Forty Autumns

Forty Autumns: 

A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall

by Nina Willner

I have read many books about WWII, but not about the aftermath and tragedies that occurred in East Germany when the war ended.  This book tells the story of the author's family who lived in a city called Schwaneberg where her Oma and Opa raised a family of eight children and her grandfather served as the headmaster at the local school.  It is a story of their survival and the many atrocities that occurred in the East as communism was forced on their citizens and as the division between East and West became more and more stark. 

Many East Germans were killed or were repeatedly turned back and jailed as they attempted to escape to the West, Hannah, the oldest daughter (Nina's mother) was the only family member that was eventually successful in fleeing the oppressive communist rule. Now living on different sides of the Berlin Wall, there was very little communication allowed between East and West, so they each had to continue on with their own lives and hope that their family was doing okay on the other side of the wall.

This was a very informative book that I would definitely recommend. It is a good reminder of tragedies and injustices that occur with an oppressive government.