Elke Heidenreich's 'Altern' Named Bestselling Book of 2024 in Germany

Heidenreich's reflective book on aging surpasses Angela Merkel's autobiography despite its record-breaking debut.

Elke Heidenreich's 'Altern,' published in May 2024, was announced as the bestselling book of the year in Germany by Media Control.
The book explores the challenges and opportunities of aging, offering personal anecdotes and practical advice for embracing later life stages.
Angela Merkel's autobiography 'Freiheit,' released in late November, achieved the year's strongest first-week sales with over 200,000 copies sold but fell short of overtaking Heidenreich's months-long lead.
In other categories, Lena Kiefer's 'Coldhart - Strong & Weak' was the most-listened-to audiobook of 2024, and Pierre Martin's 'Madame le Commissaire und das geheime Dossier' topped e-book sales.
Both Heidenreich's and Merkel's books are expected to be popular holiday gifts across German-speaking countries this season.