Blog

Review

Schaufuß: Ferienzeit mit Spiel, Sport und Abenteuer

20 Jun 2017 by Praktikant
Thomas Schaufuß presents the different forms and uses of holiday camps in Germany, while mainly focusing on pioneer and company-funded holiday camps in the DDR.
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Review

Wiebke Janssen: SED and youth in the 50s

16 Jun 2017 by Praktikant
The SED observed concernedly how the adolescents of the late 50s were drawn to Rock `n´Roll and studded pants. The aim of the socialist education was to mold youngsters into “new humans”. The party wanted to influence the first generation of the “Children of the Republic” through a restrictive and repressive policy. By Elke Sieber (08.06.2017) Translated by Lisa Laubner (09.06.2017)
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Interview

"Die Normalität des Absurden" Interview with Dr. Heinz Schneider

18 May 2017 by Melanie Alperstaedt
A few weeks ago I had read the book „Die Normalität des Absurden“ from Heinz Schneider with great interest. I was pleasantly surprised to get the opportunity to interview him in person. Heinz Schneider and his wife Thea Schneider kindly offered to welcome me in their lovely flat in Mahlow! Here is the transcript of our conversation for you to read.
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Review

"Die Normalität des Absurden" - Heinz Schneider

27 Apr 2017 by Melanie Alperstaedt
„Die Normalität des Absurden” tells the story of Heinz Schneider, who lived through two German dictatorships. Even though the book mainly focuses on his personal life, many universal themes are uncovered: how is one meant to behave in a dictatorship? How is our identity formed? How should the DDR be remembered?
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Review

“OST COLA”

19 Feb 2015 by Admin
A new coffee-table book, OST COLA, has been added to our library. It shows pictures of the Brandenburg an der Havel before the reunification. The photos has been taken by Mathias Knoppe, Hans Hoffmann and Alexander Pollock.
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Review

“Beyond the Wall. Art and Artifacts from the GDR”

14 Jan 2015 by Admin
It’s once again time to present you here an English book about the GDR. Today it’s a very special one. Not only the content but also the size and the layout are something special. It is the biggest book out of our library and the one with the most pictures. And, I think, it’s one of the most expensive ones, too. On 904 pages you can see in this book 2500 artifacts, design pieces and everyday objects from the East German Collection of the “Wende Museum” in Los Angeles.  
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For children

„A generation divided. German children and the Berlin Wall“

3 Jul 2014 by Admin
A real interesting and also profound book I found this week in our library and I don’t want to deprive you of. It’s not a book, which would entertain you in a funny way, but it is a book, which will impress you.
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Review

“DDR in Color”

30 Jan 2014 by Admin
When I thought about photographs of the former GDR I often had the picture in mind, that these are black and white, or better: grey. This view is obviously a fallacy because of course you can find color photos of the GDR, too.  A book which calls this into my consciousness is the book “DDR in Color”, in 2013 published in the Berlin Story Verlag and edited by Klaus Morgenstern and the ddrbildarchiv.de.
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