"First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out-Because I was not a Communist . . . " Few today recognize the name Martin Niemör, though many know his famous confession. In Then They Came for Me, Matthew Hockenos traces Niemör's evolution from a Nazi supporter to a determined opponent of Hitler, revealing him to be a more complicated figure than previously understood. Born into a traditionalist Prussian family, Niemör welcomed Hitler's rise to power as an opportunity for national rebirth. Yet when the regime attempted to seize control of the Protestant Church, he helped lead the opposition and was soon arrested. After spending the war in concentration camps, Niemör emerged a controversial figure: to his supporters he was a modern Luther, while his critics, including President Harry Truman, saw him as an unrepentant nationalist. A nuanced portrait of courage in the face of evil, Then They Came for Me puts the question to us today: What would I have done?

Drawn from numerous personal interviews, private papers, and unpublished documents, this biography traces Niemoller's ideological shift from his fervent nationalism as a U-boat commander, to his ardent pacifism, defiance of Hitler, and pastoral career.

"A multimedia play that combines videotaped interviews with Holocaust survivors Ed Silverberg and Eva Schloss with live actors recreating scenes from their lives during World War II"--Back cover.

Named one of the Best Books of the Year by Kirkus Reviews and the New York Post Winner of the IWMF Courage in Journalism Award Winner of the Hay Festival Medal for Prose Finalist for the NYPL Helen Bernstein Award for Excellence in Journalism Shortlisted for the Moore Prize for Nonfiction "Destined to become a classic." —Lisa Shea, Elle A masterpiece of war reportage, The Morning They Came for Us bears witness to one of the most brutal internecine conflicts in recent history. Drawing from years of experience covering Syria for Vanity Fair, Newsweek, and the front page of the New York Times, award-winning journalist Janine di Giovanni chronicles a nation on the brink of disintegration, all written through the perspective of ordinary people. With a new epilogue, what emerges is an unflinching picture of the horrific consequences of armed conflict, one that charts an apocalyptic but at times tender story of life in a jihadist war zone. The result is an unforgettable testament to resilience in the face of nihilistic human debasement.

A few weeks before his assassination, Editor of Sri Lankas The Sunday Leader newspaper Lasantha Wickrematunge penned a chillingly prophetic editorial predicting, When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me. Published three days after his assassination, the editorial titled And Then They Came For Me, said, I hope my assassination will be seen not as a defeat of freedom but an inspiration for those who survive to step up their efforts. Indeed, I hope that it will help galvanise forces that will usher in a new era of human liberty in our beloved motherland. I also hope it will open the eyes of our president to the fact that however many are slaughtered in the name of patriotism, the human spirit will endure and flourish Though Lasantha is only one amongst dozens of journalists who have disappeared or been killed, kidnapped or tortured in Sri Lanka within the last decade, he stood out prominently as one of journalisms icons. Lasanthas story is one of courage; a story of a man whose gutsy and fearless stance for what he believed in, never wavered, even in the face of grave threat. This then is the story of a man who lived, breathed and finally died in the pursuit of the truth.

'An intriguing story of endurance and survival. A reminder of times, and the people who resisted them, that should never be forgotten.' – GILLIAN SLOVO In 1969, while a student at Wits University, John Schlapobersky was arrested for opposing apartheid. Thrown into a world that it is hard to believe ever existed, he was tortured, detained in solitary confinement and eventually deported. Half a century later, John sat down to write about what happened to him at 21. Calling on memory and two diaries he kept at the time – one written on toilet paper and the other in the Bible he was allowed – he describes being interrogated through sleep deprivation day and night and later writing secretly in solitary confinement. He remembers the singing of the condemned prisoners, and revisits the poetry, songs and texts that saw him through his ordeal. He reconstructs, in moving detail, the struggle for survival that finally transformed his life and supplements this with detailed research. He is now a leading psychotherapist and author and works closely with those who have similar histories. When They Came For Me is a vital historical document: a record of its time with lessons for ours.

A riveting, heart-wrenching memoir of Maziar Bahari's brutal interrogation in Iran's most notorious prison, offering insight into Iran's turbulent recent past and uncertain future.