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serendipitysbooks's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
Stasiland is an investigation into life in East Germany and the power of the Stasi. It’s based on interviews conducted by an Australian writer beginning shortly after reunification. The author is very present in the book and it includes details of how the interviews came to be, her opinions and thoughts, as well as the information gleaned from each interview. In other words it’s not an objective, detached history by a dispassionate almost anonymous author, and it’s style may not be for every reader. I found it to be engagingly written and it is balanced in the sense that it includes interviews with former Stasi officials and informers as well as ordinary citizens whose lives were negatively impacted by Stasi control. I imagine this book may have made quite the splash when it was first released but more than twenty years later very little in here was new to me. If it weren’t for this challenge it’s not a book I would have picked up, since I don’t have a particular interest in the subject matter, but that is hardly the book’s fault. For those looking for a quick and accessible insight into life in the former East Germany this would be a great choice.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Death, Confinement, and Grief
lindsey_bear's review against another edition
emotional
informative
medium-paced
4.75
Stasiland was equal parts informative and intimate; historical and relatable; factual and human. She blended the experience of former Stasi officials, informers, citizens of the GDR, etc. with historical context beautifully. I really enjoyed the personal reflections she gave, as well as the variety in people’s stories she shared. One of my favorite elements of this book is the concept of how the Wall affected everyday people’s lives, and how they might still be affected today. Although this time in history was anything but lighthearted, Funder managed to invoke a positive sense of optimism and hope for a better future, while not forgetting or ignoring the impact of the past. The only reason I did not mark 5 stars was the abruptness of the end—I felt a longing for a more tidy reflection as a whole, especially after she was so reflective throughout the entire book.
Content Warnings
Minor: Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Suicide, Confinement, Death, Grief, Gun violence, Deportation, Police brutality, and Torture
sophie42's review against another edition
challenging
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality, Kidnapping, Torture, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Murder, Rape, Death, Grief, Violence, and War
Minor: Death of parent
heyitsgiulia's review against another edition
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Hate crime, Emotional abuse, Death, Violence, Police brutality, Murder, and Forced institutionalization
milliebrierley's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Police brutality
samchase112's review against another edition
dark
informative
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Stasiland is a horrifying and detailed account of what it was like to live under Stasi power in East Germany. Anna Funder's clear, reflective writing only adds to the horror of what she is uncovering. It reads like fiction, which makes the fact that these things were real, that it was done to real people, even more difficult to read. What would you have done? How would you have reacted when the Stasi threatened to imprison you for life if you didn't convert your child to an ideology and regime that was oppressing you? Funder's novel is explanatory and reflective, and makes readers question their own perspectives and how they would react under oppression. I highly recommend it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement and Death
Minor: Torture and Grief
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