Non Fiction

When I bought the book I originally wanted to write this review for the Black History Month... As you can see I couldn't make it: the book requires special attention from the reader, as it tackles a complex topics such as racism, colonialism and psychologist whilst imbuing the whole with references to literature and philosophy - everything written in exquisite academic language. It might not be everyone's taste, but if you are interested in such topics, you'll be astonished by this profound, foretelling piece of work.

Intellectually stimulating, a must lecture.

Crying in H Mart

Somewhat to my surprise (since I thought the author and I would have little in common) I was absolutely engrossed by this memoir.
I especially loved Zauner's reminiscence of her life in the Pacific Northwest, more precisely in Eugene, Oregon. It coincidentally is the same town the American side of my family lived for decades and where I spent a few months after graduation myself; getting to know the college town a little bit which means I was able to recognize many of the spots she describes, be it the Willamette River I cycled next to frequently to get downtown or visiting a concert at the McDonald Theatre.
Zauner's heart-wrenching story of her mother's illness brought tears to my eyes several times and her overt passion for Korean food made me curious to try more of this cuisine. This book is a real treasure!

Noise

"The hungry judges soon the sentence sign,
And wretches hang that jury-men may dine;" so goes one of the couplets in Alexander Pope's "The Rape of the Lock" - a satirical, cynical critique of British 18th century society. The message behind this couplet is however more or less exactly what the three authors of "Noise" (if I type their names out, my character count will be shot) look at from a more scientific, less cynical standpoint. Why is that judges are more generous with sentences when their stomachs are full? Or when their football team has recently won a game? Why indeed is there such disparity between sentences/insurance quotes/grading between apparently similar cases. What the authors zone in on is the background "noise" that make our decisions and judgements less rational and measurable than we might assume. With not only an excellent explanation of the problem but also tips on how to avoid it, this is an extremely worthwhile book to examine one's own decision making skills

Afropean

Johny Pitts's "Afropean" is an intensely personal history of African Europe. The title gives away teh book's project which is to afford the Afro-European (or Afropean) identity every bit as much of a central place in European culture and history as African-American has over the pond.
Pitts's journey takes us across Europe from Sheffield, in the north of England, where he grew up to Paris, Brussels, Berlin and a host of other places in between. His photographer's eye allows him to observe each city and come out with fresh and interesting perspectives which he then weaves into their Black histories.
This is the kind of non-fiction where one feels one is constantly being fed both with the skills of observation and empathy of a fine novelist and the research and insight of a historian - it's a book which you will both enjoy reading and feel you have learned a lot from afterwards. Urgent yet whimsical, it is a fine piece of writing.

A Promised Land

Reading Obama's book, one is immediately overwhelmed by a surge of nostalgia and even some bafflement. Was it really only four years ago that America had a president whose discourse with the public could operate above the level of a tweet ALL IN CAPITAL LETTERS? And was this president adept at compromise and working with his political opponents to achieve his goals, rather than sacking his allies VIA CAPS LOCK TWEET?
Nostalgia may well be one's first impression when reading this book but it will quickly be overcome by the realisation that Obama's differences to Trump extend to his ability to build a tense and gripping narrative about the driest of subjects (to be fair I haven't read "The Art of the Deal"), and by his ability to write in beautiful (sometimes a bit too flowery) prose. This isn't a memoir full of great revelations but instead of great insight and a reminder that maybe America was great enough already. BEST PRESIDENTIAL MEMOIR EVER! AMAZING!!!

Women, Race & Class

American philosopher and civil rights activist Angela Y. Davis analyses the development of Black Feminism, based on well-investigated historical research. She reveals the so-called "standards for a New Womanhood" and emphasizes differences in the development of Black and White Feminism. As a white feminist, this book gave me a whole new perspective on the complex subjects of feminism and racism and its development.

Just Kids

With "Just Kids" Patti Smith, the iconic punk poet of 70s New York, crafts an artistic Bildungsroman that is as transgressive as it is instructional. Deeply fascinating and full of insight into literature, music and art this has rightly become a modern classic.

The Woman in Me

Absolutly emotional!
This book took me through ups and downs. I found myself shaking my head a few times, then take a deep breath and go on reading.

This is not a shitstorm book that is intended to spread rumors. I think Britney talks very reflectively about how she experienced everything back then and how she felt about it.

I can recommend this book to everyone. It doesn't matter if you're a Britney fan or not. Because her story is one that should be heard and read!

The Bilingual Brain

Berlin is a bilingual city. Even despite writing this review in English, I am not quite anglo- or egocentric enough to mean its linguistic identity is split between German and my mother tongue. But it is a city in which an extraordinary number of people have proficiency in more than one languages (and many in many).
Costa's book, an excellent introduction to the neuroscience of what it means to be bilingual, is therefore a book for Berliners. In witty, digressive prose, he charts how bilingual people's brains are shaped differently (sometimes literally) from the moment of birth to old age. Although he is cautious not to claim too many pure benefits (as a Barcelonan, fluent in Spanish, Catalan and English that could be perceived as smug), he does say bilinguals may be more empathetic and less susceptible to dementia than monolinguals. A book for polyglots to feel more smug about themselves and to inspire monolingual, anglophone Berliners to finally sign up for that German course...

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Easily the bible of the 21st Century - judging by our sales numbers, roughly every fifth person in the world has bought this book. And no wonder - there's no better book to teach us about clear thinking and making up our own minds in an ever evolving world.

The Girl with the Red Hair

This is a fascinating look at the life of Hannie Schaft, a young female Dutch Resistance fighter, following her from her student life, how she met the Resistance and the ways she helped fight for freedom - she was determined to fight for those who couldn't!
If you visit Amsterdam, make sure to visit the Verzetsmuseum where you can find Hannie again.

Agent Sonya

Ein aufregendes, gefährliches Leben - spannend erzählt.
Eine junge Frau ist im ländlichen Bereich von Oxfordshire, Großbritannien, mit dem Fahrrad unterwegs zu vereinbarten Treffen bzw. 'Toten Briefkästen' diesen Eindruck vermittelt treffend das Cover des Buches, jedoch die Flieger am Horizont irritieren, sollen aber wahrscheinlich ihre Tätigkeit während des zweiten Weltkriegs verdeutlichen. Die zwanzigjährige Tätigkeit einer für den Kommunismus wichtigen Spionin wird in vielen Details spannend im internationalen Wirkungskreis ausgehend von Berlin geschildert. Neben den Fakten kommt auch der emotionale Stressfaktor, die Angst vor Verrat und überraschter Aufdeckung im Schreibstil nicht zu kurz. Die vielen aufgeführten Personen kommen authentisch und ohne Schnörkel daher. Besonders interessant für mich sind besonders die Informationen über das Atomprogramm der Alliierten zwischen 1943 und 1949 und ihre Weitergabe an die Russen, mir bisher nur aus amerikanischer Sicht bekannt.

Non Fiction

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