Club member Tom Dunkel's nonfiction book about the Nazi Resistance just released

National Press Club member Tom Dunkel's new book, "White Knights in the Black Orchestra," was published Oct. 11 by Hachette. It is narrative nonfiction about a small group of conspirators trying to destroy Adolf Hitler and his Nazi government from within. The main protagonists include Wilhelm Canaris, head of Germany's overseas military intelligence service, and Pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

The publisher's description of the book says: "It packs the punch of the best espionage thrillers, but the cat-and-mouse drama and plot twists are grounded firmly in fact. This is a stirring story of people willing to risk all by doing the right thing in a country gone mad, a story that may prompt readers to ask themselves 'What would I have done?'” 

Hitler's Gestapo called the secret group of German military officers, politicians and some prominent civilians who were doing everything in their power to make the Nazi regime implode the "black orchestra."

A former staff features writer at The Baltimore Sun and long-time contributor to The Washington Post Sunday Magazine, Dunkel received a National Endowment for the Humanities 2018 "Public Scholar" grant for this project. The New York Post recently named "White Knights" to its list of best reads for fall 2022, calling it “A fascinating look at … a loose network of German military officers, diplomats, politicians, and civilians who risked their lives to undermine the Third Reich."