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Forty autumns : a family's story of courage and survival on both sides of the Berlin Wall
2016
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A former American military intelligence officer traces the experiences of five women in her family who were separated by the Iron Curtain for more than forty years and who endured terrifying Communist rule before being reunited after the fall of the Berlin Wall. - (Baker & Taylor)

A former American military intelligence officer traces the experiences of five women in her family who were separated by the Iron Curtain for more than 40 years and who endured terrifying Communist rule before being reunited after the fall of the Berlin Wall. 150,000 first printing. - (Baker & Taylor)

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.

- (HARPERCOLL)

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.

- (HARPERCOLL)

Flap Cover Text

In this illuminating and deeply moving eyewitness account of history, a former military intelligence officer shares the true story of her family: Americans and East Germans, caught up in a Cold War drama—sisters, mothers, daughters, and cousins separated by the Iron Curtain for forty years, and their miraculous reunion after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Growing up in a provincial country village outside of Berlin, Hanna was encouraged by her schoolteacher father to learn about life beyond their small town and to follow her dreams. “The world is infinitely vast and full of wonder,” he told her, fueling young Hanna’s imagination. But at the end of World War II, the Soviets took control of the eastern part of Germany and established a repressive communist satellite state—East Germany—which used brutal force and a massive wall to cut off East from West.

Determined to live free, Hanna made a dangerous escape to West Germany. But the price of freedom—leaving behind her parents, her eight siblings, and her home—was heartbreaking. Uprooted, Hanna eventually moved to America, where she settled down with her husband, a U.S. Army officer, and had children of her own, but she never forgot her parents and siblings trapped on the other side of the Berlin Wall.

Throughout the Cold War, the West knew little about East Germany, except that it was a bleak authoritarian state ruled by a communist dictator, controlled by ruthless secret police, and that it was a staging ground for Soviet aggression into the West. Growing up near Washington, D.C., Hanna’s daughter, Nina Willner, became the first female U.S. Army intelligence officer to lead sensitive intelligence collection operations in East Berlin at the height of the Cold War. Though separated by only a few miles, American Nina and her German relatives—a large family that included her aunt Heidi and her cousin Cordula, a member of the East German Olympic training team—were kept apart for more than four decades by a bitter political war.

Forty Autumns brings into focus these five resolute women who fought to preserve what matters most—three generations whose lives embodied one nation’s birth and demise. Nina takes us deep into the tumultuous and terrifying world of East Germany under communist rule, revealing both the harsh reality her relatives endured and her experiences as an intelligence officer running secret operations behind the Berlin Wall that put her life at risk.

Reminiscent of the international bestseller Wild Swans, Forty Autumns is an intimate and beautifully written account of unbending faith, unwavering determination, the enduring power of the human spirit, the constant longing for reunion and unification, and a personal look at a tenuous era that divided a city, a nation, and the world—and continues to haunt us today.

- (HARPERCOLL)

In this illuminating and deeply moving eyewitness account of history, a former military intelligence officer shares the true story of her family: Americans and East Germans, caught up in a Cold War drama'sisters, mothers, daughters, and cousins separated by the Iron Curtain for forty years, and their miraculous reunion after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Growing up in a provincial country village outside of Berlin, Hanna was encouraged by her schoolteacher father to learn about life beyond their small town and to follow her dreams. 'the world is infinitely vast and full of wonder," he told her, fueling young Hanna's imagination. But at the end of World War II, the Soviets took control of the eastern part of Germany and established a repressive communist satellite state'East Germany'which used brutal force and a massive wall to cut off East from West.

Determined to live free, Hanna made a dangerous escape to West Germany. But the price of freedom'leaving behind her parents, her eight siblings, and her home'was heartbreaking. Uprooted, Hanna eventually moved to America, where she settled down with her husband, a U.S. Army officer, and had children of her own, but she never forgot her parents and siblings trapped on the other side of the Berlin Wall.

Throughout the Cold War, the West knew little about East Germany, except that it was a bleak authoritarian state ruled by a communist dictator, controlled by ruthless secret police, and that it was a staging ground for Soviet aggression into the West. Growing up near Washington, D.C., Hanna's daughter, Nina Willner, became the first female U.S. Army intelligence officer to lead sensitive intelligence collection operations in East Berlin at the height of the Cold War. Though separated by only a few miles, American Nina and her German relatives'a large family that included her aunt Heidi and her cousin Cordula, a member of the East German Olympic training team'were kept apart for more than four decades by a bitter political war.

Forty Autumns brings into focus these five resolute women who fought to preserve what matters most'three generations whose lives embodied one nation's birth and demise. Nina takes us deep into the tumultuous and terrifying world of East Germany under communist rule, revealing both the harsh reality her relatives endured and her experiences as an intelligence officer running secret operations behind the Berlin Wall that put her life at risk.

Reminiscent of the international bestseller Wild Swans, Forty Autumns is an intimate and beautifully written account of unbending faith, unwavering determination, the enduring power of the human spirit, the constant longing for reunion and unification, and a personal look at a tenuous era that divided a city, a nation, and the world'and continues to haunt us today.

