Every Man Dies Alone

Hans Fallada's stunning Every Man Dies Alone is a fundamentally important read for anyone interested in National Socialism and the Holocaust, of course, but also civil disobedience more generally. It is the story of a husband and wife who take on what initially appears to be a tiny act--the casual dropping of postcards (one or two a week) that expose the lies of the Nazi war machine--and turns into a profound act of civil disobedience. That most of the postcards are immediately turned in to the Gestapo does not lessen their import, for the discomfort they cause in those who find them is immense, and the furor they cause among the Gestapo elite even more so. This is a true story, and what is particularly striking is the amount of effort that the Gestapo put in to finding a husband and wife whose transgression seems so (even on the Gestapo's terms) miniscule.

While this is not a hopeful book--I don't think I need to put a spoiler alert here when I say that things do not end well for our heroes, or their associates--it is also not devoid of hope. Not all of the postcards make it into the Gestapo's hands, and the possibility remains that any single card could radicalize the person who found it. Moreover, even those cards that are turned in have the effect of making those who find them profoundly uncomfortable--speaking truth to power, as it were. While every man may die alone, it is clear from the novel that his actions along the way are not without import. That's a lesson that all of us engaged in civil disobedience (in any context) should take to heart.