History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

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Charming story....amazing illustrations!
A warm story of Germany and rabbits

Esterhazy
Irene Dische , Hans Magnus Enzensberger , and Hans Marcus Enzensberger
Manufacturer: Image Connection
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

ASIN: 0970276834

Customer Reviews:

Charming story....amazing illustrations!.......2007-04-14

The story of little Prince Esterhazy is so simple and charming, sure to delight young and old. We bought the book because we are huge fans of Michael Sowa's art. The illustrations are at the same time surreal and precious; a bunny trying on boxer shorts? A bunny in the bathtub? Fantastic! And the poignant story of a bunny finding love as the wall falls in Berlin is too sweet.

A warm story of Germany and rabbits.......2001-09-19

This is the most charming book I have come across in years, and I can't wait to read the original in German (available now on amazon.de for about $30.) The combination of master storytelling by Dische and Enzensberger and Sowa's richly surreal art is mesmerizing. The story is light, simple, and very rewarding. You will return again and again to this story of a rabbit traveling through modern Germany. It brings back memories of my time in both East and West Germany, around the wall. When I read it, I smile and feel better.

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)

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Check and see
Suprise! Suprise!
Prescient St Augustine?
Something of a disappointment
Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy..

History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2 (Chronology)
Anatoly T Fomenko
Manufacturer: Delamere Resources LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 2913621066

Product Description

`History: Fiction or Science? Chronology 2` is the second volume of the most explosive and astounding tractate on history ever written - however, every theory it contains, no matter how unorthodox, is backed by rock solid scientific data. The book is easy and pleasant to read; it is well-illustrated, contains hundreds of charts, graphs and illustrations, copies of ancient manuscripts, and countless facts attesting to the falsity of the chronology used nowadays. You will be amazed to discover: - That the chronology universally accepted today and taken for granted is simply wrong; - That ALL methods of dating of ancient sources and artefacts known today are erroneous or non-exact; - That there is not a single document that could be reliably dated earlier than the XIth century; The Author refers to the Middle Ages as the Antiquity and proves mutual superimposition of the Second and the Third Roman Empire, both of which become identified as the respective kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Furthermore, he asserts that the famous reform of the Occidental Church in the XI century by Pope Gregory Hildebrand was the reflection of the XII century reforms of Byzantine emperor Andronicus who in his turn identifies with Jesus Christ. The Trojan war counted by Homer happened only as late as of the XIII century A.D. and the great poet actually lived in XIV century A.D. No stone in history of Antiquity is left unturned. Literally. This book is the beginning of a major correction to the chronology we live with.

Customer Reviews:

Check and see.......2007-06-21

I don't care what other people say of this book. Those affirmig it's fake, they hadn't ever read it. Or have some special reasons to do so. "Living is easy with eyes closed, misunderstanding all you see..." This book won't make you feel comfortable. It'll make you feel free. It'll make you feel you're "not the only one" to feel you'd been lied to for centuries.

Suprise! Suprise!.......2007-03-22

Here is a serie of books which turns "the whole world" upside down. I learned a lot of it and I hope that a new book from A.T. Fomenko will follow very quick. A absolute must for everybody who is interested in history or even a little bit from it.

Prescient St Augustine?.......2006-02-05

We can so far divide the New Chronology into the following three parts:

a) The verifiable theory that proves consensual chronology wrong with the aid of astronomy, statistics and mathematics;

b) The new chronology hypothesis based on a new understanding of known historical facts and the most likely logical explanation of the most obvious inconsistencies inherent in the official version of history;

c) The history conjectures, that is experimental historical reconstructions based on assumptions that the authors believe to make sense in the light of their research and linguistic parallels - void of ironclad factual support to date.

Fomenko's theory complies with the most rigid scientific standards as a whole:

It gives a coherent explanation of what we already know.

- It is consistent: independent lines of inquiry all lead to the same conclusion.

- The predictions it makes are confirmed empirically.

