Everybody Talks About the Weather . . . We Don't: The Writings of Ulrike Meinhof

The scarcity of quality information on the Badder-Meinhof group/Red Army Faction that is available in English can be quite frustrating to both researchers and those casually interested in the history. Given this fact, "Everybody Talks about the Weather" is an excellent addition to the available literature. Unlike others works on the group and its various members, this entire work comes straight from the mouth of one its most influential members.Ulrike Meinhof has long stood as an enigma to many in the West who can't wrap their heads around why a successful, middle-class, journalist would help to launch a group of Marxist guerrillas. This work should clear up much of the speculation that currently circulates. Meinhof's hostility to bourgeois values, the Vietnam war, and Germany's failure to come to terms with the legacy of National Socialism is clear throughout the entirety of her pre-RAF journalism. Furthermore, her unapologetic support for the student movement shows early signs of her willingness to support direct action.Despite being several decades old, many of her critiques of militarism and capitalism are every bit as poignant. Her writing is excellent and the introduction creates a nice backdrop for the proceeding articles. My opinions on the critical conclusion (written by her daughter) are mixed. I don't mind a critique, but the sophomoric and bitter tone of the article rob something from the content. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in this era of German history or the foundations of the late 60's urban guerrilla movement.

Everything from the title (taken from one of Ulrike's articles contained in the book) to the afterward is remarkable. As the title makes clear, this is written from the standpoint of "it's time to quit talking and do something!" And as she lived her life, so did Ulrike, one of the most intellectual beings of her, or our, time, she poured out reasoned educated thought onto the page.The lengthy introduction is indispensable, and sets nicely the stage for the works contained in the book. It is well-balanced, doesn't take sides, and merely provides the reader with a quality background by which to read the next 100 pages of essays from the sixties.I lived in Germany while the RAF was active and Ulrike was in prison, was in Stockholm when the RAF blew up the German Embassy, and have read widely of that time and place. This is one of the best, and most balanced, accounts of that troubled time. It is a great read - I just wish it were on Kindle as well!

The tone of Ulrike Meinhof's articles is familiar: basically, she writes like a blogger. Her well-researched, thoughful arguments seem very personal, particularly to anyone who is used to the cold, allegedly non-biased tone of contemporary newswriters. Meinhof is not afraid to insert herself into her stories, and this collection is a reflection of the slow progression of a woman who becomes increasingly disgusted with her government. While the actual events that she covers are history, the perspective -- especially on government control -- is very relevant.

In great shape, like new.

A fantastic book for people interested in another option for the world economy

Thank you! Made a great gift!

I found this book so fascinating on so many levels that I actually had quite a bit of difficulty shaping a review for it. "Everybody Talks About the Weather...We Don't" is the story of Ulrike Meinhof, who has become a cult figure from the radical left of the 1960s-1970s. Included are a preface by Nobel prize winner Elfriede Jelinek, who calls Meinhof "...a historical riddle, and enigmatic woman..."; an introduction by Karin Bauer that comprises nearly half of the book and places Meinhof in historical context; an afterward by Bettina Röhl, Meinhof's daughter, unsympathetic to and critical of Meinhof's place in history; and the book's centerpiece, the writings of Ulrike Meinhof, herself.Meinhof continued to write after her imprisonment in 1972 for participation in Germany's Red Army Faction, popularly spun (particularly in the American media) as the Baader-Meinhof Gang, but the columns included here stop in 1968. Meinhof had a difficult time in prison, not the least because of health problems that included prior brain surgery, and Bauer indicates that her prison columns tended to be disjointed and poorly done.However, the importance of Meinhof's writing is not to learn what she thought of prison life or of the developments on the outside while she was locked away. Ulrike Meinhof expressed the frustration of a generation whose critical political and social issues were not of their making. Her writing illustrates how this frustration, and the politicians who refused to address the issues, shaped the transition from protester to terrorist. These could as easily be today's headlines as the last century's.She calls out the sexism that was as present in the radical movement as everywhere else. Ironically, this even colors our perceptions of Meinhof, who is often criticized for choosing a life of political activity over staying home and raising her children. Ask yourself whether you consider a man a failure if he devotes his life to a political cause, leaving his children to be raised by their mother in his absence. Martin Luther King? Nelson Mandela?Almost 40 years after Ulrike Meinhof's death, we are still struggling to understand and deal with the circumstances that move people to terrorism. We work to increase voter turnout among young people who shrug off a government that doesn't reflect their issues. Women still try to strike the right balance between raising children and working outside the home and to achieve fair compensation for either choice. Studies today indicate that men do, at best, about 40% of the work of running a home, and incredibly, nearly all of these studies suggest that this disparity is a women's problem, with the best "solution" being for women to adjust their expectations.The issues explored in "Everybody Talks About the Weather...We Don't" continue to be as relevant and important today as they were more than half a century ago when Ulrike Meinhof was exploring them. Time spent reading this book is time very well invested.

Superb book with much needed historical context given in the beginning. It’s important to be able to read primary sources and this books does well at showcasing a brilliant writer who met a tragic fate. Still she remains an icon despite her problematic history and actions. Worthy read for anyone interested in the RAF.

The book is interesting from the point of view of psychology and is glimpse into the world of German politics in the 1960s and 1970s.I found the writing compelling and intriguing too!

Revisiting political literature from the sixties/seventies means a historical excursion where you will discover that some of the texts from Ulrike Meinhof have quite some astonishing relevance for today. However the moral and ethical radicalism of the texts will make you forget that we live and manage our lifes in complex social systems, and political theories and texts should more encompass these complexities. Reading these texts now is a journey back, and not forward.