Observations on the bloody luxury of “meat consumption”: a plea for vegetarianism between outrage and sympathy.

Are you a vegetarian? There are lots of reasons to be one – like our health or the conditions and ecological consequences of intensive livestock farming. But isn’t the idea that we do not have the right to eat animals because we do not have the right to kill animals reason enough? Nothing forces us to do it after all, least of all our nature. So why aren’t you a vegetarian yet? Nothing would be more decent and better for you, for everybody else and for our closest relatives: animals. Iris Radisch and Eberhard Rathgeb turn the tables and prove that there aren’t any good, convincing arguments to eat animals. They have collected literary and philosophical texts which full of shock and despair describe how we are still doing it. For centuries humans have dealt with the question of who is allowed to kill whom and why.

Mit einem Nachwort von Karl-Markus Gauß

Come on, then! Stay right there! Keep still now! Life on a hill-farm, a country childhood: eleven years of servitude, fear and humiliation. Only then does Holl find the strength and the courage to break free and leave his father’s farm, to set out on a new life fit for a human being.

Difficult times: the personal side of the great Physicist

When Werner Heisenberg first met Elisabeth Schumacher in 1937 he was 35 years old and had been a professor for Theoretical Physics at the University of Leipzig for ten years. In 1932 he had received the Nobel Prize. But he wasn’t doing so well: He was lonely and the political situation and ensuing exodus of German scientists was a heavy weight on his chest. He was attacked as the “White Jew” because he taught Einstein’s theory of relativity. Only two weeks after meeting the couple got engaged, a few months later they were married. Shortly after the war broke out, Heisenberg was asked to join the “Uranium Project”, the German nuclear energy project – from then on he barely saw his young family for years. The exchange of letters shows his heartfelt efforts to share a life in spite of the many obstacles and large distance separating him from his family. The letters are supplemented with previously unpublished dairy entries from the last days of the war. It is the touching testimony of a time period where he sought to preserve a personal emotional retreat.

Love has many faces… every couple is a miracle in itself!

Every couple has its special story: Iny and Elmar Lorentz write bestsellers together (“Die Wanderhure”) and go on reading tours in their caravan, while extreme mountain climber Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner and her husband Ralf Dujmovits enjoy the thrill of danger. Christl and Rupert Neudeck (“Cap Anamur”) are both living the dream of a better world, while author Peter Turrini and his wife Silvia Hassler have decided to live in separate houses in two different villages. Others are separated or connected by large differences in age or different religions. One couple got married twice, another found happiness after gender reassignment. Eva Maria and Wolfram Zurhorst, the authors of ”Liebe dich selbst und es ist egal wen du heiratest”, recount borderline experiences they’ve had to face in their relationship. Twenty special couples contemplate what makes them stick together and what really counts. They are captured in wonderful photographs taken by Petra Rainer.

Searching for the molecule of life

What is a human? Every person would like to know what or who he or she is. In her fascinating search for the molecule of life the biochemist Renée Schroeder has made groundbreaking discoveries. In her search for answers she does not hesitate to question the possibilities of genetics and in the dispute between belief and science clearly positions herself in favor of a society based on knowledge. In all this, she is never afraid addressing on taboos. The question of the origin of life leads Schroeder far beyond the boundaries of her own scientific field and towards fundamental issues of being. Where do we come from, where are we going? How does evolution work and what role does chance play? Renée Schroeder’s undogmatic approach to the boundaries of our perception opens the door to a new way of thinking and new perspectives. In this book the passionate scientist explains what applied bioethics is and what the hen-egg question means for our future, all while guiding us through the wonderful world of molecules.

From goddess to mouse hunter, from witches’ pet to queen of our home: a feline trip through the centuries.

Adored as a god in ancient Egypt, cats traveled the spheres of the known world on ship and on their four paws. They were at home in the libraries and kitchens of monasteries, roamed through backyards and allies, slept in royal beds, were useful against mice and served as muses. Humans have felt love, suspicion and hate towards cats. Their mysterious nature has raised superstitions, but has also been a source of inspiration. It was always artists, most of all writers who were on the cat’s side. Thus the history of the cat is also one of the arts, a cultural history, the history of humankind. Cats have come a long way and this book traces the steps: from early times all the way to the snuggly sofa of today.

The philosopher and author Peter Bieri aka Pascal Mercier explores central questions of human existence.

We all want to determine our own lives. Our dignity and happiness depend on it. What exactly does that mean? Our thoughts, feelings and actions are based on the circumstances of our life stories. What does it mean to be able to change our lives instead of just letting life happen to us? What role does self-awareness play in all this? When do others help the process of self-determination and when do they become obstacles? How are self-determination and cultural identity connected? And what role can literature play in all this? Bieris contemplations in this book are a sequel to his observations in “Handwerk der Freiheit” (2001).

Sharp, humorous and ironically witty stories about women’s daily lives surrounded by fellow humans, men and children.

Being a woman is not a sport, much less an Olympic discipline, but it makes you sweat just as much. Constantly juggling household chores and relationships, mastering married life and raising kids can make women run out of the breath they need for laughing. Because no problem that you face when handling the daily hustle and bustle of family life is so serious that it couldn’t be solved with a bit of humor. Christine Nöstlinger proves this in her own exceptional style, full of wit and composure, with a lovingly ironic view on life and the big and little challenges it holds. This book is a collection of her best columns offering advice and comfort for every life situation.