Fomenko goes by the following axioms:

- Chronology is the basis of history;

- Human evolution has always been linear, gradual and irreversible;

- The "cyclic" nature of human civilization is a myth, likewise all the gaps, duplicates, "dark ages" and "renaissances" that we know from consensual history;

- The accumulation of geographical knowledge as reflected in cartography is a gradual and irreversible process;

- The chronological distance between a given manuscript and the events described therein is proportional to the amount of distortions it contains;

- There is no "useless" information in authentic ancient sources.

Why the mainstream historians do not shower mathematician Academician Dr.Prof Fomenko with thanks and laurels?

The Russians:

Because Fomenko asserts that there was no such thing as the Tartar and Mongol invasion followed by three centuries of slavery, providing a formidable body of documental evidence to prove his assertion. The so-called "Tartars and Mongols" were the actual ancestors of the modern Russians, living in a bilingual state with Arabic spoken as freely as Russian. The ancient Russian state was governed by a double structure of civil and military authorities. The hordes were actually professional armies with a tradition of lifelong conscription (the recruitment being the so-called "blood tax"). Their "invasions" were punitive operations against the regions that attempted tax evasion. Fomenko proves that Russian history as we know it today is a blatant forgery concocted by a host of German scientists brought to Russia by the usurper dynasty of the Romanovs, whose ascension to the throne was the result of coup d'état, charged with the mission of making their reign look legitimate. Fomenko proves Ivan the Terrible to be a collation of four rulers, no less. They represented the two rival dynasties - the legitimate rulers and the ambitious upstarts. The winner took it all! Over some 30 years of controversy, Russian historians have made a most remarkable transition - they were initially accusing the young mathematician Fomenko of anticommunist dissident activity and attempts to deface the historical legacy of Soviet Russia; nowadays the middle-aged mathematician is accused of adhering to "pro-communist Russian nationalism" and defacing the proud historical legacy of Great Russia.

The Westerners:

Because Fomenko blows consensual Russian history to smithereens, successfully removing a crucial cornerstone from underneath the otherwise impeccable edifice of World History. Fomenko adds insult to injury, wiping out one by one the Ancient Rome (the foundation of Rome in Italy is dated to the XIV century A. D.), the Ancient Greece and its numerous poleis, which he identifies as the mediaeval crusader settlements on the territory of Greece, and the Ancient Egypt (the pyramids of Giza become dated to the XI-XV century A. D. and identified as the royal cemetery of the Global "Mongolian" Empire, no less). The civilization of the Ancient Egypt is irrefutably dated to the XII-XV century A. D. with the aid of the ancient Egyptian horoscopes cut in stone. He was the first one to decipher and date all such horoscopes, coming up with mediaeval dates in every case. English historians rage at the suggestion that the history of Ancient England was de facto a Byzantine import transplanted to the English soil by the fugitive Byzantine nobility. To reward the English historians who consider themselves the true scribes of World History, the cover of the present book portrays Tintoretto's Jesus Christ crucified on the Big Ben.

The Chinese:

Because Fomenko wipes out the Ancient History of China outright. No such thing. Full point. The compilation of the so-called Ancient Chinese History is reliably datable to the XVII-XVIII century only. It is perfectly recognizable as the Ancient European history, reworked and transcribed in hieroglyphs as yet another historical transplantation, this time performed on the Chinese soil by the loving Jesuit hands. The Chinese are the next in line to go berserk. Chinese history is inevitably bound to get both more ancient and more eventful, proportionally to the growing involvement of China in the world affairs. Chinese historians will keep on finding valid proof of prehistoric Chinese spaceflights until the Politburo orders them to shut up.

The Arabs:

Too bad. Islam with all its key figures is datable to XV-XVI century A. D. Arabic historians may find consolation in the crucial historical role of the Ottoman Empire in the XVI-XVII century. The trouble is that this empire was initially a Christian state, with Hagia Sophia identifiable as Temple of Solomon, according to Fomenko! We can only guess if the acquisition of Alexander the Great (a Macedonian and a Christian) as the founder of the Muslim World Empire will make Fomenko's theories more acceptable to the Arabic mainstream. He certainly does not spare any holy cows at all, claiming The Stone of Qa'Aba in Mecca to contain the lost Arch of the Covenant.

