Paul Hockenos
Berlin Calling
Very interesting account of post war Berlin (and a little about it before) focussing on the wall and the libertarians (anarchists, social experimenters and squatters) struggling to carve out space on both sides of the wall. The harder being on the east except for an oddity in housing rules. Excellently written and I assume researched as Paul was there all along. Although American and therefore you sort of feel he's not a native and maybe losing a bit of context I think it means that his view sees the overall context and not just from a Berliners viewpoint. Hard to tell if those involved really changed the world, or Germany, or even Berlin rather than just their own lives but you can't blame them for trying. The legacy is still up in the air as to whether Berlin will be completely gentrified (although I don't like that term - why not call out "bought up by global investors" as opposed to those who want to have somewhere to live and have made a bit of money and can afford to buy a place) or still keep it's anarchist charm. The risk is that the centre turns into a sort of tourist "alternative" cultural centre cum amusement park controlled by big businesses whilst the hinterland and high rise blocks are a bastion of right wing neo-Nazism with scatterings of anarcho-socialism driven out of the centre by land prices. Difficult for me to tell as although I've visited a few times and it seems a vibrant and exciting place there do seem to be a lot of tourists and cultural immigrants from USA and Europe (as opposed to economic migrants or war refugees) which has a different feel to the mix of people in say London. Back to the book. A good read and worthwhile searching out especially before visiting Berlin. Wish I'd read it before I had especially as my mate is about to move out. And a much better overview of a city than the last book I read which was This is London.
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