Image Credits: Event Flyer via WCU German Club (RamConnect)
On Thursday, Oct. 9, in Mitchell Hall 103, German author Antje Arnold will visit to tell her story about growing up in East Berlin before the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Arnold has since moved to Chester County and raised her children in Pennsylvania, and has stated how important it is to tell her story. During this visit, she will also discuss her book, “The Girl Behind the Wall,” published in 2018. Her book, which she has described as “omitting any agenda and facts” and a “more intimate perspective that goes beyond Cold War-era news headlines,” shows what it was like being a child in 1980s East Germany. Instead of portraying “espionage or people trying to escape socialism,” it covers everyday life for the narrator and her family. The event, organized by West Chester University’s German Club, will be held between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m., and registration to attend the event is available on RamConnect.
Vice President of WCU’s German Club, Jude Yocum, a history major who studies European history and German culture, has helped organize this event, and was able to discuss its importance. “I believe that this event will help to showcase how global and interconnected our community is here in Chester County,” Yocum stated. “Many people overlook all of the different people from different walks of life in their communities, and I think it’s a shame. I think it’s important to share stories as they help to strengthen bonds in our local communities.” Providing further insight in relation to her major, Yocum added, “I also think that, as a History major, it brings history ‘to life.’ It’s one thing to read about the history of Germany, the Berlin Wall and the Cold War in a text book or hear it in a lecture, but it’s much more engaging to talk one on one with someone who’s lived through it. I really value those kinds of experiences in my field.”
After being asked how this event relates to current events and attitudes present today, and how this event could be helpful to others, Yocum said, “As our world becomes more and more polarized, I think that it’s important to talk with people who lived through such events. By learning and asking questions we become educated, worldly citizens. Listening to others perspectives can help us to understand certain perspectives that we may have not considered or known much about before. The speaker also has a love for literature and is a writer, which I believe is also a critical skill in our day and age. Reading makes us better writers and critical thinkers!”
When asked what she hoped those who attend will take away from this event, Yocum stated, “I hope that this event can spark a love for the study of history, culture and curiosity for a global understanding of the world. I also hope that this event brings a new-found appreciation for the diversity and community here in Chester County. This county is home to so many amazing people of all sorts of backgrounds, with lots of stories to tell!”
Jack Snock is a fourth-year Political Science major with a Journalism minor. AS993182@wcupa.edu.