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Description
(Text)
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."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, languageor 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 portrait)
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 was a correspondent for the Reuters international news agency and now for The Los Angeles Times, 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."Kirschbaum studierte Deutsch und Geschichte an der University of Wisconsin-Madison und erhielt dort einen Bachelor. Danach arbeitete er als Korrespondent für verschiedene Zeitungen und für Associated Press. Für Associated Press zog er 1989 nach Frankfurt am Main. Ab 1990 wurde er dort für Reuters tätig und berichtete über Wirtschaftsthemen. 1993 zog er nach Berlin und war als Korrespondent für Politik und Nachrichten tätig. Als solcher berichtete er aus Wien über dortige Politik- und Wirtschaftsthemen sowie von den Jugoslawienkriegen. Nach seiner Rückkehr nach Berlin arbeitete Kirschbaum als freier Journalist für verschiedene US-amerikanische Zeitungen und Zeitschriften. 1996 wurde er wieder für Reuters tätig. Seit 2015 ist er erneut als freier Journalist tätig, unter anderem für die Los Angeles Times.
