Scan barcode
A review by kimscozyreads
Burning Down the Haus: Punk Rock, Revolution, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall by Tim Mohr
5.0
Best nonfiction read this year.
I am biased as a punk fan myself- some of the most fun Ive ever had has been at ska shows with like, less than a hundred people there. But man, I can not imagine getting thrown in jail for my blue hair and band buttons.
This was such a compelling narrative threaded through with thorough explanations of how the East German government society and the Stazi functioned... which is very important for a Western reader like myself.
The author also made it very clear that these revolutionaries were against authoritarianism, not against socialism.
They wanted nothing to do with Western capitalism either.
I'm used to hearing an account much more in favor of a pro-capitalist viewpoint.
The pictures included were a nice touch, too.
If y'all are interested, I found a playlist on spotify called Too Much Future that features recording from many of the bands in the book.
So in short, everyone should read this. If you already appreciate punk, it's amazing, and if you don't, you will learn even more. Punk is political, and it's so much more than the songs themselves.
I am biased as a punk fan myself- some of the most fun Ive ever had has been at ska shows with like, less than a hundred people there. But man, I can not imagine getting thrown in jail for my blue hair and band buttons.
This was such a compelling narrative threaded through with thorough explanations of how the East German government society and the Stazi functioned... which is very important for a Western reader like myself.
The author also made it very clear that these revolutionaries were against authoritarianism, not against socialism.
They wanted nothing to do with Western capitalism either.
I'm used to hearing an account much more in favor of a pro-capitalist viewpoint.
The pictures included were a nice touch, too.
If y'all are interested, I found a playlist on spotify called Too Much Future that features recording from many of the bands in the book.
So in short, everyone should read this. If you already appreciate punk, it's amazing, and if you don't, you will learn even more. Punk is political, and it's so much more than the songs themselves.