I live in Trier, the oldest city in Germany. It was the Rome of the north and Emperor Constantine‘s mother‘s chosen home. It’s full of Roman architecture and is also the birthplace of Karl Marx. Did you know some of ideas came from observing the people bringing in the grapes from the surrounding vineyards? The vineyards constructed by the Romans. It’s also half an hour away from Luxembourg and France so if you ever come back to Germany, come to the Moselle valley where you can try our cheap Riesling wine. Thanks for another great review:) I have lived here since 1997 because I married a German, I’m actually Scottish originally. I openly asked a lot of questions about the war and back in the 90s met some real old Nazis who forced me to drink schnapps at 10:00 in the morning. Despite being old men, they still gave me the creeps as did the family albums of my in laws. I read a book about Albert Speer whilst living with my father in law who showed he was displeased with the author’s framing. These people are mostly dead and gone now and memories are second hand so it’s not as sensitive a subject as it used to be. My daughter went to Dachau last year with her school and I’m glad this tradition continues. She’s 16 and does feel the burden though. She phoned me from there because she was in floods of tears. Equally I’ve had conversations about totalitarian life with former East Germans too. I hope some of them write about it before the memories are lost forever.
Thanks for writing Scarba, I appreciate your perspective. It sounds like you are enjoying your life in Germany, especially as a wine drinker. I wish I could get back to Europe, but at this stage of my life we are planning our move to Japan in the next few years. My wife is Japanese, and we feel our son will have a better life growing up in Japan. The drug situation in Canada is terrible, and though Japan might be strict, I think a strict upbringing is not a bad thing. Especially with two parents who tend to be on the lazy side. I remember hearing some strange things when I was in Germany. How Germans like to smoke, "Because Hitler was very anti-smoking, so Germans like to smoke, even today, as a way of going against Hitler's ideas." That really took me by surprise, and I only 50% believe that one. When I asked why the Swiss seemed to be a nation of smokers, I was told, "Because everyone is so rich here, they like to have something to spend their money on." That, I could believe. Thanks again for writing!
@@grantlovesbooksthe reason is that the cigarette industry lobbies hard in Germany and got favours such as continued advertising and loophole for smoking in confined spaces like bars. It’s culturally still acceptable here unfortunately.
@@scarba It's strange how conflicted I am about smoking. I quit in 1999, 25 years ago now. And of all the things I've done, that must be one of the best. But then I read an article about a country wanting to be entirely smoke free. I think it was New Zealand. And that rubs me the wrong way. Not that I want people to smoke, but I want them to have the choice not to. Whenever I go out to a bar, there always comes a moment where I notice how smoke free the air is, and the huddle of people outside smoking, and it doesn't seem like a fun way to enjoy a night out. I don't know why we can't have some clubs that are smoking clubs, and some that aren't. I guess I grew up in the era where any drinking establishment always had a thick layer of blue cloud swirling around the heads of people with red faces and wet lips. I quite smoking, unintentionally, just when the strong anti-smoking laws took effect in Canada. It has always felt a little odd to me that I went non-smoking at the same time that Canada got so strict about it.
@@grantlovesbooks The UK have passed a law that anyone aged 16 next year with that birth year and younger will be forever prohibited from buying cigarettes. It doesn’t stop them from vaping though. It effectively will mean a permanent ban on smoking eventually though and I think they were inspired by New Zealand or somewhere. There’s bars in Germany full of smoke because the rule is if you don’t serve food and can only provide one room then you can smoke. I am an ex smoker too but smoking sends me into coughing fits these days. I am also sad that my daughter has started smoking because it’s still far from out of fashion. Have you ever read Me talk pretty one day? It’s also the title of one of the short stories within the book. It pretty much mirrored my experience of learning German in Hamburg in the 90s. It’s hilariously funny.
I visited Auschwitz many years ago. It feels so wrong that anyone should take photos there. My enduring memory was of the spectacles - the pathos of such a sight - making real what in theory had felt unimaginable- was so striking. I think it is good that you broach these difficult subjects. I don't think I will be able to read this book but your rationale for so doing is entirely sound. I might attempt the Primo Levy. My TBR list gets longer through subscribing here. Loved your story about the collective memory loss on your trip - very funny and I hope those photos see the light of day, some day...
I recall, leaving Auschwitz, that everyone should go there, to really understand the reality and get a sense of what happened. Primo Levi, The Periodic Table, touches on his time in Auschwitz, but it doesn't get too badly into the atrocities. It is more a few chapters about how he survived. Borowski's book is really some of the hard sad stuff, you might want to give it a pass. The Dusseldorf story was funny. We were all having breakfast the next day, none of us with too bad of a hangover, and someone said, "Maybe we shouldn't have had that second Killepitsch." And someone else asked, "Did we have another one?" And we began to realize that none of us were at all clear what had happened the night previous. Hope you are well! Good luck with the TBR, mine gets longer all the time too!
I suppose I've decided it's my job now, to let people know about some of the great books that are out there. I feel it is not enough to read them, but also to share them with others.
