Stasiland by Anna Funder

It's an event rarer than an eclipse.  I finished reading a book.

This book was recommended by Catherine after our holiday to Berlin two summers ago. I always love looking into the history of a place that I visit, and quite often come away with plenty of reading material that never gets read and eventually ends up stocking the shelves of Oxfam.

This book didn't end up at Oxfam, and not just because I have to give it back to my sister.  Also because it was good.

What I knew about the history of the Berlin Wall was all about the Cold War, and all from the Western perspective.  It was about the desperation of people from the east to cross to the west.  It was about graffiti and smashing the wall down.

Of course there is a lot more to the history of the wall than that.  There were people who wanted it, not just people who wanted to get past it.  It was something that had a personal impact on ordinary people, not just on the grand scale of history.  There was a lot that happened in the long years that the wall stood, certainly more than you get in a 40 minute TV documentary.  Its not just a story of building a wall and knocking it down.

I liked this book for its unusual narrative.  I recommend it for anyone who is interested in history, and in contemplating individual perspectives.  Its not racy and exciting, but it is moving and in places heartbreaking.  Makes me want to go back to Berlin and see more of it.

Thanks Catherine!