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A review by randomscrabble
Burning Down the Haus: Punk Rock, Revolution, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall by Tim Mohr
2.0
This book by Tim Mohr might serve as a tiny spark igniting the interest of some in the history of post-world war II Germany, it won't tell you much of the early years since it mostly focuses on some way of living and what motivated revolutionary thinking and actions, ones that eventually led to the fall of the German Democratic Republic (GDR), its dictatorship ways and some idealistic divisions.
The book focuses on, as the title suggests, the breaking of the norm by looking for ways to distinguish oneself from the rest of an indoctrinated society using one's means of expression: clothes, hair, art, music, etc. We are presented with several young people with very similar stories, which is to be expected when they were living the same reality, they all came to realize that their desire of having some say over their futures was an act of defiance in the eyes of their government. This was all necessary and important, how they all came to understand they were being oppressed but it could've been handled less repetitively in the book.
I understand this is not a history book, that we get some outliers but that the interest is devoted to these kids living those days and them transforming their desire for change into a movement that led the charge of revolution. This is truly admirable and brave.
I always felt proud of having been born in November 1989, because this huge thing had happened and I felt like part of history, let's say as a kid I just knew the Berlin Wall falling was an act of revolution and feisty spirits, I liked that. As an adult one goes a bit deeper and even if the feeling is still there, history contains so much and one comes to realize that we humans are such fools with our wars and never-ending divisions.
Anyway, I enjoyed the book, the narrator on Audible is Matthew Lloyd Davies and he did a marvelous job. A repetitive story, yes, but it conveyed its message loud and clear: Punks led this revolution, they opened their own doors into the lives they wanted to lead, they freed their paths to go into the things that made them passionate, they lived.
I particularly enjoyed this interview with the author: https://www.picturethispost.com/burning-down-the-haus-preview-interview-with-author-tim-mohr/ . It was interesting to read that he got to experience the aftermath of life in Berlin after the fall of the wall.
Let's say I will be reading more into this piece of history that threads long and complicated, but "that's Europe", says a Belgian friend.
The book focuses on, as the title suggests, the breaking of the norm by looking for ways to distinguish oneself from the rest of an indoctrinated society using one's means of expression: clothes, hair, art, music, etc. We are presented with several young people with very similar stories, which is to be expected when they were living the same reality, they all came to realize that their desire of having some say over their futures was an act of defiance in the eyes of their government. This was all necessary and important, how they all came to understand they were being oppressed but it could've been handled less repetitively in the book.
I understand this is not a history book, that we get some outliers but that the interest is devoted to these kids living those days and them transforming their desire for change into a movement that led the charge of revolution. This is truly admirable and brave.
I always felt proud of having been born in November 1989, because this huge thing had happened and I felt like part of history, let's say as a kid I just knew the Berlin Wall falling was an act of revolution and feisty spirits, I liked that. As an adult one goes a bit deeper and even if the feeling is still there, history contains so much and one comes to realize that we humans are such fools with our wars and never-ending divisions.
Anyway, I enjoyed the book, the narrator on Audible is Matthew Lloyd Davies and he did a marvelous job. A repetitive story, yes, but it conveyed its message loud and clear: Punks led this revolution, they opened their own doors into the lives they wanted to lead, they freed their paths to go into the things that made them passionate, they lived.
I particularly enjoyed this interview with the author: https://www.picturethispost.com/burning-down-the-haus-preview-interview-with-author-tim-mohr/ . It was interesting to read that he got to experience the aftermath of life in Berlin after the fall of the wall.
Let's say I will be reading more into this piece of history that threads long and complicated, but "that's Europe", says a Belgian friend.