Description
Book Synopsis: 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 the Berlin Wall. Forty Autumns makes visceral the pain and longing of one family forced to live apart in a world divided by two. At twenty, Hanna escaped from East to West Germany. But the price of freedom—leaving behind her parents, eight siblings, and family home—was heartbreaking. Uprooted, Hanna eventually moved to America, where she settled down with her husband and had children of her own. Growing up near Washington, D.C., Hanna’s daughter, Nina Willner became the first female Army Intelligence Officer to lead sensitive intelligence operations in East Berlin at the height of the Cold War. Though only a few miles separated American Nina and her German relatives—grandmother Oma, Aunt Heidi, and cousin, Cordula, a member of the East German Olympic training team—a bitter political war kept them apart. In Forty Autumns, Nina recounts her family’s story—five ordinary lives buffeted by circumstances beyond their control. She takes us deep into the tumultuous and terrifying world of East Germany under Communist rule, revealing both the cruel reality her relatives endured and her own experiences as an intelligence officer, running secret operations behind the Berlin Wall that put her life at risk. A personal look at a tenuous era that divided a city and a nation, and continues to haunt us, Forty Autumns is an intimate and beautifully written story of courage, resilience, and love—of five women whose spirits could not be broken, and who fought to preserve what matters most: family. Forty Autumns is illustrated with dozens of black-and-white and color photographs.
Details
Looking for a captivating book that will transport you to a world divided by the Berlin Wall? Look no further than Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall. This gripping memoir goes beyond the typical Cold War espionage tales to tell the true story of five women separated by the Iron Curtain for over forty years, and the miraculous reunion that took place after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Prepare to be entranced as you follow Hanna, a former American military intelligence officer, as she recounts her own journey from East to West Germany. Leaving behind her family and everything she knew was a heartbreaking price to pay for freedom. Fast forward to present-day America, where Hanna's daughter, Nina Willner, became the first female Army Intelligence Officer to lead sensitive intelligence operations in East Berlin. The story takes a captivating turn as Nina's path intertwines with her German relatives, including her grandmother Oma, Aunt Heidi, and cousin Cordula, a member of the East German Olympic training team.
With vivid detail, Nina reveals the cruel reality endured by her family under Communist rule in East Germany. As an intelligence officer herself, she unveils the secret operations she ran behind the Berlin Wall, putting her own life at risk. This intimate and beautifully written story gives you a personal look into a tenuous era and explores the unbreakable spirit of five women who fought to preserve what mattered most: family.
Forty Autumns is not just a memoir; it's a journey that will leave you with a deeper understanding of the resilience, courage, and love that can withstand the most challenging circumstances. Illustrated with stunning black-and-white and color photographs, this book is a visual feast for history enthusiasts.
Experience the captivating power of Forty Autumns: A Family's Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall. Immerse yourself in a tale that still haunts us today and click here to order your copy.
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