---
title: "The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix"
description: "Summary: Brief graphic novel about Bonhoeffer with a very good understanding of the German context and Hitler's rise to power.  Bonhoeffer is one of those subjects that I am continually fascinated by...."
url: https://bookwi.se/faithful-spy/
date: 2018-11-14
modified: 2026-07-16
author: "Adam Shields"
categories: ["Book Reviews"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix

![The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix](https://bookwi.se/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/cover-56421.jpg)**Summary: Brief graphic novel about Bonhoeffer with a very good understanding of the German context and Hitler’s rise to power. **

Bonhoeffer is one of those subjects that I am continually fascinated by. I have read a number of books by and about Bonhoeffer including two others this year. I did not walk into The Faithful Spy blind.

Even though I know it isn’t necessarily true, I tend to think of graphic novels as oriented toward young adult readers. In other words, a simplified perspective. But like Hendrix’s [book on John Brown](https://bookwi.se/john-brown/), the presentation of Bonhoeffer is complex.

Despite my long reading list about Bonhoeffer, I honestly, think that The Faithful Spy may have more clearly laid out how Hitler rose to power than any other book on Bonhoeffer that I have read. (Or at the least, I actually understood it this time.) Because Hitler has been talked about a lot lately I was paying attention to how The Faithful Spy told the story of Hitler’s rise. A meme on Facebook recently was talking about Hitler being voted into power, but as Faithful Spy makes clear, that is a partial truth. Hitler was elected, but only after he had stolen power and circumvented the democratic process that was in place.

As with any graphic novel, the art plays a significant role. There is a lot more text than many graphic novels. This is not a comic book with a number of frames per page. This is mostly text (often a couple hundred words per page) with illustrations and font changes for emphasis and direction. I am not an expert on graphic novel art, but I enjoyed this. Hand drawn letters are never going to be as easy to read as machine print, but this was pretty clear.

I am glad I got the hardcover version of this. That made it easier to read and fully enjoy multi-page layouts. And once I was done, I passed it on to a friend that I often exchange books.

The focus of the book is Hitler’s rise to power along with Bonheffer’s basic story. Because of that focus there are things like the [Barmen Declaration](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barmen_Declaration) where The Faithful Spy hints a larger role for Bonhoeffer than he really had. Bonhoeffer was important, but he was not central in the Confessing Church.

I was pleased that the Faithful Spy did make space for the role of the Black Church played in helping Bonhoeffer reconceive of the role of the church. Several books I have read on Bonhoeffer do not seem to understand how important the year in NYC studying at Union Seminary, but more important attending [Abyssinian Baptist Church](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abyssinian_Baptist_Church) was to how Bonhoeffer understood the church’s role of faithful witness during persecution.

Obviously, a graphic novel is not going to replace a full biography. For that, I still recommend either Charles Marsh’s [Strange Glory](https://bookwi.se/strange-glory-a-life-of-dietrich-bonhoeffer-by-charles-march/) or Schlingersiepen’s [Dietrich Bonhoeffer 1906-1945](https://bookwi.se/1906-1945/). But this is a good introduction if you do not know a lot about Bonhoeffer and this is a good introduction to the rise of Hitler and how at least some Christians historically have understood the role of violence on behalf of Christian belief.

**The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler by John Hendrix Purchase Links: [Hardcover](https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1419728385/), [Kindle Edition](https://www.amazon.com/Faithful-Spy-Dietrich-Bonhoeffer-Hitler-ebook/dp/B07BFT949P/)**