Gabriele Goettle, a writer for the Berliner lefty newspaper die tageszeitung, is a master in crafting vignettes of uncommon common people, a sort of German Studs Terkel. She presents a person's strengths and passions without neglecting to pointing out his or her pecularities and foibles the result of which is a well-rounded portrait of a human, or as New Yorkers like to say, a real mensch. This book is a collection of her portraits in writing. Volume 2 is dearly expected ... ( )