Overview

Before World War I, the United States were home to a flourishing German culture. German-Americans were the biggest and most successful ethnic group all over the Midwest. But this culture was wiped out forever by a fury of an anti-German hysteria after America had entered the war. Overzealous American patriots renamed Sauerkraut ""Liberty Cabbage"", slaughtered dachshunds, and eradicated the German language from American schools, churches, and newspapers. They changed the names of towns, burned books, destroyed libraries, threatened priests, forced German-Americans to buy war bonds and to kiss the star spangled banner. Vigilantes tarred and feathered and, in some cases hanged German-born immigrants falsely suspected of being spies. ""Burning Beethoven"" shines a light on that dark chapter of American history. Berlinica Publishing LLC offers English-language books from Berlin, German; fiction, non-fiction, travel guides, history about the Wall and the Third Reich, Jewish life, art, architecture and photography, as well as travel guides and cookbook. It also offers documentaries and feature films on DVD, as well as music CDs. Berlinica caters to history buffs, Americans of German heritage, travelers, and artists and young people who love the cutting-edge city in the heart of Europe. Berlinica cooperates with Berlin-based publishing houses. Berlinica's current and upcoming titles include ""Our West Berlin,"" by various authors, also five translated books by famed Weimar author Kurt Tucholsky as well as Harold Poor's landmark biography of Tucholsky, two translated plays by Ernst Toller, and two American travel stories by Alfred Kerr and Roda Roda, soon to be followed by Egon Erwin Kisch's ""Paradise America"". Also upcoming is ""Christopher Columbus and the Discovery of America"", by Tucholsky and Walter Hasenclever. In the non-fiction department, we have ""Rocking the Wall,"" the Bruce-Springsteen-book and ""Burning Beethoven,"" about German Americans in World War I, both by Erik Kirschbaum, also ""Mark Twain in Berlin,"" by Andreas Austilat, ""Berlin 1945: World War II: Photos of the Aftermath,"" by Michael Brettin, ""The Berlin Wall Today,"" a full-color guide to the remnants of the Wall, by Michael Cramer, ""Berlin in the Cold War,"" about post-World War II history, the comprehensive guide ""Jews in Berlin,"" by Andreas Nachama, Julius Schoeps, Hermann Simon, and ""A Place they Called Home,"" edited by Donna Swarthout about Jews returning to Germany. We also offer ""The Berlin Cookbook,"" a full-color collection of traditional German recipes by Rose Marie Donhauser, the picture book ""Wings of Desire,"" by Lothar Heinke, ""Martin Luther's Travel Guide,"" by Cornelia Dömer, ""Leipzig! The City of Books und Music,"" by Sebastian Ringel, and ""Berlin For Free,"" a guide for the frugal traveler by Monica Maertens.

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9783960260660

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Reviews

""It is amazing and fascinating to read how much energy and time is spent in times of war to declare everything bad and hostile coming from the enemy' side---be it music, language or culture; fortunately in most cases only with a temporary effect as we know today. Beethoven would indeed roll over in his grave.....A very riveting and well-written book with the timeless message that culture is not the culprit."" Rainer Hasters, executive director of RIAS Berlin Commission ""A powerful retelling of an often forgotten piece of American history that remains as relevant today as it did a century ago"" Stephen Fuchs, Founder of German Pulse ""A fascinating account of a forgotten witch-hunt that damaged America in that it ran counter to its values and also deprived it of its rich German heritage."" - David Crossland, author of the best-selling novel ""The Jewish Candidate"" Burning Beethoven is an incredible story most people have never heard of. It's interresting to read how Americans went all out against the powerful German ethnic community during World War I and sheds a light on why Americans of German descent were forced to sever their ties to Germany."" - Cherno Jobatey, Editorial Director Huffington Post Germany and author of ""Fit wie ein Turnschuh"".

Author Information

Erik Kirschbaum, a native of New York City and a descendant from a German-American family, has lived in Germany for more than twenty-five years. He is a correspondent for the Reuters international news agency, and is based in Berlin since 1993. He has written about entertainment, politics, sports, economics, renewable energy as well as about 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. He is also the author of the bestseller ""Rocking the Wall. Bruce Springsteen: The Berlin Concert That Changed the World."" HERBERT W. STUPP, a native New Yorker, is a Trustee of the German-American Hall of Fame, an Executive Committee member of the German-American Steuben Parade, and a member of the American Council on Germany. He has also been a New York City Commissioner, a Federal official, a non-profit CEO, and early in his career, an Emmy award winning editorialist at New York's Channel 9.

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