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I love the themes that Böll explores so cleverly. His writing has not lost any of its bite in the forty years since it was written. If anything, the way he explores the infamy the press can so callously bestow, is more apposite now than then. That any individual can court notoriety remains a mysterious motivation to me, but the advent of social media has made instant vilification commonplace. The dentist who shot Cecil the lion, for example, or the woman who joked about sexual diseases in Africa
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Katharina Blum falls for a guy at a party who turns out to be a wanted criminal. After she takes him home for the night, her life is ruined by police attention and press hysteria.
Written in the 1970s amid the activity of the Red Army Faction gang of terrorists in Germany, this book is highly relevant again today.
Written in the 1970s amid the activity of the Red Army Faction gang of terrorists in Germany, this book is highly relevant again today.
I actually enjoyed this book, probably because although written in 1974, it still seems to be very relevant. To me, our media is just out of control. It seems that currently they will do just about anything to get a story and that is basically what this story is about. The book, which is rather short, is actually a flashback explaining the opening scenes. Katharina meets a man at a party, feels attracted and leaves the party with him. The following day she is questioned by the police who tell he
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"or how violence can develop and where it can lead" Sensational tabloid news and the political climate over the panic of the Red Army Faction in the 70s in Germany. The protagonist, Katherine Blum, is an housekeeper whose life is ruined by a reporter who publishes outright lies. She invites him to her apartment and shoots him This occurs in the beginning and is not a spoiler. The narrative voice is detached. Impartial reporting example yet it is obvious that the reporter's symptom is with Kathar
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Apr 07, 2015
Sara
marked it as to-read
Mar 01, 2016
Sorobai
marked it as to-read
Mar 14, 2016
Charisma
marked it as to-read
May 28, 2017
themis
marked it as to-read-before-you-die
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review of another edition
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Nov 22, 2018
Denise (deesbooknook)
marked it as to-read