The Divinity:

Despite of reiterated statement that his theory is all about chronology and not Religion, Fomenko stirs up a whole condominium of wasp nests. His collection of anathemas, fatwa, and other condemnations from all parties concerned is already considerable. Little wonder, considering that the history of religions à la Fomenko looks as follows: the pre-Christian period (before the XI century and JC), Bacchic Christianity (XI-XII century, before and after JC), JC Christianity (XII-XVI century) and its subsequent mutations into Orthodox Christianity, the Catholicism, Islam, Buddhism, and so on.

According to Fomenko we know strictly NOTHING about the events that predate the X century A. D.

St Augustin was prescient when he spoke unto us: "be wary of mathematicians, particularly when they speak the truth."

Something of a disappointment.......2005-09-09

After having read the first volume of this expected series of 7 volumes I was triggered by the thesis of these authors that ancient Greek and Roman history did in fact take place in the Middle Ages. So I started studying medieval history of the Middle East - also known as Islamic history - to find out if the opponents of the ancient Greeks and Romans - the Acheamenid Persians, Sassanids, Scythians, Egyptians, etc. - also have their duplicates in medieval history. My search was disappointing: none of the many medieval Islamic dynasties seemed to correspond to the ancient middle eastern rulers.

However, I did find a close correspondence between Herodotus' Persian kings and medieval events:

- the defeat and capture of an Anatolian king - the Lydian Croesus - by the Persian conqueror Cyrus is identical to the defeat and capture of another Anatolian king - sultan Bayezid - by the Asian/Mongol conqueror Tamerlane;
- the Persian conquest of Egypt by the cruel tyrant Cambyses reds almost exactly as the Ottoman conquest of Egypt by Selim the Grim (note the nickname!);
- Darius the Lawgiver of the Persian Empire looks very much alike to Sulayman the Magnificent, the Lawgiver in Islamic history;
- Xerxes, whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by the Greeks at the naval battle of Salamis, looks like Selim II (the Sot) whose main claim to fame is to be defeated by a Spanish-Italian alliance at the naval battle of Lepanto.

I should have expected Fomenko et al. to arrive at similar conclusions, however, they claim that the Persian kings are the alter egos of the Angevin kings of Sicily whose biographies do not contain the exploits of the Persian kings.

The similiarities I indicate lead to the conclusion that Herodotus must have written his Histories at the close of the 16th century. But this is extremely late, given that Herodotus is "the Father of History", so therefore all other "ancient" histories must have been fabricated even later. Yet, the founders of modern chronology - Scaliger and Petavius - laid their foundations also at the close of the 16th century and had the full corpus of ancient histories already at their disposal.

It seems to me that Fomenko has to address these inconsistencies, maybe in the forthcoming 5 volumes?

Another critique of their book is that the correspondencies between different rulers are often based on a superficial comparison of the biographies; upon a more thorough comparison many details appear that do not correspond at all.

Finally, the authors rely heavily on the works of Gregorovius (1821-1891!!) - his medieval histories of Rome and Athens - as the source of medieval history; these works are - at least in the West - hoplessly outdated and have been superceded by more up-to-date works (for instance, Julius Norwich's trilogy on Byzantine history is not even cited).

Romulus courts Helen, Paris founds Rome, Moses goes to Troy.........2005-07-30

If you agree with Fomenko that Roman chronology is basically the foundation of the entire edifice of global chronology; you would also certainly agree that despite its numerous gaps and inconsistencies, Roman history is the best-documented field of ancient history, and thus a reference scale. But how well is the actual date of the Eternal City's foundation known?

Firstly, Rome is supposed to have been founded by the Trojans who had to flee after the fall of Troy. Some claim Rome to have been founded by Aeneas and Ulysses shortly after Troy had fallen; others are of the opinion that there was an entire dynasty that ruled for 500 years between the fall of Troy and the foundation of Rome.

