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Recommendations based on Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zooby Christiane Vera Felscherinow
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Survival in Auschwitz
by Primo Levi
True story of a man's struggle to survive in a Nazi concentration camp.
The true and harrowing account of Primo Levi’s experience at the German concentration camp of Auschwitz and his miraculous survival; hailed by The Times Literary Supplement as a “true work of art, ... (Goodreads)
3,096 Days
by Natascha Kampusch
Autobiography of Natascha Kampusch, who was kidnapped at age 10 and held captive for 8 years.
On 2 March 1998 ten-year-old Natascha Kampusch was snatched off the street by a stranger and bundled into a white van. Hours later she found herself in a dark cellar, wrapped in a blanket. When she ... (Goodreads)
Henry and June: From "A Journal of Love": The Unexpurgated Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1931-1932
by Anaïs Nin
A passionate and scandalous love affair between Anaïs Nin, Henry Miller, and his wife June. A raw and intimate portrayal of their bohemian lifestyle in 1930s Paris.
At the end of 1931, Nin finds herself dissatisfied with being a timid, faithful wife to her banker husband, Hugh Parker Guiler . Nin and her husband contemplate the possibility of opening their ... (Wikipedia)
Wasted: A Memoir of Anorexia and Bulimia
by Marya Hornbacher
A personal account of the author's struggles with eating disorders and her road to recovery.
Why would a talented young woman enter into a torrid affair with hunger, drugs, sex, and death? Through five lengthy hospital stays, endless therapy, and the loss of family, friends, jobs, and all ... (Goodreads)
Burned Alive
by Souad
A survivor's account of her brutal, harrowing experience of being burned alive by her family.
When Souad was seventeen she fell in love. In her village, as in so many others, sex before marriage was considered a grave dishonour to one's family and was punishable by death. This was her crime. ... (Goodreads)
The Complete Maus
by Art Spiegelman
A graphic novel depicting a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust and his son's journey to understand the past.
On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of its first publication, here is the definitive edition of the book acclaimed as “the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the ... (Goodreads)
Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain
by Charles R. Cross
An in-depth look at the life of the Nirvana frontman, exploring his legendary career and tumultuous life.
The art of Nirvana's Kurt Cobain was all about his private life, but written in a code as obscure as T.S. Eliot's. Now Charles Cross has cracked the code in the definitive biography Heavier Than ... (Goodreads)
Desert Flower
by Waris Dirie
A harrowing autobiographical account of a young Somali girl's journey from oppression to freedom.
Waris Dirie ran away from her oppressive life in the African desert when she was barely in her teens, illiterate and impoverished, with nothing to her name but a tattered shawl. She traveled alone ... (Goodreads)
Just Kids
by Patti Smith
Chronicles of two young artists in New York City, finding friendship and inspiration in each other.
In Just Kids , Patti Smith's first book of prose, the legendary American artist offers a never-before-seen glimpse of her remarkable relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the epochal ... (Goodreads)
First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers
by Loung Ung
An inspiring true story of survival and resilience during the brutal Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia.
From a childhood survivor of the Cambodian genocide under the regime of Pol Pot, this is a riveting narrative of war crimes and desperate actions, the unnerving strength of a small girl and her ... (Goodreads)
Schindler's List
by Thomas Keneally
Story of a German businessman who saved hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust.
This novel tells the story of Oskar Schindler , self-made entrepreneur and, bon viveur, who almost by default found himself saving Polish Jews from the Nazi death machine. Based on numerous ... (Wikipedia)
Discourse on the Origin of Inequality
by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
An exploration of the origins of inequality between humans, and its effects on society.
If humans are benevolent by nature, how do societies become corrupt? And how do governments founded upon the defense of individual rights degenerate into tyranny? These are the questions addressed by ... (Goodreads)
Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea
by Guy Delisle
A graphic novel memoir of a French animator's experiences living and working in North Korea.
Famously referred to as one of the "Axis of Evil" countries, North Korea remains one of the most secretive and mysterious nations in the world today. In early 2001 cartoonist Guy Delisle became one ... (Goodreads)
Papillon
by Henri Charrière
An account of an unjustly convicted man's escape from a notorious French penal colony.
Henri Charrière, called "Papillon," for the butterfly tattoo on his chest, was convicted in Paris in 1931 of a murder he did not commit. Sentenced to life imprisonment in the penal colony of French ... (Goodreads)
59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot
by Richard Wiseman
Evidence-based self-help book that provides practical tips to improve various aspects of life in under a minute.
In "59 Seconds," psychologist Professor Richard Wiseman presents a fresh approach to change that helps people achieve their aims and ambitions in minutes, not months. From mood to memory, persuasion ... (Goodreads)
Eating Animals
by Jonathan Safran Foer
An exploration of the ethical and environmental implications of eating meat.
