Forty autumns : a family's story of courage and survival on both sides of the Berlin Wall
by Willner, Nina, 1961- (Author)
Summary
"In this illuminating and deeply moving memoir, a former American military intelligence officer goes beyond traditional Cold War espionage tales to tell the true story of her family--of five women separated by the Iron Curtain for more than forty years, and their miraculous reunion after the fall of... Full description
- Family and historical chronology
- Family tree
- PART ONE
- The Handover : End of War (1945)
- An Iron Curtain Descends : Cold War Begins (1945-1946)
- "If You Want to Get Out, Do It Soon" : Close Calls and Escapes (1946-1948)
- Flight : A Small Suitcase and The Final Escape (August 11, 1948)
- PART TWO
- Two Castles : Out of the Whirlwind (1948-1949)
- A Sister Born in the East : The Stasi Takes Control (1949-1952)
- "We Want To Be Free" : A Workers' Uprising (1953)
- The Visit : Sisters Meet (1954)
- Life Normalizes in a Police State : A Courtship (1955-1957)
- The Fur Coat : Last Meeting (1958-1959)
- PART THREE
- "A Wall Will Keep the Enemy Out" : A Wall to Keep the People In (1960-1961)
- The Family Wall : Oma's Faith and Opa's Defiance (1962-1965)
- Only Party Members Succeed : "We Have Each Other" (1966-1969)
- A Message With No Words : Oma's Love from Afar (1970-1974)
- Dissidents and Troublemakers : Opa Committed (1975-1977)
- A Light Shines : "Our Souls Are Free" (1977)
- A Surprise from America : Innocence (1978-1980)
- Paradise Bungalow : Refuge and Solace (1980-1982)
- PART FOUR
- Assignment: Berlin : Intelligence Operations (1982-1984)
- Face-to-Face with Honecker : Mission in Ludwigslust (1984-1985)
- Beyond the Checkpoint : Passage (1985)
- Imagine : The Road Ahead (1986)
- "Tear Down This Wall" : Winds of Change (1987-1988)
- "Gorby, Save Us!" : A Nation Crumbles (1989)
- The World is Stunned : "Schabowski Said We Can!" or The Wall Falls (November 9, 1989)
- Dawn : TK (Autumn 1989)
- Reunion and Rebirth : TK (1990- 2013)
- Epilogue
- Glossary
- Author's Note.