Well, that's just an innocent 500 years long misunderstanding compared with what heretic Fomenko says, asserts, proves in his second volume: Second Roman Empire, Third Roman Empire, Biblical Kingdom of Israel, Biblical Kingdom of Judah, Holy Roman Empire are stories about basically same events, written from different points of view at different times. The underlying events have actually taken place during xii-xv cy. These histories have been written and perfected by multitude of highly talented humanist and clerical writers of xiii-xvi cy disguised as "ancients" with glorious names like Homer, Pluto, Thucydides etc..Chronology 2.0 beta..

Historians are kindly invited to report the bugs.

Stasiland: True Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall

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Exceptional and Fascinating
Learning about life in former Stasi-controlled GDR (DDR) through many different eye-glasses
Revisionist Review
The Ossis through an Aussie's Eyes
Fascinating, Heartbreaking Journey Back Into the GDR

Stasiland: True Stories from Behind the Berlin Wall
Anna Funder
Manufacturer: Granta Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1862075808

Book Description

In this anecdotal history, Anna Funder tells extraordinary stories from the underbelly of the most perfected surveillance state of all time: the former East Germany. Stasiland is a powerful account of the courage of those who withstood the dictatorship and the consequences for those who collaborated: from Miriam, a 16-year-old who failed a desperate attempt to scale the Wall, to an ex-Stasi cartographer living in an apartment lined with propaganda. This is a lyrical and gripping debut novel.

Customer Reviews:

Exceptional and Fascinating.......2006-04-05

I normally don't go for straight non-fiction memoirs, but this is an unusual book in its structure and tone. Stasiland has all the virtues of a pacey novel combined with providing deep insights on the impact of the DDR's horrible regime on painfully ordinary people.
The author manages to work in personal travalogue and investigative journalism without any elements jarring or feeling out of place. It's very, very good. Anyone with an interest in the end of the cold war era must read it. Actually, anyone should read it - even if you'd never heard of the DDR it's riveting stuff.

Learning about life in former Stasi-controlled GDR (DDR) through many different eye-glasses.......2006-01-09

Anna Funder is an Australian writter who found herself in Berlin several years after the Berlin wall and Communism in former GDR (German Democratic Republic; or DDR in the German language) collapsed.

Through personal stories of former East Germans, Anna tries to put together a mental pictures of what life in former GDR was like. And this mental picture is a stark, dark, oppressive, and paranoid collage of people's lives' stories.

One will learn that East Germany was 'the most perfected surveillance state of all time,' where there was one Stasi officer or informant for every 63 people. The book covers the national formation of the GDR regime and also discuss the cultural background of why Germans were willingly subjecting themselves to authority. The best torture method devised by the Stasi was sleep deprivation. With all this and more, the author makes the point that the regime would not have survived without the Soviet military muscle and presence.

The book also presents some light and funny trivia: the quasi-scientific method of 'smell sampling' used by the 'Firm' (Stasi), the East German silly dance style called 'Lipsi' and the corny or mind-numbing propaganda TV shows.

Interviewing people who lost loved ones in the evil regime's prisons, persons who taught counterintelligence classes for the Stasi, who worked as informants or undercover policeman, students who tried to escape across the Berlin Wall, and persons who are still believers in the 'proletarian' revolution and are nostalgic about the values of the former Socialist republic.

By reading this ecclectic biography collage you will learn about German cultural values, GDR political and idiological history, the Stasi (one of the most feared secret police organizations). Stasiland also shows how much the Stasi archives ruined many lives in former East Germany.

A recommended counter-balance to the gloomy and depressing theme of this non-fiction is the romance/drama/comedy movie "Good Bye Lenin (2003)."

