Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Spoke in the Wheel

This biography was easy to read, yet a thorough and complete picture of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's life. It high lighted the most esential parts, and quotes, of his life and theology. I truly appreciated it and am sharing it with others.

Although the author's style is hard to follow sometimes (for me), as in introducing subjects without making clear connections to the rest of the story, the book is still an excellent read. It reveals Bonhoeffer's internal struggles with himself and with "religion." It is full of dates, quotes, references to other books and authors. A great resource for someone who wants to understand Bonhoeffer on a deeper level. My only criticism is that it makes we wish the author were seated with me, to explain parts of it!

Excellent book! Well written.

An easy, quick read that gives much more detail on Bonhoeffer's inner life than other sources I've read on him. Recommend!

I bought this book while in the middle of Bonhoeffer's "Letters and Papers from Prison". I was looking for a biography that could give me more background. This book was the only reasonably short biography I could find. Bonhoeffer's story is inspirational and he had had a lot of original ideas.That said, this biography should have been a lot better. First, the the writing is consistently awkward - thanks to frequent literal translation of German phrases and sentences. Secondly, I got the sense that the author's commitment to Marxist/liberation theology was projected onto Bonhoeffer a bit. Some of that thought is certainly in Bonhoeffer's writings, but social gospel was one of many aspects of his theology. Worst of all, the author is just not a skilled biographer. Bonhoeffer grew up in a time of great change (end of the Kaiser-period, WWI, Weimar Republic, rise of Nazis) developed international acclaim as a theologian, was a pillar of the Confessing Church under the Nazis, conspired secretly against Hitler, and died a martyr. If anyone's life was tailor-made for an exciting biography, it was Bonhoeffer. Yet this book reads primarily like a timeline. It's a sorely missed opportunity.So I gave the book 2 stars for it's brevity and subject matter, but that has to be balanced by shortcomings in the writing/translation.

Fascinating intro to Bonhoeffer. Well-written, and a quick read. My only knock was that I would have preferred a little more on his internment years and a little less on the political dynamic of the struggle between the State and Confessional churches.

A lot of psycho-babble about what Dietrich " must have been" thinking. More about the author's opinion than a digested biography.

I highly recommend this biography about Bonhoeffer. Good and easy to reed and the important things in Bonhoeffer's life comes clear.

It gives a good insight into the complex character of Bonhoeffer, and the tumultuous events happening in Germany and the World at that time.