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I live in Trier, the oldest city in Germany. It was the Rome of the north and Emperor Constantine‘s mother‘s chosen home. It’s full of Roman architecture and is also the birthplace of Karl Marx. Did you know some of ideas came from observing the people bringing in the grapes from the surrounding vineyards? The vineyards constructed by the Romans. It’s also half an hour away from Luxembourg and France so if you ever come back to Germany, come to the Moselle valley where you can try our cheap Riesling wine. Thanks for another great review:) I have lived here since 1997 because I married a German, I’m actually Scottish originally. I openly asked a lot of questions about the war and back in the 90s met some real old Nazis who forced me to drink schnapps at 10:00 in the morning. Despite being old men, they still gave me the creeps as did the family albums of my in laws. I read a book about Albert Speer whilst living with my father in law who showed he was displeased with the author’s framing. These people are mostly dead and gone now and memories are second hand so it’s not as sensitive a subject as it used to be. My daughter went to Dachau last year with her school and I’m glad this tradition continues. She’s 16 and does feel the burden though. She phoned me from there because she was in floods of tears. Equally I’ve had conversations about totalitarian life with former East Germans too. I hope some of them write about it before the memories are lost forever.
Thanks for writing Scarba, I appreciate your perspective. It sounds like you are enjoying your life in Germany, especially as a wine drinker. I wish I could get back to Europe, but at this stage of my life we are planning our move to Japan in the next few years. My wife is Japanese, and we feel our son will have a better life growing up in Japan. The drug situation in Canada is terrible, and though Japan might be strict, I think a strict upbringing is not a bad thing. Especially with two parents who tend to be on the lazy side.
I remember hearing some strange things when I was in Germany. How Germans like to smoke, "Because Hitler was very anti-smoking, so Germans like to smoke, even today, as a way of going against Hitler's ideas."
That really took me by surprise, and I only 50% believe that one.
When I asked why the Swiss seemed to be a nation of smokers, I was told, "Because everyone is so rich here, they like to have something to spend their money on." That, I could believe.
Thanks again for writing!
@@grantlovesbooksthe reason is that the cigarette industry lobbies hard in Germany and got favours such as continued advertising and loophole for smoking in confined spaces like bars. It’s culturally still acceptable here unfortunately.
@@scarba It's strange how conflicted I am about smoking. I quit in 1999, 25 years ago now. And of all the things I've done, that must be one of the best.
But then I read an article about a country wanting to be entirely smoke free. I think it was New Zealand. And that rubs me the wrong way. Not that I want people to smoke, but I want them to have the choice not to.
Whenever I go out to a bar, there always comes a moment where I notice how smoke free the air is, and the huddle of people outside smoking, and it doesn't seem like a fun way to enjoy a night out. I don't know why we can't have some clubs that are smoking clubs, and some that aren't.
I guess I grew up in the era where any drinking establishment always had a thick layer of blue cloud swirling around the heads of people with red faces and wet lips.
I quite smoking, unintentionally, just when the strong anti-smoking laws took effect in Canada. It has always felt a little odd to me that I went non-smoking at the same time that Canada got so strict about it.
@@grantlovesbooks The UK have passed a law that anyone aged 16 next year with that birth year and younger will be forever prohibited from buying cigarettes. It doesn’t stop them from vaping though. It effectively will mean a permanent ban on smoking eventually though and I think they were inspired by New Zealand or somewhere. There’s bars in Germany full of smoke because the rule is if you don’t serve food and can only provide one room then you can smoke. I am an ex smoker too but smoking sends me into coughing fits these days. I am also sad that my daughter has started smoking because it’s still far from out of fashion. Have you ever read Me talk pretty one day? It’s also the title of one of the short stories within the book. It pretty much mirrored my experience of learning German in Hamburg in the 90s. It’s hilariously funny.
I visited Auschwitz many years ago. It feels so wrong that anyone should take photos there. My enduring memory was of the spectacles - the pathos of such a sight - making real what in theory had felt unimaginable- was so striking. I think it is good that you broach these difficult subjects. I don't think I will be able to read this book but your rationale for so doing is entirely sound. I might attempt the Primo Levy. My TBR list gets longer through subscribing here.
Loved your story about the collective memory loss on your trip - very funny and I hope those photos see the light of day, some day...
I recall, leaving Auschwitz, that everyone should go there, to really understand the reality and get a sense of what happened.
Primo Levi, The Periodic Table, touches on his time in Auschwitz, but it doesn't get too badly into the atrocities. It is more a few chapters about how he survived.
Borowski's book is really some of the hard sad stuff, you might want to give it a pass.
The Dusseldorf story was funny. We were all having breakfast the next day, none of us with too bad of a hangover, and someone said, "Maybe we shouldn't have had that second Killepitsch." And someone else asked, "Did we have another one?" And we began to realize that none of us were at all clear what had happened the night previous.
Hope you are well! Good luck with the TBR, mine gets longer all the time too!
Thank you for your recommendation and your honesty
I suppose I've decided it's my job now, to let people know about some of the great books that are out there. I feel it is not enough to read them, but also to share them with others.
Good to see you. Now I'll listen to the review. Thanks.
Hello Deb! Little bit of a hard one this week, but quite in keeping with my 2024 TBR.