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The Bar at the End of the Regime by [Ed Ward]

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Ed Ward

The Bar at the End of the Regime Kindle Edition

by Ed Ward (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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It was 1994, and the two halves of Germany were still cautiously feeling each other out while the media looked on. An article about the restoration of a statue of Frederick the Great in Letschin, an obscure village by the German-Polish border appeared in the Washington Post, where Charlie Bartsch noticed that the bar-owner who'd started the brouhaha about the statue bore his surname. Charlie was an orphan and had never heard of anyone else named Bartsch, so he and two of his friends decided to visit that fall.

This is, among other things, the story of that visit, told by the American journalist who, with a cab-driving friend from Berlin, wound up in the middle of an extraordinary cross-cultural exchange and unveiled a story of life under Communism, personal bravery, and not a little bit of confusion.

Part travel story, part reportage, and part memoir, The Bar at the End of the Regime captures a unique place and time as well as the cultural and social gap between the citizens of the former German Democratic Republic and the United States. It's a warm human story with a lot of humor, and shows a side of German unification you won't find in the history books.

* * *

Ed Ward is best-known as the "rock and roll historian" for Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR. From 1993 until 2008, he lived in Berlin, where in addition to the radio work, he contributed to the Wall Street Journal Europe as a roving cultural correspondent, and to the New York Times, as well as the Süddeutscher Zeitung and other German-language media.

Print length

24 pages
Language

English
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On Kindle Scribe
Publication date

July 21, 2011
File size

110 KB
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Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005DYLXXG
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 21, 2011
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 110 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 24 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #2,116,640 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #315 in German Travel
- #549 in 45-Minute Travel Short Reads
- #799 in 45-Minute History Short Reads

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4.1 10 ratings

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Billy goat

More please.

Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2011

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The Bar at the End of the Regime makes it obvious that Ward's ability to shed light on culture extends well beyond the field of music history. I had not considered what a long shadow the oppressive East German regime had left on the souls of those who suffered under it. Ward completely captures the closeness of the East German family as they welcome the first Americans they've ever met. US culture is a marvel to them, and their culture is a mystery to the Americans. Ward's description of the countryside and the lovely village have increased my desire to visit there. He and his German companion act as guides for a trio of open minded midwesterners who are taking a gamble on finding a familial connection on the other side of the Iron Curtain. It made me want to hire Ward for my own tour. If I can't have that, I'll gladly read more reports from wherever Ward's travels take him.

2 people found this helpful

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Madfoot

Like spending an evening wtih your most interesting friend

Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2011

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If you've heard Ed Ward on "Fresh Air with Terry Gross," you already know he has an easygoing, engaging style that makes you feel like you're sitting around the back tables at a bar hearing the latest yarn from your most interesting friend. Well, here's more from Ward, and it weaves together his own background as a journalist living in Europe with his unique perspective on a crystallized moment in Europe's history -- the moment just after the fall of the Berlin wall, a term Ward disavows for reasons you'll come to understand, and the cultural readjustments made between Westerners and those who had spent decades behind the Iron Curtain. Now, see, I haven't made it sound so hot, because I'm not Ed Ward, and I don't have his way of making everything fascinating; this long-form essay is an easy, engaging, fun read, the kind of thing I would expect to find in Vanity Fair.

11 people found this helpful

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Stewart

The Years in Germany

Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2011

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This was way too short and left me wanting more.

I hope that this is a preview of forthcoming full length book by Ed Ward. I am interested in the stories of his years in Germany and his knowledge and understanding of history, his years as a traveler and travel writer and his keen appreciation of food--he's a gifted cook and food writer-- and culture gives him a fascinating perspective on most everything. This particular story is about restoring a statue of Frederick the Great, but it is also about a group of East Germans, Wolfgang and his family and I would love to know more of what life was like for them and others under the Soviets.

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Tom Graves -- Author of

Another Must-Have By Ed Ward

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2011

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This new ebook is a must-read. Ed Ward can write about dishes drying and make it interesting. I've followed his writing for many years and this ebook shows yet another side of him. This is a totally engrossing account of that edgy time when the two Germanys were still feeling each other out. Told from an American's point of view of a historic time he experienced, it has the usual small details that always elevate Ed's writing above so many of his contemporaries. This book made for a most pleasurable evening for me as I'm sure it will for you.

Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2011

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For someone who eagerly awaits Ed's latest lengthy blog article on, for example, making a salad or talking about his maniacal neighbors, it was with great pleasure that I laid down on my sofa, flipped open the laptop, and read something from him with a little more 'meat'. I have to say though, it left me wanting more. Write a book next time, Ed!

3 people found this helpful

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Christopher

Really??? I had to pay for this

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2012

This should have been free, not cost money. If you are serious about that era of Germany or the former DDR, this will do nothing for you. I did not see anything that made me think of "East German" culture in this "book". It's the same you see with families in other parts of Germany, lots of pork, some beer, close knit family and strong communities and that's about it. There are a couple of stories why the Gasthaus owner is bitter towards the former regime, but that's about it.

Good insight on the unknown dead German soldiers from the Seelow battle. Also, it is very annoying how he justifies the burying of the German soldiers because they were mostly unkowing draftees, otherwise, he implies, they shouldn't be honored because they were German. Nothing could be further from the truth. If you know the battle, the soldiers that fought there were hardened and experienced professional Army formations, formations made up of officer candidates, veterans and not many Volksturn. You don't hold out for 3 days against the Russians at that time in the war with "draftees".

I should've been paid four dollars to read this, not the other way around.

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Top reviews from other countries

reader

Unfinished book

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 11, 2013

Verified Purchase

Was ill when I read this and goodness was I ill when I finished. Feel if I remember rightly that there was no conclusion to this. Dear Reader do not buy.

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