Revisionist Review.......2005-12-12

Many of us at one time or another have had an idea of what it must have been like to live in a totalitarian society, a crude and harsh dictatorship, a government controlled life where fear and dishonesty is or was in this case the accepted form. Anna Funder's Stasiland gives the reader an honest, sometimes brutal,sometimes humorous and always revealing look at what it was like to live in East Germany and particularly East Berlin under the iron fist of the red slave masters in Moscow. It is Communism revealed openly for all to see its evilness, its punishment of the innocent and its pitless modus operandi from hell. Funder's first book is written in a clever style and as she does her best to face the surprising results of her investigation, we follow along in suspense, anger, sadness and most of all dramatic interest. Stasiland displays to the world in the most clearest of terms what President Reagan once called an "evil empire." Stasiland is a liberal's nightmare and a conservative's justification, but most of all, it is the truth and that is more valuable than all else.

The Ossis through an Aussie's Eyes.......2005-10-30

Australian born Ann Funder writes of the Ossis--former victims or members of the Stasi, the GDR's secret police. At once chilling and sentimental, this non-fiction reads so smoothly and beautifully it feels like fiction. Like the Puzzle People reconstructing fragments of the Stasi's formerly secret files, Funder pieces together a puzzle of history of which many know nothing.

Many others wish to forget, but through the study of history we learn lessons--what works, what doesn't. In 2000, she interviewed the Puzzle People in Nuremberg.

"'The mistake the GDR made was to force people into a position,' the dark man says, 'either you are for us or an enemy.'"

Sound familiar?

Fascinating, Heartbreaking Journey Back Into the GDR.......2005-02-13

Seven years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, Anna Funder was driven to explore "Stasiland," the former German Democratic Republic. This book answers the question many of us have: "What was it like to live as a closely-watched individual in one of the most repressive societies on Earth?" While the wall itself has been almost entirely torn down, Funder still found the "inner wall" -- the differences in attitude and beliefs of those who had lived in the freedom of West Germany and those who had grown up in the East.

After touring the former Stasi headquarters in Leipzig, Funder meets Miriam Weber, who attempted to escape from East Berlin. Her story is riveting, like a John LeCarre novel, except real. Funder tells us of Sigrid Paul. The Stasi dangled before Frau Paul the opportunity to visit her terribly ill son in the West -- at the price of becoming a Stasi informant. And Julia, loyal to the regime, who accidentally gets cross-wise with the State and whose prospects are then destroyed. Funder tells of ex-Stasi men, some who were coerced into joining, others who willingly grabbed the chance at adventure.

There are many funny moments in the book as well. In describing the regime's unpopular propagandist and his even-less-popular television show, Funder explains that scheduling the show immediately after beloved movies caused a weekly electricity crisis. Power plant workers had to be on alert: "First, everyone tuned in at once to the movie, so they went into overdrive. Then, when 'The Black Channel' came on, the workers had to struggle to stop the power supply from collapsing under a backsurge as everyone, simultaneously, switched off their sets." In well-written explanatory passages, Funder also demonstrates that she understands what made the leaders of the GDR tick: "Mielke and Honecker grew up fighting the real evil of Nazism. And they kept on fighting the west, which they saw as Nazism's successor, for forty-five years after the war ended. . . They never wanted to stop."

Funder is a great writer, and there are many beautifully written passages in the book. Her description of the sights and smells of the GDR can make you think you are there. This is not a comprehensive history of the Stasi (John Koehler has written the best one), but it is the best-written account of average (and courageous) people in "Stasiland."

The Wall Jumper: A Berlin Story (Phoenix Fiction Series)

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An engaging novel of Berlin before the fall of the Wall.

The Wall Jumper: A Berlin Story (Phoenix Fiction Series)
Peter Schneider
Manufacturer: University Of Chicago Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0226739414

Book Description

"Schneider's characters, like Kundera's, are sentient and sophisticated figures at a time when the constraints of Communist rule persist but its energy has entirely vanished."—Richard Eder, Los Angeles Times Book Review

When the Berlin Wall was still the most tangible representation of the Cold War, Peter Schneider made this political and ideological symbol into something personal, that could be perceived on a human level, from more than one side. In Schneider's Berlin, real people cross the Wall not to defect but to quarrel with their lovers, see Hollywood movies, and sometimes just because they can't help themselves—the Wall has divided their emotions as much as it has their country.

