I Am My Own Wife

I Am My Own Wife A Play by Doug Wright
2004
Weight: 5.4 oz
Method of Disposal: Donating

The subject this play was based on was ridiculously interesting--so interesting that I would argue that Wright could not totally fail unless he were to totally attack and demean her.  That is something it sounds like he would never do.  He clearly found her enchanting.  Not that the language used is super transpositive, but he exuded respect and fascination. 

The subject is Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a transwoman who managed to survive Nazi Germany and the Stasi.  Not only did she survive it, but she was able to maintain her identity and took some incredible risks to preserve history, to collect, and to do what she enjoyed most.  She owned and ran the Gründerzeit Museum.  In 1997 she moved to Sweden stating that Berlin was too dangerous, but she went back for a visit in 2002 and died of a heart attack in the city she called home for so long.

Now, tell me that in itself is not a story you want to know more about.  I am not sure I was as keen on the play as I was her, but I do imagine it was a hard one to write and to boil down to such few pages.

Aimée and Jaguar

Aimée and Jaguar: A Love Story, Berlin 1943 Erica Fischer
1995
Weight: 12 oz
Method of Disposal: Leaving somewhere in the city unless you want it



There are not a lot of books about German lesbians during WWII. There are a number of reasons for that, and I will not get into that here. I bought this book in the 90’s, as soon as I laid eyes on it. I also watched the movie as soon as I could get my hands on it. It is an incredible story about two women in an impossible situation. The love story between a Nazi officer’s wife and a young Jewish woman, hiding in the heart of Germany, Berlin.

It is a true story so it does not contain the standard romance formula we see in so many books. This book, unfortunately, is unable to really bring the women to life for me, but I am still glad to have read it. I am thankful for the research and work put into it. I did (perhaps embarrassingly) enjoy the movie more, but I learned more with the book. There is an unnecessary and uncomfortable epilogue to the book that has left a residual bad feeling within me for years. I resent it. If I could go back and do it again, I wouldn’t read that part. Anywho, all that being said, you should read it. Pass it on. Tell this rare history to someone else.