Hubener Vs. Hitler – Richard Lloyd Dewey – 2 Stars

Hubener Vs. Hitler – Richard Lloyd Dewey – 2 Stars

 

Title: Hubener Vs. Hitler

Author: Richard Lloyd Dewey

Publisher: Academic Research Foundation

Year: Hardcover 2003

Rating:   2 STARS

Price and Purchasing Options: This book is available in a lot of forums.  It is commonly seen at Deseret Book or other LDS Bookstores; it is also seen on Amazon, and within Barnes and Noble’s brick and mortar stores.  The retail price on this book is around $25.00 for the softcover edition, and I believe the Hardcover is currently out of print.  With that being said, this did get wide enough distribution, that you occasionally will see it around at second hand store like Deseret Industries, but you will always find a cheap copy on eBay (here).

Review:  This book is a disappointment, and doesn’t live up to the great story that it contains.  That is a simple sentence but sums it up nicely.

Helmuth Hubener was a Mormon German Youth, actually a NAZI Youth, that became the youngest member of a resistance to be executed by the MAZI Party.  While he was living with his grandparents he started to listen to illegal radio broadcasts secretly, and got news from the BBC.  His mind started to open, and he began to realize that he was on the wrong side of the war, and on the wrong side of what was right. 

At the young age of 15 he started his own resistance movement, writing up documents and news updates from the BBC and secretly spreading them around the community.  Fully aware of the consequences of this movement, he showed tremendous courage all the way through his capture and eventual execution. 

 

Hubener is a story that all Latter-day Saints should know.  He was a silent hero, showing us that as Latter-day Saints we can do things that are meaningful that might never be in the spotlight.

However, as amazing as that story is, the book is boring and poorly written.  There were times when reading the book that I actually stopped and said to my self and anyone who would listen… ”Wow – this is poorly written.  If I didn’t feel like I owed it to Hubener, I wouldn’t finish the book.”

It is drawn out – and it hyper-focuses on points that are irrelevant and not interesting.  Even the points that are interesting are not presented in a way that you gain the full impact of them, until you put the book down and think about it.  It is those moments that you realize that Dewey kind of missed the mark on the whole thing.  You can tell that he was passionate about the story, and had researched it thoroughly, but through his narrative he loses the audience.

With all of that being said, every member of the Church should learn about this story – just not from this book.  They should go on to YouTube or Google and search out the story.  They will find videos and articles on this great young LDS hero. 

If fact KBYU and BYUTv has some great content on him here:  http://www.byutv.org/show/6c89d3d9-4ae8-48a0-b10f-80fe032cc70a/truth-conviction-the-helmuth-hbener-story

Two stars and nothing more.  I would have given it one star, but I like Hubener too much!

Suggestions:  I would recommend you not read this book, but clink on the link above and learn about Hubener from a different source.

I hope you have enjoyed this review, and I encourage your to follow this blog as I update more reviews in the coming days, weeks, months, etc.  Please feel free to also follow my YouTube page – however, I enjoy writing more than being on camera!

Review #8

Tags: 2 Stars, Documentary, Historical, Hubener Vs. Hitler, Richard Lloyd Dewey