This compelling account of the Berlin Wall's demise and the subsequent fall of the Eastern Bloc launches a new line of New York Times
books, and is written by the chief correspondent who covered these events. Schmemann instantly draws in readers by opening on November 9, 1989 (the day the wall fell). The immediacy of his first-person narrative, combined with carefully chosen details, bring to life the events leading up to the building of the wall in 1961 and its destruction 28 years later. Some of the most revealing details come from Schmemann's own experience, such as how his American passport allowed him to cross through Checkpoint Charlie while East Germans were legally (and physically) prohibited from entering West Germany, or how in 1992 when the files of East Germany's secret police were opened, one of the author's West Berlin sources was revealed as a Soviet spy. Readers will come away with a clear understanding of how WWII's Yalta Agreement and the cold war contributed to East Berlin erecting the wall and how Gorbachev's reforms acted as a catalyst for East Germans to bring the wall down. Archival and often poignant photographs from the Times
supplement the text, along with a concluding section with Times
articles (including the role East German teens played in the protests), maps of Europe's changing borders, a timeline and a list of further reading. This standout debut should captivate readers' interest in one of the most climactic events of the late 20th century. Ages 12-up. (May)
