“I want to show people that the I is not as important as the we,” says the author.
Frankfurt The readers of the Handelsblatt have decided: “Autocorrect” by Katja Diehl, published by S. Fischer Verlag, will receive the readers’ prize of the German Business Book Prize 2022. Almost 2500 users have voted on it in the past few weeks. On Friday evening, the award was presented at a celebratory gala as part of the Frankfurt Book Fair.
In line with her topic, the traffic turnaround, Katja Diehl first traveled with the ICE, then rode her folding bike from the main station to the hotel and finally walked to the Frankfurter Hof. She could hardly believe her happiness at the award. “I have great respect for the books featured here,” she said.
During the award ceremony, Diehl spoke to Handelsblatt editor Claudia Panster about her “mission” to wean Germans away from cars. Her provocative target: “Everyone should have the right to lead a life without their own car.” Diehl has been fighting for the topic of traffic change for 15 years. She is the national board member of the Verkehrsclub Deutschland, produces a mobility podcast and works as an expert on various committees.
Read the whole interview here:
Ms. Diehl, congratulations on the readers’ prize of the German Business Book Prize. Why do you think your book was so well received by readers?
I just noticed that the book triggers something in people. For me it is more than just a book – and hopefully I was able to convey that. i have a mission
Top jobs of the day
Find the best jobs now and
be notified by email.
What is your mission exactly?
I want to show people that the I is not as important as the we. This also applies to mobility. Do you want or do you have to drive a car? That is the central question in my book. Most of the time it is external constraints that make people get into the car. They would gladly do without it if they could.
Katja Diehl: Autocorrect. Mobility for a world worth living in.
S Fisher
Frankfurt 2022
272 pages
18.00 euros
What’s stopping her?
In my book, I let 60 people who I interviewed have their say. I don’t want to write about people, I want to give them airtime. Many of them have said: I have to drive because I have no alternatives, because there is no accessibility and because I don’t feel safe in the alternatives that are given to me. And the nine-euro ticket showed that for some people in this country price can also play a role.
Have you ever communicated this to Federal Transport Minister Volker Wissing?
Two days ago I was with the Transport Minister of Luxembourg. Many listen to me. And I’ll get into the Federal Ministry of Transport at some point. Unfortunately, Volker Wissing had already announced that the nine-euro ticket would only be available for three months before the experiment even started. This is a pity. Mobility must finally be made accessible to everyone again.
>> Read here: Kai-Fu Lee and Qiufan Chen design future scenarios for the year 2041
What should that look like in concrete terms?
That means the first step is to turn to people. Listening to them to learn what their needs are. For example, the 13 million adults who don’t have a driver’s license. The children, the elderly, people with disabilities. But also those affected by racism, queers and trans people. Because in a world in which people are in danger, their mobility does not change.
You have to explain the context…
They have a safe space in the car, where they feel safe. Not every person who holds a steering wheel does so voluntarily. Some also have to do it because certain things are not right in society. Mobility must therefore be made more human-centric again. We have a duty to create safe spaces at train stations, stops, on buses and trains. So that people can get out of the car. Because everyone should have the right to lead a life without their own car.
Ms. Diehl, thank you very much for the interview.
More: Read everything about the German Business Book Prize 2022 here