- (HARPERCOLL)

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Trade Reviews

Booklist Reviews

Willner's mother, Hanna, just 20 years old, escaped from East Germany into West Germany at nearly the last possible moment. His telling of her story quickly becomes a page-turner about a loving family facing East Germany's hardships, restrictions, and fears under the oppressive communist regime and the manipulative secret police. Young Hanna eventually lands in America, but she leaves her beloved family behind—Oma, Opa, and many others, but especially her younger sister Heidi. Hanna and daughter Nina's tale spins unexpectedly when Nina is commissioned in the U.S. Army as an intelligence officer—and stationed in 1983 in Berlin, just miles from the family members she has never met. Not just the author's storytelling skill but also the many photos touchingly portray this charming, divided family. Plenty of background—both heartbreaking (would-be escapees shot at the wall) and fascinating (President Kennedy's Berlin speech, preceded by his peeking over the wall)—is woven neatly in. A multigenerational tale that brings the Cold War and the iron curtain to tragic, memorable life. Copyright 2016 Booklist Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

A former U.S. Army intelligence officer's story of her East German mother's flight to the West and of the family she left behind.Willner was just 5 years old when she first learned that her mother Hanna's parents lived "behind a curtain" in East Germany. But it would not be until several years later that she would understand that this "curtain" was really a symbol of their political oppression and that Hanna had barely escaped entrapment herself. Her own mother, Oma, had literally pushed her into the arms of the departing American soldiers who had been occupying their hometown. The 17-year-old Hanna soon returned out of concern for her family. But when, after fleeing and returning a second time, she saw how communist ideology was changing her father and destroying the freedom, happiness, and security she had once known, she left, this time barely escaping with her life. Piecing together the story of Hanna's family from relatives encountered only after the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Willner re-creates an at times painful account of how her aunts, uncles, and especially her grandparents survived a brutal East German dictatorship. Though marked as "politically unreliable" due to Hanna's defection, they never gave up hope that one day they would be reunited. However, the price they paid was high. Willner's grandfather became a target of communist officials, who banished him, his wife, and youngest daughter, born after Hanna's third and final escape, to a tiny farming community to prevent the spread of possible dissent and then forced him to undergo "intensive reeducation training" at a mental hospital. Yet through all the suffering, the family managed to stay together and survive by building a "Family Wall" of love and loyalty against the powerful outside forces they could not control. Thoughtful and informative, Willner's book not only offers a personal view of the traumatic effects of German partition. It also celebrates the enduring resilience of the human spirit. A poignant and engrossing, occasionally harrowing, family memoir. Copyright Kirkus 2016 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

Willner's epic memoir traverses three generations of mothers, recounting the tragedy, estrangement, and overwhelming courage of a family torn apart by the ideological division of Germany during the Cold War. Willner, a former U.S. Army intelligence officer, weaves familial legends of escape from farmsteads guarded by roving East German border patrols, with tales of international espionage at the 1958 World's Fair. Her interrogative and unabashed voice explores the painful intersection of national duty and familial responsibilities, as when she describes the first encounter of her maternal grandfather and her father in 1959: "The two shook hands: the tall East German and onetime soldier in the Third Reich meeting his new son-in-law, an Auschwitz and Buchenwald survivor and now a U.S. Army intelligence officer." Faced with government-sanctioned propaganda and manipulation, readers follow a family of educators led by their daughters as they attempt to navigate "the fabric of East German society began to fray under the yoke of an Orwellian climate of oppression." Willner's depiction of the brutal East German regime and the fight of one family to unite is a thrilling and relevant read for historians and casual readers alike. (Oct.)

[Page ]. Copyright 2016 PWxyz LLC

Table of Contents

Family and Historical Chronology xi
Preface xvii
PART ONE
1 The Handover: End of War (1945)
3(14)
2 An Iron Curtain Descends: Cold War Begins (1945--1946)
17(14)
3 "If You Want to Get Out, Do It Soon": Close Calls and Escapes (1946--1948)
31(19)
4 Flight: A Small Suitcase and the Final Escape (August 11, 1948)
50(13)
PART TWO
5 Two Castles: Out of the Whirlwind (1948--1949)
63(11)
6 A Sister Born in the East: The Stasi Takes Control (1949--1952)
74(17)
7 "We Want to Be Free": A Workers' Uprising (1953)
91(8)
8 The Visit: Sisters Meet (1954)
99(8)
9 Life Normalizes in a Police State: A Courtship (1955--1957)
107(13)
10 The Fur Coat: Last Meeting (1958--1959)
120(17)
PART THREE
11 "A Wall Will Keep the Enemy Out": A Wall to Keep the People In (1960--1961)
137(13)
12 The Family Wall: Oma's Faith and Opa's Defiance (1962--1965)
150(15)
13 Only Party Members Succeed: "We Have Each Other" (1966--1969)
165(14)
14 A Message with No Words: Oma's Love from Afar (1970--1974)
179(17)
15 Dissidents and Troublemakers: Opa Committed (1975--1977)
196(13)
16 A Light Shines: "Our Souls Are Free" (1977)
209(9)
17 A Surprise from America: Innocence (1978--1980)
218(16)
18 Paradise Bungalow: Refuge and Solace (1980--1982)
234(11)
PART FOUR
19 Assignment: Berlin---Intelligence Operations (1982--1984)
245(21)
20 Face-to-Face with Honecker: Mission in Ludwigslust (1984--1985)
266(11)
21 Beyond the Checkpoint: Passage (1985)
277(20)
22 Imagine: The Road Ahead (1986)
297(10)
23 "Tear Down This Wall": Winds of Change (1987--1988)
307(8)
24 "Gorby, Save Us!" A Nation Crumbles (1989)
315(9)
25 The World Is Stunned: "Schabowski Said We Can!" or, the Wall Falls (November 9, 1989)
324(7)
26 Dawn: Leaving the East (Autumn 1989)
331(2)
27 Reunion and Rebirth: Together Again (1990--2013)
333(18)
Epilogue
341(10)
Author's Note 351(6)
Acknowledgments 357(4)
Glossary 361(2)
Bibliography 363(12)
Image Credits 375(2)
Index 377

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