[stankypickle]

Germany's infrastructure has been stressed in recent years by immigration and other factors. The two books that the article places a spotlight on are: 1) "The Dumbing Down of Germany" and 2) "Tolerance Isn’t Easy" (as roughly translated within the article). These books represent the german people's response to that.

The first book, "The Dumbing Down of Germany", suggests a frustration with the decline of their education system -- something that Germany has traditionally valued highly. This is particularly concerning because sentiments like this lead to the rise of Hitler and eventually WWII.

The second book, "Tolerance Isn’t Easy", offers comfort with the influx of immigrants. This may be viewed as an attempt to stymie the tension. Alternatively, this may be viewed as an anesthetic that is wearing off. As of checking today this title is actually 13th on the list.

To answer your question. Why Germans as opposed to someone else? I suppose it is partially because Germany is a big player in the EU. It is particularly concerning because of Germany's role in WWII. To some it seems like things are trending in the same direction. As stated in the last paragraph: "Germany has been undergoing dramatic social change since the fall of the Berlin Wall, which occurred 30 years ago this November... Fear-mongering arguments against immigration and an Islamic takeover continue to attract scores of German citizens whose future economic prospects are less than rosy. Regardless, one cannot help but detect the political vestiges of an old GDR intolerance in its novel political manifestations."

[Havoc]

Well I speak German and nationality wise am too. But I grew up in a decidedly English speaking context.

Hence my interest in hn's focus on Germans. It's not so much what's happening in germany more than why would western english media analyse german reading trends.

That is not a question of what's happening in germany...but rather one of english speaking media somehow deemed this interesting. Why?