Why We Took the Car
Summary:
With his mother in rehab and his father on a business trip with his assistant, Maik Klingenberg is going to spend the long summer holidays alone by the pool at his parents’ villa. But then Tschick shows up. Tschick, whose real name is Andrej Tschichatschow, comes from one of the tower blocks in Hellersdorf, has somehow made it from special school to high school, and doesn’t exactly seem like a model example of integration. He also has a stolen car at his disposal. And so begins an unforgettable journey without a map or compass through the summer-glowing German countryside.
Edited by: ALEKI - Arbeitsstelle für Kinder- und Jugendmedienforschung
Comment:
The novel shows how (male) adolescents search for their own identity—between social expectations and the desire to be themselves. It depicts body image, masculinity, sexuality, and the attempt to reconcile social and individual demands. Male stereotypes are taken up, but at the same time exaggerated and ironically questioned. Gender roles thus do not appear to be fixed, but can be tried out and rethought.