Schadenfreude, A Love Story: Me, the Germans, and 20 Years of Attempted Transformations, Unfortunate Miscommunications, and Humiliating Situations That Only They Have Words For

32. Schadenfreude, A Love Story: Me, the Germans, and 20 Years of Attempted Transformations, Unfortunate Miscommunications, and Humiliating Situations That Only They Have Words For by Rebecca Schuman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


The title caught my eye and this amusing memoir delivers on it. My favorite word is Sprachgefühl, a knack for language.

Also amused that the German for "I don't believe it" is more literally "that doesn't even exist."

My favorite concept in the book: "understanding something and misunderstanding the same thing are not mutually exclusive."

Also as a bonus for me, there is a little experiential overlap between the author and me, so it was fun reading something akin to a vastly different alternative universe version of a life I could have had.


10 years ago on TTaT: Not quite the help intended (Seems apt that this is also a story about miscommunication. Look, I didn't say I possessed Sprachgefühl.)