One family's personal story is combined with a popular history of Germany from the 1920s through the fall of communism
Helmut and Charlotte Jacobitz were born in Berlin during the mid-1920s. They experienced depression and inflation, witnessed violence as fascists and communists vied for control of Germany, and when the Nazis prevailed, they survived the 12 years of the Third Reich. Drafted in 1943, Helmut was wounded fighting in Normandy. Charlotte, meanwhile, worked at the Reichsbank and took shelter against frequent bombing raids. After the Russians surrounded Berlin in April 1945, she witnessed first-hand the brutal battle for the city. The two young Germans met each other after the war, Charlotte joining Helmut to smuggle food into Berlin through the Russian blockade. The family finally immigrated to America, barely escaping before the Berlin Wall sliced the city in half. This book blends personal memoir with a historical primer about Berlin, the Nazis, and the Soviets.