Bowling for Communism

By Andrew Demshuk,

Book cover of Bowling for Communism: Urban Ingenuity at the End of East Germany

Book description

Bowling for Communism illuminates how civic life functioned in Leipzig, East Germany's second-largest city, on the eve of the 1989 revolution by exploring acts of "urban ingenuity" amid catastrophic urban decay. Andrew Demshuk profiles the creative activism of local communist officials who, with the help of scores of volunteers, constructed…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked Bowling for Communism as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Sometimes, I’m drawn to a book for its title, and this title sold me immediately. I was intrigued by the idea that local institutions and people could come together despite, or in spite of, waning faith in East German communism and the flagging legitimacy of the centralized regime. 

I loved the idea that Leipzig’s population and local officials worked to save and renew their city during the last days of the communist regime by building a bowling alley, nearly synonymous with the American working class in the late twentieth century, as a shared public space.

Want books like Bowling for Communism?

Our community of 11,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Bowling for Communism.

Browse books like Bowling for Communism

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in East Germany, Germany, and urban planning?

East Germany 30 books
Germany 490 books
Urban Planning 56 books