"An honest, rich book. . . . It is one those rare books that come back at odd moments to intrude on your comfortable conclusions and easy images."—Robert Houston, Nation

Customer Reviews:

An engaging novel of Berlin before the fall of the Wall........2000-09-05

This completely frank, thought-provoking, and often wryly humorous account of life in Berlin before the fall of the Wall will go straight to your heart with its fascinating stories and tales from both sides of the Divided City. With poignancy and warmth, the author creates believable characters who adhere to their own truths, not necessarily the expectations of the reader.

The personable, unnamed speaker in this first person narrative is a writer trying to create the story of a man "caught in a back-and-forth motion over the Wall, like a soccer goalie in an instant replay, always taking the same dive to miss the same ball." Virtually all the Berliners we meet here--from both East and West--are in the same situation as the unfortunate goalie, as they, too, go back and forth, repeatedly mistaking the moves of people from the other "side," misinterpreting signals, and often, in their ignorance, failing to "get it."

The author provides an amazingly complete, though somewhat sanitized, picture of the Wall-jumpers--not those poor souls who were brutally machine-gunned by Wall guards, but people like the speaker who come and go across the Wall with relative impunity because they do not call attention to themselves. And Schneider is quick to point out that most of the East Berliners are fairly satisfied with their lives, which are depicted with much warmth, as families and friends spend a great deal of time with each other, undistracted by the responsibilities of "freedom."

The fascinating philosophical discussions and personal revelations that occur among friends from both sides may sweep away your preconceptions about life in Berlin, as they did mine, and you may find yourself reevaluating your thinking about society and politics in general, and about Germany, in particular. Mary Whipple

The Lost Border: The Landscape of the Iron Curtain

Average customer rating:

All along the Iron Curtain
Revisionst
Great Idea for a Photo Book
breathtaking and chilling

The Lost Border: The Landscape of the Iron Curtain
Brian Rose
Manufacturer: Princeton Architectural Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1568984936

Book Description

Every man is a Berliner, forced to look upon a scar. . . .Behind me stands a wall that encircles the free sectors of this city, part of a vast system of barriers that divides the entire continent of Europe. From the Baltic, south, those barriers cut across Germany in a gash of barbed wire, concrete, dog runs, and guard towers. Farther south, there may be no visible, no obvious wall. But there remain armed guards and checkpoints all the same -- still a restriction on the right to travel, still an instrument to impose upon ordinary men and women the will of a totalitarian state.
Ronald Reagan delivered these words as part of his famous "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" speech of June 1987. Two years later, that wall did in fact come down. The Lost Border is the astonishing and powerful visual record of that transformation, published on the fifteenth anniversary of the wall's collapse.
Acclaimed photographer Brian Rose began shooting the borderlands between East and West -- from the Baltic Sea down to the Adriatic -- in the early 1980s, while the Cold War was still hot, and has been taking pictures of this eerie terrain ever since. The Lost Border documents the gradual disintegration of the Berlin Wall and the busy reclamation of what was -- and sometimes still remains -- a scarred and brutalized landscape.

Customer Reviews:

All along the Iron Curtain.......2006-10-12

With photos taken in the mid 1980s the author takes us on a pictorial trip along the former Iron Curtain from the Baltic sea coast at Travemunde (West-East Germany) to the Adriatic sea coast at Trieste (Italy-Yugolsalvia [today Slovenia]); with a separate chapter on the Berlin Wall. They are superb photos full of (sad) atmosphere, poignancy and historical importance. Like another reader, I just wish there were more of them. The chapters with photos from the period following the collapse of the Soviet empire and thus its lengthy prison wall with the west are relevant too. The author doesn't provide any lengthy description of the physical nature of the fortifications, history of escape attempts, as well as the constrast in the lives of people on each side of the borders but that has been the subject of other books and there is no need to; the brief comments combined with the pictures are all you need to appreciate it.

