Ever wondered what it must have been like growing up behind the Iron Curtain, on the wrong side of the Berlin Wall? Would your days have been haunted by the shadow of the omnipresent secret service, the Stasi, or was reality somewhat more mundane?
In this humorous and touching memoir, Oliver Fritz takes us behind the myths, into a world of bottled fruit, corny commie jokes, socialist folk songs, sticky-taped plastic bags and Trabant cars. Where kids are counting the years to retirement, pensioners have no qualms breaking the law, holidays involve smuggling western newspapers from the Soviet Union or money to Czechoslovakia and being mistaken for a westerner is a teen’s dream.
Underpinning daily life in the German Democratic Republic is Oliver’s longing to know what things are like on the other side of the Wall…and the mixed feelings that result when, with the help of a tin of mushrooms, he finally begins to find out for himself…
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By john green
Dec 24, 2010
This book is really interesting, but why only in English? By being an honest biography it avoids falling into the trap of demonsing the GDR as simply a 'Stasi state' as so much literature and post 1989 writing and journalism has done. It is interesting to compare it with the recent book, also published in English: 'Stasi State or Workers' Paradise?' and my own reminiscences: 'Red Reporter'.
"What a Read!" This entertaining autobiography about a boy growing up in East Germany ("at the 'wrong' side of the Iron Curtain") is the best book I have read this summer. The author's witty writing style and observation skills combined with his interesting life and fascinating facts about East Germany, all garnished with funny commie jokes and quirky quotes, makes The Iron Curtain Kid a very addictive read! So much so, that the fourth person is now reading my copy! Just having a quick glimpse at a few pages gets the reader hooked. If that isn't the sign of a good book, I don't know what is. The Iron Curtain Kid really made me feel like I'm accompanying the author in East Germany in the 70s and 80s. The Iron Curtain Kid (metaphorically) took me by the hand and became my friend. He explained to me all aspects of life in East Germany while we were constantly meeting new people and having new adventures . I sat with him in his not so pleasant meetings with army and... More > secret service officials and I was with him when he worked at the TV station and became a Pet Shop Boy. I too began to feel the longing to see the world on the other side of the Iron Curtain and I was as ecstatic as him as the two of us overran the Berlin Wall together with thousands of other East Germans in a chilly night in November 1989. An this entire exhilarating journey took place in the comfort of my home. Brilliant! This book made such a lasting impression on me, I constantly hear myself quoting from it to friends. But the Iron Curtain Kid is much more than an entertaining story and important historic document. It's proof that Germans DO have a sense of humor - I'm eagerly awaiting the author's next book.< Less
