior to this book, were internal German resistance groups. I knew they absolutely had to be a thing, but seeing as they did not overthrow Hitler on their own, it’s usually relegated to a footnote in many books. The White Rose was one such group, and this graphic novel tells their tragic story.

With an entire nation blindly following an evil leader, where did a handful of students find the courage to resist? The university students who formed the White Rose, an undercover resistance movement in Nazi Germany, knew that doing so could cost them their lives. But some things are worth dying for. The White Rose printed and distributed leaflets to expose Nazi atrocities and wake up their fellow citizens. The Gestapo caught and executed them. Sophie Scholl was twenty-one; her brother Hans, twenty-four; Christoph Probst, twenty-three; Alexander Schmorell and Willi Graf, twenty-five. But the White Rose was not silenced. Their heroism continues to inspire new generations of resisters. Now, for the first time, this story that has been celebrated in print and film can be experienced as a graphic novel. Italian artist Andrea Grosso Ciponte’s haunting imagery will resonate with today’s students and activists. The challenges they face may vary, but the need for young people to stand up against evil, whatever the cost, will remain. -- Description

The story in Freiheit! is told largely from the point of view of Sophie Scholl, who has become disillusioned with the government of Germany due to their strong-arm policies and mistreatment of Jews. Prior to the events of the book, her brothers were arrested by the Gestapo, setting in motion their membership into an underground resistance movement of intellectuals that produced subversive pamphlets calling the Nazi leadership into question. One nice touch, is that translations of these documents are included in the book.

The art style and overall composition by Andrea Grosso Ciponte was very moving and vibrant despite the book’s muted color palette. Each panel, even the most subdued, is treated like a scene in a film – interesting transitions, camera angles, and blocking are all well-done. It gives this book a VERY cinematic feel.

I enjoyed this a lot, and plan to look at some other books by the same publisher pretty soon. The book has served it’s purpose of making me interested in The White Rose, and I may also look into a book about the Scholl siblings at some point. Having historical documents in the back of the book was a great touch, and immediately elevates this to the status of being a teaching tool. I once took a class in college about The Holocaust, and I honestly really wish this was out at that time. This would have been a great story to share with my class. Solid book, definitely recommended.

Incredibly powerful graphic novel that tells the story of a group of young Germans in world war two who attempted to use propaganda to resist the nazi regime and lost their lives doing what they thought was right. The art was nearly photorealistic but also atmospheric, and while it was nothing like Gibbon's classic Sandman covers it put me in mind of them, that sense of hyperreal unreality. Maybe that's what living, and trying to resist, a repressive dictatorship feels like. It was also interesting to see the full text of the pamphlets. There were honestly fairly pretentious and academic, but also powerful in their emotional call to resist the nazi regime. In the times we are in, with international resurgences of populist far right movements, with proud boys and militias, stories like this are important because they make you really think about what you would do and what you can do to resist.

Free ARC from Netgalley.

Freiheit is the true story about a group of students who protested the nazis by making and spreading flyers.

I'm sorry, but this wasn't really that good! First of all I found the illustrations really bad - it looks like photos made into graphics with an app or filter. And the story is a strong one yes, but I felt it's been told so much better in other formats.

Freiheit! by Andrea Grosso Ciponte
Posted on February 17, 2021 by Kevin Holtsberry / 0 Comment
I am not a huge graphic novel reader, but when given the chance to explore an interesting subject or approach to illustration I will pick one up.

Freiheit! by Andrea Grosso Ciponte is a good example.


Title:Freiheit!
Series:
Author:Andrea Grosso Ciponte
Genre:Biography & Autobiography
Publisher:Plough
Release Date:November 10, 2020
Format:eBook
Pages:112
Source:NetGalley
With an entire nation blindly following an evil leader, where did a handful of students find the courage to resist? The university students who formed the White Rose, an undercover resistance movement in Nazi Germany, knew that doing so could cost them their lives. But some things are worth dying for.

The White Rose printed and distributed leaflets to expose Nazi atrocities and wake up their fellow citizens. The Gestapo caught and executed them. Sophie Scholl was twenty-one; her brother Hans, twenty-four; Christoph Probst, twenty-three; Alexander Schmorell and Willi Graf, twenty-five.

