A review by jentang
Zoo Station: The Story of Christiane F. by Kai Hermann, Christiane F., Horst Rieck

4.0

having just taken a class focusing on addiction in literature that really inspired an analytical nature with these types of texts, i felt that i personally gained a lot more out of this book than i would've otherwise. a different reviewer described this as "grimy", and i think that's absolutely accurate. it was definitely also impactful. with death after death and decline after decline, like any other memoir centered around addiction, this read was exhausting and heavy, and this was only enhanced by remembering that the people living the hard street life in this book were literal children. i viscerally reacted to the image insertion of detlef standing outside zoo station. based on conversations i've had in my own life recently and something akin to a similarity felt to christiane in terms of childhood experiences and general perspective, i was all the more hopeful for a brighter resolution to the book. the fact that it never truly came just made this entire read feel so bleak, but that's life. in my opinion, this book shouldn't be judged too much on its professionalism or ability to stylistically floor a reader. christiane is giving a very personal recount on possibly some of the most traumatizing human experiences to exist, and i'm choosing to use this book as a reminder of a deeply flawed society, a check of privilege, and an overall warning for myself.