A review by jenstory
Stasiland: Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall by Anna Funder
5.0
When I read the first line of Stasiland: "I am hungover and steer myself like a car..." I wasn't sure what to expect. After reading the first chapter, I felt as gloomy as the depressing description of East Germany.
But then I became glued to the book. Funder is direct, even blunt at times, yet her words are miles deep. I felt like I was reliving every moment of Berlin's communist past, every emotion of the storytellers; while Klaus Renft's story put a smile to my face, Miriam Weber's horrified and frustrated me.
Altogether, the collated stories have opened my eyes to a forgotten part of history. At the same time, they have made me question about our present world - where corruption is still far from being conquered - and about our future. Indeed, as Funder puts it, "it's not really, ever, over."
But then I became glued to the book. Funder is direct, even blunt at times, yet her words are miles deep. I felt like I was reliving every moment of Berlin's communist past, every emotion of the storytellers; while Klaus Renft's story put a smile to my face, Miriam Weber's horrified and frustrated me.
Altogether, the collated stories have opened my eyes to a forgotten part of history. At the same time, they have made me question about our present world - where corruption is still far from being conquered - and about our future. Indeed, as Funder puts it, "it's not really, ever, over."