But the White Rose was not silenced. Their heroism continues to inspire new generations of resisters. Now, for the first time, this story that has been celebrated in print and film can be experienced as a graphic novel. Italian artist Andrea Grosso Ciponte’s haunting imagery will resonate with today’s students and activists. The challenges they face may vary, but the need for young people to stand up against evil, whatever the cost, will remain.

I was intrigued by the description: “The dramatic true story of a handful of students who resisted the Nazis and paid with their lives, now in a stunning graphic novel.”

I found it an odd yet powerful exploration of the underground resistance to Hitler. The art is dark and almost surreal while the text is formal and driven by literature and philosophy.

But the urgent sense that these young people gave their lives to fight the monstrous Nazis is powerful enough to overcome weaknesses in the presentation. The letters at the end are a piece of history that should not be forgotten.


[editorial aside: frustratingly, I received a copy via NetGalley that was via PDF and expired after a certain date. I lazily didn’t pay attention and when I went back to re-read it more closely before posting a review, it had expired. So I am unable to offer a particularly in depth review, alas. Not that I have a good track record of that these days…]

Instead allow me to offer you some quotes that I think will highlight the work’s strength and weaknesses:

The timeline and additional characters who join them can be hard to follow in Ciponte’s elegiac retelling, which features many cinematic shots of the students striding and in strident discussion, but in places lacks context clues and labels that would help guide readers unfamiliar with the history. (Though the many interspersed quotes and full reproductions of the leaflets in back matter provides ample authenticity.) The beautifully lit panels play with darkness and light, balancing youthful joy with the long shadows of Nazis’ power. In one poignant scene, the youth paint the rallying cry “Freiheit!” (German for “freedom!”) in white across a wall at night. Even though their graffiti is erased the next day, the friends cherish every wild glimmer of defiance, even as three are killed for their role in the resistance. Their anti-fascist fearlessness resonates in Ciponte’s moving treatment, which will speak to like-minded young activists. -- Publishers Weekly

Kirkus echoes the criticism about narrative weakness:

Aside from dates, glimpses of documents, and a few invented lines of dialogue, Ciponte’s sketchy narrative text is largely a mix of quotations from classic German writers, Nazi propaganda, and snippets of rhetoric drawn directly from the six exhortatory leaflets (all of which are provided in full as backmatter in an English translation by Arthur R. Schultz) that the White Rose printed and distributed before its abrupt end. This leaves it to the art to create a storyline, and it’s not up to the task, being arranged in loosely sequenced panels, marked by confusingly abrupt changes in time and locale, in which watery figures with hard-to-distinguish features are either posed in static groups or portrayed in head shots. Reproductions of official reports serve in place of explicit depictions of the executions. Russell Freedman’s We Will Not Be Silent (2016) and Kip Wilson’s White Rose (2019) offer a more coherent picture of the short careers of Sophie Scholl and her fellow protesters, but readers will come away appreciating the courage it took for these young collegians to stand up as they did. Though the leaflets are almost unreadably cerebral, they do serve as primary sources for the White Rose’s message.A heartfelt, well-deserved tribute but a muddle for readers not already familiar with the story. -- Kirkus

I think your enjoyment is likely tied to your knowledge of the time period and subject matter and whether you are visual or narrative focused. If you have a decent knowledge of the period and the subject of Nazi Germany, you can enjoy the story because your have more context. The less historical knowledge you have the more you might struggle to follow the story or narrative.

Similarly, if you are a visual person you might enjoy the power of the story and the art without needing a lot of context; which you could research later ( see this on Sophie Scholl and the White Rose for example). Whereas, if you are more likely to focus on words and structure, you might struggle a little with the way the story is laid out.

Nevertheless, it is a powerful story and one worth learning about. If you enjoy graphic novels, check it out.

Freiheit is a graphic novel of the story of the White Rose. In 1943, a group of young men and women in Munich put out a set of six leaflets denouncing Hitler. Freiheit tells their story. I love the graphic novel format and have read at least one other novel about this group that this really intrigued me. However I feel like it fell short and part of that might be the medium that it is told in. Since it is in short graphic novel format it does not go very in depth about what happened and a lot of scenes only last a couple of pages making it feel almost like we are being cut off thought. This is the book you read in order to wet your toes in the story of the White Rose and then go more in depth with other books. I will say the thing I loved the most was that at the end they include all six leaflets giving the read a chance to read what the group had to say. If you are new to this group or have a teenager that like history and graphic novels.

