The Fall of the Berlin Wall - Rilegato

"Eloquent... immensely readable... the saga of the victory of capitalism over the brutal and irrational fraud that was state socialism." (Baltimore Sun, March 21, 2004)
 
"[A] great narrative of democratic survival and democratic victory." (Washington Time, March 30, 2004)
 
"This is a small masterpiece of the narrative tradition. The Fall of the Berlin Wall keep[s] readers turning the page." (National Review, March 22, 2004)
 
"...decodes the Cold War endgame..." (Vanity Fair, March 2004)
 
"...Buckley's lucid account celebrates the tenacity of the human spirit and the will to achieve freedom." (Publishers Weekly, March 1, 2004)

"Eloquent...immensely readable...the saga of the victory of capitalism over the brutal and irrational fraud that was state socialism." (Baltimore Sun, March 21, 2004)
 
"[A] great narrative of democratic survival and democratic victory." (Washington Time, March 30, 2004)
 
"This is a small masterpiece of the narrative tradition. The Fall of the Berlin Wall keep[s] readers turning the page." (National Review, March 22, 2004)
 
"...decodes the Cold War endgame..." (Vanity Fair, March 2004)
 
From the day the Berlin Wall went up, in August of 1961, separating East and West Berlin, to the day it came crumbling down in November 1989, it stood as a symbol of the denial of freedom and the horrors of communism. In his latest book, renowned conservative writer Buckley tells the story of the Wall from its historic inception to its fateful fall. This new entry in Wiley's Turning Points series is not an in-depth historical account of East German communism but a brief overview of cri tical events, accompanied by Buckley's insightful and occasionally witty commentary. Despite the author's political orientation, the book does not evince a strong political bias (traditionally, conservatives tout Reagan as a major player in the fall of communism, but Buckley devotes a scant couple of pages to Reagan's policies and his famous "te ar down this wall" speech); the story of the Berlin Wall is remarkable in itself, capable of being appreciated by all, regardless of their politics. It's a story about separated families, thousands of East Berliner s who risked their lives to taste freedom on the other side; those who did not make it-shot down by Communist police as they attempted to scale the wall. Buckley is at times funny, at times genuinely horrified by the Communist regime, and at times exultant over its fall. His lucid account celebrates the tenacity of the human spirit and the will to achieve freedom. Map. Agent, Lois Wallace. (Mar. 26) (Publishers Weekly, March 1, 2004)

WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY Jr. is an award-winning author, editor, columnist, television host, lecturer, and adventurer. A father of modern conservative thought in America, he founded National Review in 1955, started writing his syndicated "On the Right" newspaper column in 1962, and began hosting the Emmy Award—winning Firing Line in 1966. His many best-selling books include God and Man at Yale, Atlantic High, Airborne, and ten Blackford Oakes spy novels. Buckley has been awarded 35 honorary degrees and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1991.