Stasiland
By Anna Funder
Review by Claude
Stasiland is a phenomenal read with a unique approach to one of history’s best chronicled hermit states. By seeking out those closest to the weapons of power through intimate and often confronting interviews, Funder demonstrates the kind of dedication and attention to detail any journalist ought to aspire to. This really feels like a wholehearted attempt to convey the multilayered and lasting impact of a country’s whose survival depended on the imprisonment, manipulation and torture of its people. In the years I’ve spent fascinated by the DDR I’ve never come across any material as powerful and human as this.