This is a beautiful, and meaningful, graphic novel about the youth that tried to fight Hitler. The illustrations in this book are gorgeous and not too fancy. It is very well done.

I am not keen on graphic books, but this story of young German students Sophie Scholl and her friends, only in their twenties, who resisted the Nazis by distributing leaflets to universities and townspeople is well-written with dramatic illustrations in muted colours. It includes quotations from great German writers as well. However, it is a very simple story, almost like a comic book, and the reader can't really get to know any of these historic figures very well. For example, Sophie was a talented artist herself, but there is very little about that.

It's a good introduction to this inspiring story for young readers, and I liked the inclusion of the leaflets that the White Rose group distributed. It is likely to make people want to know more about this incredibly courageous group of people who paid the ultimate price.

I received this free ebook from NetGalley in return for an honest review.

At first, Freiheit! seemed like it would be one of those reads that leaves you mildly uneasy due to the heavy topics it presents. I was pleasantly surprised, though, by how enjoyable it was to read. The dialogue feels natural and the characters are firm and realistic.

And how could I continue without mentioning the art? I am a fan of the art style and the colour pallette really ties into the story. I wouldn't normally pick up a book with historical aspects to it, but I am glad I did.

I fully recommend reading Freiheit!

Sophie discovers that her brother, Hans is printing leaflets for an anti-Nazi group. They call themselves the White Rose Society. Sophie joins the group. She helps distribute the leaflets. The leaflets are asking German students to fight Nascism. They also wrote graffiti which was promptly promptly erased. One day, Sophie and Hans are caught distributing the leaflets. They are brought before a judge. In court Sophie is calm and not afraid to die for her beliefs. Will Hans and Sophie be executed or live?

This is an interesting graphic novel that has been translated from the German language. It is a reminder of a part of history that has been overlooked. While resistance groups were known, I didn’t know about this youth resistance group. It represents knowing right from wrong. There is in the back of the book, the six leaflets that they produced before the Society stopped. This is the proof of their work. The panels play with dark and light representing thir joy versus the darkness of the Nazi’s power. It is a heartfelt novel of a particular time in the history of World War 2. I liked it due discovering something I didn’t know about the German youth during World War 2. It’s a must read.

Title: Freiheit!
Author: Andrea Grosso Ciponte
Genre: Graphic Novel, Historical Fiction
Pages: 113
Publication Date: 2/16/2021

Freiheit! Is a graphic novel that tells the story behind the White Rose Society, a student resistance movement during World War II in Munich, Germany. The White Rose Society distributed pamphlets that told of the horrors of the Gestapo and the Nazis. This is based on a true story and the end of the graphic novel includes the actual texts from the pamphlets.

The artwork in this graphic novel is gorgeous. The color palette is unique and fits the time period quite well. There are lots of rich greens and browns.

Unfortunately, the story is not on the same level as the compelling art. The graphic novel jumps from character to character. It also intersperses non-fiction information throughout. The result is that this reader was unable to connect with the characters. The plot is not fully fleshed out and moves very quickly.

While I am glad I learned about the White Rose Society and appreciated the gorgeous illustrations, I cannot recommend them due to the underdeveloped characters and stories.

I could not read this title. When I opened it up in Aldiko Books the format was all wonky and I was not able to read this. I'm sure it was good, and when our library gets a copy I will be sure to read it.

This is a profound and enlightening graphic novel that is about a group university students that used pamphlets to tell people what the Nazis were really doing and to wake people up and hopefully resist against the regime. They knew they were at risk doing this but they did not care and ultimately died for their beliefs. However, their work was carried on by many throughout the war.

This is such a wonderful book and it keeps this group and their vision alive still today. They taught us not to follow our government blindly that they to can cause hurt that is not necessary to anyone involved, but they might also do things to keep us safe even though many people might hate the intrusion. The point is do the work and know what is being done on your behalf.

This will appear on my blog on the 16th of February