Christiane F. is a former heroine addict famous for her contribution in this autobiographical book, and the film based on the book.
A powerful memoir first published 35 years ago in Germany (a U.S.
edition and film adaptation soon followed) shows no sign of tarnish
in Cartwright's mesmerizing and urgent new translation. The story
of Christiane F., a heroin-addicted teenager living in 1970s
Berlin, begins with her family's move from the country to a
fractured and confusing existence in the Berlin projects.
Christiane's bleak circumstances (her father is physically abusive,
her mother permissive and absent, her teachers cold and uncaring)
lead the 12-year-old to experiment with drugs. She begins with pot
and alcohol--rapidly moving on to pills, acid, and finally
heroin--finding excitement and intense companionship with a group
of David Bowie-worshipping teenagers who populate the city's
underground club scene. Eventually, Christiane resorts to working
alongside her boyfriend as a prostitute at the Bahnhof Zoo train
station to support her addiction.
Chapters written from the perspective of Christiane's mother and
other adult figures can sometimes disrupt the hypnotic effect of
Christiane's narrative, but they also offer broader insight into a
vulnerable population under the influence of a devastating new
drug. Christiane's uninhibited voice crackles with cynicism over
the hypocrisy and arbitrary rules she observes around her ('I hated
it when people talked like they also wanted to save me. I got real
marriage proposals. And all the while they knew full well that they
were only taking advantage of our misery, the misery of the
addicts, to satisfy their own desires'), as she documents the
choices that bring her further into destitution and despair. Even
in moments of utter depravity, Christiane remains sympathetic and
wise, with a deeply embedded sense of morality. Although
Christiane's message to readers is, without a doubt, 'Do not follow
me, ' she synthesizes moments of beauty and joy alongside those of
horror, resulting in a deeply observant look at the search for love
and meaning amid chaos.--Publishers Weekly-- "Journal"
An eloquent memoir of teen drug abuse from 1970s Berlin retains a
contemporary feel in a new translation. Christiane F.'s story
begins in childhood. Readers feel, from her 6-year-old perspective,
the sense of frustration and restlessness that permeates the
housing projects of Gropiusstadt and her father's violent
punishments for mild infractions. At 12, she first tries alcohol,
hashish and LSD, and the experiences are described with evocative
imagery. That Christiane will ultimately become addicted to heroin
is apparent from the first page, and a sense of tragic
inevitability pervades each early anecdote. Christiane paints a
grim portrait of the drugs-and-sex-work scene around Berlin's Zoo
Station, but readers will also see the sense of fraught community
that develops among Christiane and her friends. The strong pull of
heroin is never clearer than when, after four days of brutal
withdrawal, Christiane talks herself into having 'one last and
final fix.' Short chapters written by Christiane's mother and a
social worker, a photo spread, a foreword and editorial footnotes
help contextualize Christiane's life in West Berlin. Readers might,
however, wish for more information about how the memoir came to be
published, and a note about HIV infection (not a possibility in
Christiane's time, but certainly a risk now) would also be helpful.
Disturbing but compelling.--Kirkus Reviews-- "Journal"
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