Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo by Christiane F.
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I had to prepare a presentation on Bydlowska’s Drunk Mom in my creative non-fiction course and this book (titled Station Zoo in English) was mentioned by the author. I was curious about it, since growing up in Berlin I kept hearing it mentioned, yet I never knew what it was really about.
Whatever somebody could have told me about it would not have been enough to caution me on the journey I was about to embark upon.
The book resonated with me on a very personal note, because part of Christiane F.’s story took place in Gropiusstadt, a neighbourhood in the district of Neukölln in Berlin; my old neighbourhood. I was born in the hospital just 3 km from my old apartment house; from my bedroom window I could see the roof of one hospital wing.
Whenever the narrator mentioned a place in Berlin especially in my old neighbourhood, I knew exactly where she referring to. It gave me an odd sense of nostalgia, but also brought back a lot of the same frustration Christane F. talks about.
It reminded me of the endless rules and regulations that made living in Berlin almost unbearable. I don’t mean rules kids have to follow so that they don’t get run over by a car or accidentally put themselves in harm’s way. I mean rules that were applied to the playground, such as the one just downstairs from my apartment. The rules were listed as follows: no playing between 1pm – 4pm, a helmet must be worn at all times, no running, no yelling, no dogs, no bikes, no roller skates, no climbing, no swinging on the swings too high. It was extremely hypocritical, since we found tons of cigarette butts in the sand, along with cat shit; young adults were screaming and laughing until well past midnight and kids were sexually assaulted or having their first sodomizing experience in the bushes that bordered the playground.
I understand the narrator’s point that it certainly felt like kids were viewed as the problem, even though they were the victims and just looking for a place to belong.
That was exactly what she was trying to do; try and find a place where she felt accepted and belonged.
The narrator also went to the same school I went. A school that prided themselves of being one of a kind, yet it failed to properly educate their students. A mentality of competing, of being better than everybody else was nurtured.
It was no surprise to see some of my classmates showing up for Latin class smelling like booze and meeting friends of friends that were so high all they could do was shout “moonface” at everyone.
The pressure got too much, and all teachers and other grown ups could do was tell them that once they get into the “real world” they are just a number, they should have it better than the previous generation. It is almost hilarious to see how they blindly they spoke and acted.
During my research I came across a few newspaper articles that reported on the residents of Gropiusstadt still harbouring sour feelings about Christiane F.’s book giving the neighbourhood a bad reputation. It is curious that Station Zoo is part of the German literature curriculum in high schools throughout Germany, except the schools belonging to the Gropiusstadt school district.
Overall, I sympathized with the narrator’s struggles, made me extremely thankful for life I have now. I only wish I had read it sooner. I would definitely recommend it to everyone, although I have yet to find an English copy.
