{"product_id":"burning-down-the-haus-punk-rock-revolution-and-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-9781616209797","title":"Burning Down the Haus: Punk Rock, Revolution, and the Fall of the Berlin Wall","description":"\u003cb\u003eNAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY \u003ci\u003eRolling Stone\u003c\/i\u003e * \u003ci\u003eBookPage\u003c\/i\u003e * Amazon * Rough Trade \u003cbr\u003e Longlisted for the Carnegie Medal for Excellence \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \" A] riveting and inspiring history of punk's hard-fought struggle in East Germany.\" --\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"A thrilling and essential social history that details the rebellious youth movement that helped change the world.\" --\u003ci\u003eRolling Stone\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Original and inspiring . . . Mr. Mohr has writ­ten an im­por­tant work of Cold War cul­tural his­tory.\" --\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \"Wildly entertaining . . . A thrilling tale . . . A joy in the way it brings back punk's fury and high stakes.\"\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e--\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eVogue\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e It began with a handful of East Berlin teens who heard the Sex Pistols on a British military radio broadcast to troops in West Berlin, and it ended with the collapse of the East German dictatorship. Punk rock was a life-changing discovery. The buzz-saw guitars, the messed-up clothing and hair, the rejection of society and the DIY approach to building a new one: in their gray surroundings, where everyone's future was preordained by some communist apparatchik, punk represented a revolutionary philosophy--quite literally, as it turned out. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e But as these young kids tried to form bands and became more visible, security forces--including the dreaded secret police, the Stasi--targeted them. They were spied on by friends and even members of their own families; they were expelled from schools and fired from jobs; they were beaten by police and imprisoned. Instead of conforming, the punks fought back, playing an indispensable role in the underground movements that helped bring down the Berlin Wall. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e This secret history of East German punk rock is not just about the music; it is a story of extraordinary bravery in the face of one of the most oppressive regimes in history. Rollicking, cinematic, deeply researched, highly readable, and thrillingly topical, \u003ci\u003eBurning Down the Haus\u003c\/i\u003e brings to life the young men and women who successfully fought authoritarianism three chords at a time--and is a fiery testament to the irrepressible spirit of revolution.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eMohr, Tim:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cb\u003eTim Mohr\u003c\/b\u003e is an award-winning translator of authors such as Alina Bronsky, Wolfgang Herrndorf, and Charlotte Roche. He has also collaborated on memoirs by musicians Gil Scott-Heron, Duff McKagan of Guns N' Roses, and Paul Stanley of KISS. His own writing has appeared in the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNew York Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eInked\u003c\/i\u003e, among other publications, and he spent several years as a staff editor at \u003ci\u003ePlayboy\u003c\/i\u003e magazine, where he edited Hunter S. Thompson, John Dean, and Harvey Pekar, among others. Prior to starting his writing career he earned his living as a club DJ in Berlin.","brand":"Algonquin Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50704965140754,"sku":"9781616209797","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_bf61ec18-4756-4e74-a195-3c154f06bb09.jpg?v=1734484041","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/burning-down-the-haus-punk-rock-revolution-and-the-fall-of-the-berlin-wall-9781616209797","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}