cover image From Weimar to the Wall: My Life in German Politics

From Weimar to the Wall: My Life in German Politics

Richard Von Weizsacker, Richard Weizsacker. Broadway Books, $35 (432pp) ISBN 978-0-7679-0301-1

An old-fashioned, even courtly quality suffuses this memoir--which is odd, considering how intricately von Weis cker's life is tied to the 20th-century history of Germany. The son of a member of Germany's foreign service, von Weis cker served in Hitler's army and later became president of Germany from 1984 to 1994. Perhaps nothing says more about the events chronicled here than that a chapter called ""My Father's Nuremberg Trial"" is followed closely by one called ""Choosing a Profession."" ""My memories are my constant companions,"" writes von Weis cker, ""in any case, recalling both the bad and good events I witnessed."" It's mainly the good he recounts here. First elected to the German Parliament in 1969 as a member of Helmut Kohl's Christian Democratic Union, von Weis cker earned a reputation as a compassionate conservative, and nothing he writes here dispels that image. Although clearly proud of Germany's cultural traditions, he scorns chauvinism and favors granting dual citizenship to German Turks. After recounting what he describes as an idyllic, pre-WWII childhood, von Weis cker briefly describes the war years before launching into a more detailed account of his postwar career in business and politics. He is equally gracious whether recalling German political adversaries such as Willy Brandt or fellow world leaders. He even soft-pedals his criticism of Margaret Thatcher, a vociferous opponent of German reunification. Readers looking for self-revelation will be disappointed, but those interested in the views of a thoughtful man who participated in his country's efforts to redeem itself will be rewarded. (June)