Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo

About “Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo”

Two journalists from the news magazine Stern, Kai Herrmann and Horst Rieck, met Christiane in 1978 in Berlin. She was a witness in a trial against a man who paid underage girls with heroin in exchange for sex. The journalists aimed to expose the drug problem among teenagers in Berlin, a serious issue surrounded by strong taboos. They arranged a two-hour interview with Christiane, which extended to two months as she described her life with drugs and prostitution. Their tape-recorded interviews formed the basis of a series of articles published in Stern. In 1979, Stern published the book Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, based on the interviews. The book covers Christiane's life from 1975 to 1978, when she was between 12 and 15 years old. Written in the first person from Christiane's perspective, it was ghostwritten by the journalists. Others, including her mother and witnesses of the drug crisis, also contributed. The book portrays Christiane's friends, other addicts, and scenes from Berlin's drug scene.