Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo

Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo

by: Christiane F.

Fourteen-year-old Christiane lives with her mother and little sister in a small apartment in a typical multi-storey concrete apartment building in a dull neighbourhood in the outskirts of West Berlin. She's bored and lacks things to do and is sick and tired of living there. She hears of Sound, a new disco in the city center, called the most modern discothèque in Europe. Although she's legally too young to go to the disco, she dresses up in high heels and make-up and asks a friend from school to take her. At the disco she meets Detlef, who is a little older. He is in a clique where everybody is experimenting with various drugs. At first she takes pills and trips, but gradually she becomes drawn deeper into the drugs, eventually ending up as a heroin-addict and prostitute.

My rating *****

This novel crafted with an astounding level of realism. It tells a story of a 14 year old heroin addict and her her downward spiral into heroin addiction and prostitution. The way the book is written it seems like you are looking through Christiane's eyes, every filthy toilet, every creepy, slimy john whom she must trick with for drug money, every moment of terror and desperation.

At this age, everything is felt so intensely so when Christiane falls for Detlef it feels for her like loosing him would mean the end of the world for her. The story really takes of when they start using together. What i like about this book it that it doesn't glamorize heroin or anything else those kids are going thru. It shows you the reality of life and the consequences you have to face when you go down that road.

Brilliantly written, mesmerizing story makes it impossible to keep your eyes away from the book. I love it, love it , love it!! Best book ever written about drug addiction!!