Jonathan Safran Foer spent much of his life oscillating between enthusiastic carnivore and occasional vegetarian. Once he started a family, the moral dimensions of food became increasingly important. ... (Goodreads)
My Family and Other Animals
by Gerald Durrell
A humorous memoir of a family's experiences living on the Mediterranean island of Corfu.
When the unconventional Durrell family can no longer endure the damp, gray English climate, they do what any sensible family would do: sell their house and relocate to the sunny Greek isle of Corfu. ... (Goodreads)
Thus Spoke Zarathustra
by Friedrich Nietzsche
A philosophical treatise exploring morality, religion, and the meaning of life.
History of Beauty
by Umberto Eco
An exploration of the concept of beauty throughout time, from antiquity to the present day.
Umberto Eco’s groundbreaking and much-acclaimed first illustrated book has been a critical success since its first publication in 2004. What is beauty? Umberto Eco, among Italy’s finest and most ... (Goodreads)
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten
by Robert Fulghum
A collection of essays that highlight the simple yet profound lessons we learn in childhood that are still relevant in adulthood.
Robert Fulghum engages with musings on life, death, love, pain, joy, sorrow, and the best chicken-fried steak in the continental United States. The little seed in the Styrofoam cup offers a reminder ... (Goodreads)
One Child
by Torey L. Hayden
A teacher's struggles to make a difference in the life of a disturbed child.
This beautiful and deeply moving tale recounts educational psychologist Torey Hayden's battle to unlock the emotions of a troubled and sexually abused child who, with the help of Hayden, was finally ... (Goodreads)
Marie Antoinette: The Journey
by Antonia Fraser
A biography of Marie Antoinette, from her childhood in Austria to her reign as Queen of France and eventual execution during the French Revolution.
Marie Antoinette's dramatic life-story continues to arouse mixed emotions. To many people, she is still 'la reine méchante', whose extravagance and frivolity helped to bring down the French monarchy; ... (Goodreads)
A Room of One's Own
by Virginia Woolf
Examining gender roles and societal expectations with an eye to achieving independence and creative freedom.
A Room of One's Own is an extended essay by Virginia Woolf. First published on the 24th of October, 1929, the essay was based on a series of lectures she delivered at Newnham College and Girton ... (Goodreads)
Weird Things Customers Say in Bookshops
by Jen Campbell
Lighthearted collection of humorous conversations between bookshop customers and staff.
A simple Twitter question posed by John Cleese—“What is your biggest pet peeve?”—inspired Jen Campbell to start a blog collecting all the ridiculous conversations overheard in her bookstore. “Did ... (Barnes & Noble)
Embroideries
by Marjane Satrapi
An intimate gathering of Iranian women sharing stories of love, life, and sexuality.
From the best–selling author of Persepolis comes this gloriously entertaining and enlightening look into the sex lives of Iranian women. Embroideries gathers together Marjane’s tough–talking ... (Goodreads)
The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil
by Philip G. Zimbardo
An inquiry into the psychological forces that drive individuals to act immorally.
Renowned social psychologist and creator of the "Stanford Prison Experiment," Philip Zimbardo explores the mechanisms that make good people do bad things, how moral people can be seduced into acting ... (Goodreads)
Auschwitz: A Doctor's Eyewitness Account
by Miklós Nyiszli
An account of the horrors of Auschwitz, as experienced by a Jewish prisoner-doctor.
When the Nazis invaded Hungary in 1944, they sent virtually the entire Jewish population to Auschwitz. A Jew and a medical doctor, the prisoner Dr. Miklos Nyiszli was spared death for a grimmer fate: ... (Goodreads)
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother
by Amy Chua
A memoir of a Chinese-American mother's strict parenting style and the cultural clashes it creates with her daughters.
An awe-inspiring, often hilarious, and unerringly honest story of one mother's exercise in extreme parenting, revealing the rewards—and the costs—of raising her children the Chinese way. "This is a ... (Goodreads)
The Vagina Monologues
by Eve Ensler
A collection of stories and monologues celebrating the power and complexity of female sexuality.
The Vagina Monologues is made up of various personal monologues read by a diverse group of women. Originally, Eve Ensler performed every monologue herself, with subsequent performances featuring ... (Wikipedia)
The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World
by Eric Weiner
A humorous exploration of the pursuit of happiness, through visits to different countries.
Weiner spent a decade as a foreign correspondent reporting from such discontented locales as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Indonesia. Unhappy people living in profoundly unstable states, he notes, inspire ... (Goodreads)
