Erik Kirschbaum, a native of New York City and long-time Springsteen fan, has lived in Germany for more than twenty-five years. He is a correspondent for the Reuters international news agency and a non-fiction author, and is based in Berlin since 1993. He has written about entertainment, politics, sports, economics, renewable energy as well as disasters, earthquakes and climate change in nearly thirty countries. He is also a devoted father of four, an enthusiastic cyclist, a solar power entrepreneur and an unabashed crusader for renewable energy. Rocking the Wall is his third book. Herbert Schulze, born 1950 in Berlin, was the official photographer of the Springsteen concert, and also one of the most well-known music photographers in East Germany. Today, he has his own photo studio in Berlin, where he lives with his wife.
Inside this book is as clear a statement of the power of this music as anyone, ever, has come up with." -Dave Marsh, Rolling Stone music critic "An illuminating and impressively detailed examination of a frequently overlooked moment in the nexus of rock music and political liberation. I learned a great deal and enjoyed doing so." -Eric Alterman, author of It Ain't No Sin to Be Glad You're Alive: The Promise of Bruce Springsteen "It was cultural forces, not merely political or military ones, that won the Cold War for the West, and which may yet spring more oppressive regimes from the tyranny of the old and joyless. Young East Germans wanted their rock and roll; -Tris McCall, The Star Ledger, New Jersey ..".a glorious example of the influence that rock 'n' roll can have on people who are hungry and ready for change." -Michelle Martin for The Washington Post Kirschbaum is convinced it was the most politically important rock concert ever held. His book makes a strong case that historians should explore Springsteen's impact in fuelling the revolution. David Crossland, Der SPIEGEL, Germany Springsteen is still with us. The regime of the German Democratic Republic is not. Stephen Evans, the BBC In telling the back story of how the concert came to be, "Rocking the Wall" also offers a fascinating historical snapshot of East German Communist cultural officials scrambling to contain the brewing political restlessness all around them. Vanessa Fuhrmanns, The Wall Street Journal "Once in a while you play a place, you play a show that ends up staying inside of you, living with you for the rest of your life," he said. "East Berlin in 1988 was certainly one of them." Kate Connolly, The Guardian "What was intended by East Berlin's hard-line leadership as a pacifier for their people, Kirschbaum argues, had the opposite effect and turned into a powerful agent for change." Derek Scally, The Irish Times "It was like a brief embrace with the Statue of Liberty." "Global Post
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