Iron Children: The Silent Rage of the Reunification Generation

'As gripping as a crime novel.' — Dirk Oschmann


'Rennefanz reflects on the generational experience of deep-seated insecurity among the last GDR generation. Children and young people, an entire society caught between upheaval, a new beginning, and collapse – described with empathy and a critical eye.' — Marlen Hobrack

'Unease, a deep insecurity, a silent, subtle rage' – according to Sabine Rennefanz, this is the shared legacy of the last children of the GDR. When the Wall fell, she was 15 years old, placing her in the same generation as the NSU murderers. In 2011, moved by the confession videos of Böhnhardt, Mundlos, and Zschäpe and prompted by the prejudices in the East-West debate, Rennefanz embarks on a reflective search for traces, patterns, and connections, for home, and for the identity of her generation – the 'iron children'.

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  • Publisher: FISCHER Taschenbuch
  • Release: 26.08.2026
  • ISBN: 978-3-596-71309-7
  • 272 Pages
  • Author: Sabine Rennefanz
Buchcover von Iron Children: The Silent Rage of the Reunification Generation: Die stille Wut der Wendekinder
Sabine RennefanzIron Children: The Silent Rage of the Reunification Generation
Portrait von Sabine Rennefanz
© Sven Gatter
Sabine Rennefanz

Sabine Rennefanz (b. 1974), is an author and journalist. She writes for Der Spiegel and Tagesspiegel , and served as a longtime editor for the Berliner Zeitung . Her extensive reportage and essays have been recognized with Germany's most prestigious journalism awards, including the Theodor Wolff Prize and the German Reporter Prize. Her 2013 book Eisenkinder ( Iron Children ) became a major national bestseller.