If The Kids Are United - From Punk to Hardcore and Back Book (by Martin Büsser)

When "If the kids are united" was published in 1995, it was the first German-language book about punk, from its beginnings to the 1990s. The book is now in its 9th edition and has long been considered a standard work on the subject. It spans from British punk of the 1970s, through the hardcore movement of the 1980s, to grunge in the 1990s and the so-called sell-out of punk in the video age.

The book has been revised several times in terms of content, with illustrations added for the 6th edition, but its historical character as a contemporary document has been preserved: Martin Büsser wrote the book at a time when punk and hardcore had finally arrived in the mainstream. The long-time collaborator of the "Zap" fanzine thus bids farewell to 'his' scene and describes how the commercialization of punk could have come about.

"If the kids are united" is written with full participation, reflects on the political fundamental values of the scene, and has caused numerous polarizations since its publication. Whether agreement or contradiction: "If the kids are united" leaves no one cold who was once involved in the scene.