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40x40

ClareR (5726 KP) rated Madgermanes in Books

Feb 20, 2022  
Madgermanes
Madgermanes
Birgit Weyhe | 2021 | Comics & Graphic Novels, Contemporary, History & Politics
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
This is a really interesting period of history (for me, anyway!) and I enjoyed finding out about the ‘Madgermanes” or the Mozambicans who went to work in East Germany. After the wall between East and West Germany was erected, East Germany realised that they’d lost a lot of their workers to the West. So East Germany chose Mozambique as a sister country, and workers were sent to the GDR with promises of education, good work and good wages. Whilst they did get some education (if they largely sorted it out for themselves), the work could be simple and repetitive. What’s more, they only received half of their wages. They never got the half that had been sent back to Mozambique for ‘safekeeping’.

Housing for these visiting workers was usually in basic hostels, shared rooms, and away from the East Germans. Mixing was discouraged, as were relationships. Pregnancies were either terminated or the woman was sent home.

The pictures in the book are a wonderful mix of African and European, and some really big feelings are clearly illustrated. I loved it. I’d be really interested to know how many Mozambicans were able to stay in Germany and become German citizens. The novel implies that life was difficult for those who returned to Mozambique, financially, socially and culturally.

It’s a fascinating read, and one I’d recommend.
  
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Erika (17788 KP) rated Good Bye, Lenin! (2004) in Movies

Jan 29, 2018  
Good Bye, Lenin! (2004)
Good Bye, Lenin! (2004)
2004 | Comedy, Drama, International
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Daniel Bruhl (0 more)
The premise of this movie is fairly simple, the main character's mom comes out of a coma, East and West Germany have reunited, and this fact may kill his mother. The hoops he jumps through to keep his mother calm are hilarious, fake newscasts, radio, everything.
  
40x40

Donna C (199 KP) rated Geiger in Books

Apr 21, 2021  
Geiger
Geiger
Gustaf Skordeman | 2021 | History & Politics, Thriller
6
6.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Well written (0 more)
Not my kind of story (0 more)
Not for me
When I read the synopsis I was really interested in this book. But when it arrived and I started to read it, it turned out to be different to how I expected.

I got to about halfway through and decided I didn't want to finish it. I didn't really engage with the characters, or the story.

It started off with a 70 year old Swedish woman shooting her 85 year old husband dead after a phone call which just gave the code word Geiger. Then she leaves. That is what grabbed me. But then the story goes into Cold War territory and the relationship between Sweden and East Germany. The husband was a famous children's television personality in his younger days and would hold parties at his home which famous people would attend, including other TV stars, business people and politicians. But was he a spy working for East Germany? Or for Sweden against East Germany? And why is his wife now going around shooting other people connected to him? Is she the spy? I'll never know, as I only got to page 203.

If anyone would like to tell me how it ends, feel free.