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montemaq's review against another edition
3.0
Didn’t really give me what I need in a book like this. I think it may have been the editing. There was a lot of rehashing of very similar events. I understand the purpose of this but the stories were sometimes too similar. I really loved some of the punk kid’s stories but others were pretty bland and the characters weren’t as round as they should have been. Some recurring characters I felt like I knew nothing about and didn’t really care much. The best parts were the portrayal of government officials and policies. The overarching narrative was pretty intriguing. Overall kind of a bland experience much like the color scheme of soviet bloc housing.
sabine4242's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of the most fascinating books I've read in a while. After listening to it I almost want to go back and read it again in hard copy because I'm sure I missed even more interesting elements of the history. Frequently timely and impactful in its look at a disenfranchised community and the dangers of police state governance.
sshabein's review against another edition
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
4.0
An interesting look at the various punk movements behind the Berlin Wall, with a short summary of what came after. I learned a lot, though occasionally I wanted the text to go a little deeper regarding the individuals involved (which may have not always been possible, I'm sure). However, that's my own taste because I always want to know more about the people, in addition to the broader social implications.
The book is mostly well-balanced, narratively. The punks that Mohr chooses to focus on are indeed the way into better understanding the movement. Having done a lot of DIY music and arts stuff in both my youth and adulthood, I also like knowing more about ways other people managed the process, particularly when these people had so much at stake.
I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies, and I don't know that I cared for his reading style. His attempts at conveying the seriousness of the punks' beliefs sometimes came across as... I don't know if patronizing is the right word, but it didn't feel sincere. Also, there is one man involved who has a lisp, and not having seen the text, I don't know if he was written that way, but I don't know that we needed to hear the lisp? Or maybe it would have come across less like it was mocking the guy, had it been a different narrator? Ymmv.
The book is mostly well-balanced, narratively. The punks that Mohr chooses to focus on are indeed the way into better understanding the movement. Having done a lot of DIY music and arts stuff in both my youth and adulthood, I also like knowing more about ways other people managed the process, particularly when these people had so much at stake.
I listened to the audiobook version, narrated by Matthew Lloyd Davies, and I don't know that I cared for his reading style. His attempts at conveying the seriousness of the punks' beliefs sometimes came across as... I don't know if patronizing is the right word, but it didn't feel sincere. Also, there is one man involved who has a lisp, and not having seen the text, I don't know if he was written that way, but I don't know that we needed to hear the lisp? Or maybe it would have come across less like it was mocking the guy, had it been a different narrator? Ymmv.
repeatrach's review against another edition
dark
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
3.5
I’ve read this book because of my bookclub. I listened to the audio book version because of all the unfamiliar German words- that and I often find it laborious to read nonfiction. Although slow-paced, this was actually very interesting and I learned a lot about Germany’s history. I’ve also listened to punk music for the first time!
ducksfloat's review
informative
inspiring
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Message to my friends:
Imo it could be 200 pages long if he got rid of useless bullshit, it's not written really well, kinda convoluted with characters BUT I still got a ton out of it and REALLY enjoyed it
I'm like so inspired and further interested in punk and like diy and revolution like it was an epic take on history and people just being bad ass and wowza
zzzreads's review
2.0
2.25/5
The fascinating source material and in-depth research aren't able to overcome the fact that the author has the prose and writing ability of a 19 year old stoner who found a typewriter in his grandparents' basement
The fascinating source material and in-depth research aren't able to overcome the fact that the author has the prose and writing ability of a 19 year old stoner who found a typewriter in his grandparents' basement