ISBN-13: 9781101969946 Summary Autumn. We follow her to adulthood, when she worked in intelligence with the US government and even visited Germany.“What will become of a country...when a mother cannot trust her own children, and they, in turn, cannot trust their own families?”“What will become of a country...when a mother cannot trust her own children, and they, in turn, cannot trust their own families?”Despite the awkward presentation at times, this was a fascinating story about a family separated for decades during the Cold War. It was all so seamlessly woven together to give the reader a deeper understanding of what life was like in East Germany during the Cold War both before and after the Berlin Wall. After a career that brought her back to her mother’s homeland of East Germany and witnessing the falling of the Berlin Wall and communism, Willner became inspired later in life to record her family history. It captures the horrors of living under a totalitarian regime perfectly. But most of us can’t put a human face to these events. Forty Autumns is illustrated with dozens of black-and-white and color photographs. It was due back at the library and quite lengthy, didn't know if I could fit it in, but three of my trusted friends on here rated it highly, so I thought I would just start it and see if I connected with the story. Stalin demanded the transition be swift, and the approach uncompromising” But the price of freedom --- leaving behind her parents, eight siblings and family home --- was heartbreaking. Forty Autumns book. Author Nina Willner's mother Hannah defected from East Germany when she was 20 years old, leaving behind her parents and seven siblings.
by Nina Willner ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 4, 2016. She intersperses the story of her family and the events going on at the time in Germany and throughout the region. 40 autumns book club questions Readers Group Guide. But others have said it better in review. Willner grew up not completely separate from her mother's family. Unlike most of her classmates who had two sets of living grandparents to write to, Nina found out that one set of grandparents were deceased and the other set was trapped behind the Iron Curtain.