Queer Lives Across the Wall

It is a passionately written and deeply researched book that provides in-depth examination of queer history in post-WWII Berlin. The author‘s passion for the topic shines through in every page and I really appreciated that the book also gives voice to stories and experiences of queer women.

One of the undeniable strengths is its in-depth examination of letters and oral interview transcripts. The author meticulously examines the language used in these documents and provides a nuanced analysis of the meaning behind all the words.

The book adopts academic style, with the author providing lots of explanation of what will be written in the chapter and closing with a conclusion. However this fact does not make the book any less enjoyable to read.

ARC provided by NetGalley. Thank you.

Andrea Rottmann addresses right away the difficulty of writing Queer Lives Across the Wall due to the limited public information of lesbians and transsexuals in history. This is not to say that Rottman doesn't do an excellent job of sharing stories and giving us glimpses into everyday life, party life, farm life, and urban life. Rottman takes us through it all.

I found it all very fascinating and mundane at the same time. I find “us” to be kind of boring - I say this as a rainbow. It's not as if we are creatures behind glass performing odd tricks. We just live our lives or attempt to in many cases whether in the past or in the present. From a sociological perspective, I love non-fiction biographies that look at lives in the past. What makes rainbow biographies and histories different is the type of bigotry and how we cope, adapt, and try to survive it.

Rottman gives a viewpoint of life in Germany where many were known to be “free”, but were they really? I gobbled this book up. It is a quick read with lots of information. If you love history, then add this Queer Lives Across the Wall to your list.