Katie's Reviews > Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall

Despite the awkward presentation at times, this was a fascinating story about a family separated for decades during the Cold War. It's so strange to read about history that was taking place while you were alive and yet had no understanding of it at the time. Of course, I've heard for years about the wall and the Cold War and that some people were separated, etc. I've been to Checkpoint Charlie and walked through Berlin and seen some of these places that the author talks about, but it didn't become real to me until I read this account. I had no idea the extent of oppression and interference the East German government imposed on its people for over 40 years, and it boggles my mind that this happened right after a decade or more of persecuting communists to the point of sending them to concentration camps. The 20th century was certainly not a great one for the Germans.