Like Driftwood on Asphalt

Young People Living on the Street

  • with artistic illustrations by Vanessa Mundle

You see them everyday in big cities: young homeless people. But how have they ended up here, what do they experience -- and what do they need?

Fourteen young homeless people tell their stories: they talk about traumatic experiences in their former homes and about everyday life on the streets, caught between exclusion and violence. But they also talk about solidarity and freedom, about tentative new relationships and about their dreams.

A touching book that awakens understanding and calls for commitment.

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  • Publisher: Fischer Sauerländer Taschenbuch
  • Release: 29.04.2026
  • ISBN: 978-3-7335-0930-9
  • 304 Pages
  • Authors: Kobai Halstenberg
  • Illustrated by: Vanessa Mundle
Buchcover von Like Driftwood on Asphalt
Kobai Halstenberg Vanessa Mundle Like Driftwood on Asphalt
Portrait von Kobai Halstenberg
© Edgard Berendsen
Kobai Halstenberg

Kobai Halstenberg studied law and journalism. She has been working as a freelance editor and journalist since 2002. In her first oral history book Alles schaukelt, der ganze Bunker schaukelt, she let the last children of the war have their say. In her current book, she brings together the voices of young, courageous trans* people who stand up for a world of gender diversity and for respect and tolerance.

Portrait von Vanessa Mundle
© privat
Vanessa Mundle

Vanessa Mundle (*1987) studied philosophy and book art. She works as a freelance illustrator and graphic designer. In her art, she addresses the points of friction between political stance and social reality, between solidarity with marginalized groups and her own social position.