Revisionst.......2005-10-02

The Lost Border by Brian Rose fulfills an historical need by photographing the Iron Curtain before it was relegated to the dustbin of history. The photos are are in color and fill the need of being historical rather than some modern black and white modern art form which would have defeated the whole purpose of the book. I have walked the Berlin Wall many times in the 60's & 70's to take photos and aggravate the guards and for me to see the rest of the Iron Curtain in this large format book was a pleasure. I compliment Mr Rose on his endeavor. These photos show the stark reality of the evil of communism in clear detail. The Lost Border is an asset to any library; home or otherwise.

Great Idea for a Photo Book.......2005-09-30

I haven't seen anyone else put together a book like this, with shots from all along the Iron Curtain in the Cold War. My only disappointment was that there's not more of it - because the work in here is excellent, and I would have loved for it to not end so soon. Highly recommended for anyone who is interested in what the Soviets did to Eastern Europe until the fall of communism.

breathtaking and chilling.......2005-08-15

I grew up behind that border, lived in this grey cold world. The photographs brought back a lot of supressed memories. Looking through the book, I realized that these memories should be kept alive. Awesome and chilling at the same time. I would recommend this book to anyone....the era has passed but it was real. A lot of lives were lost at that border and many untold stories are buried with it. To me that book is a tribute to all who suffered in the name of freedom, I was just one of many.

New York Times When the Wall Came Down: The Berlin Wall and the Fall of Soviet Communism (New York Times)

Average customer rating:

History Book
Great Book

New York Times When the Wall Came Down: The Berlin Wall and the Fall of Soviet Communism (New York Times)
Serge Schmemann
Manufacturer: Kingfisher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0753459949

Book Description

This is history as only an eyewitness can tell it. In 1989, veteran journalist Serge Schmemann was in his hotel room when his assistant from East Germany burst in with some incredible news: the Berlin Wall was open. Serge jumped into the first cab he could find and raced to the wall in time to witness one of the great moments of European history. Including articles from the archives of The New York Times, this gripping narrative tells the whole story, from the division of Germany after World War II, to life in the Communist East, to the massive protests that brought an end to the Eastern Bloc, and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Customer Reviews:

History Book.......2007-01-10

I was expecting more of a story form, it was recommended for 10-13yr, old.

It was more like a text book, and Im afraid will go on a shelf and collect

dust.

Great Book.......2006-12-11

This is an awesome book which is written by Serge Schmemann. This book describes the Berlin wal and all about the symbolisim of the wall, and how it divided the West Berlin (democracy) from the East Berlin (Communist) This book ois great for an ap student in euro history on a report, due to the famous author and easiness of the book. It provides beautiful aray of pictures with little info about them and nice understandable text. Great book aced my report and enjoyed at the same time. Recommended!!!!!!!

The Idea of a United Europe: Political, Economic and Cultural Integration since the Fall of the Berlin Wall

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The Idea of a United Europe: Political, Economic and Cultural Integration since the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Manufacturer: Palgrave Macmillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0312234848

Book Description

The Idea of a United Europe examine the issues thrown up by the reintegration of Europe since 1989/90 through the primary perspective of European identity. Political economy here joins contemporary history: European studies specialists from Britain, Germany, and the Netherlands review Europe's progress, now that a decade has passed since the end of the cold war. Differences within Europe and unifying factors are both assessed in the course of this quest to examine what "Europe" has become and is becoming at the turn of the millennium.

The Last Division: A History of Berlin, 1945-1989

Average customer rating:

A weak work, careless with facts, blandly written.

The Last Division: A History of Berlin, 1945-1989
Ann Tusa
Manufacturer: Perseus Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0201143992

Book Description

Berlin has played a major role in world politics since the Nazi era. It was made hostage in the Cold War, and continues to be in the spotlight today as the once-again great capital of Germany. Ann Tusa's book is an engaging chronicle of the partitions of this historic city, from the administrative division by the victors against Hitler, through the building and eventual destruction of the wall.

Customer Reviews:

A weak work, careless with facts, blandly written........1998-05-01

It's been six months since I read this book and passed it on to others familiar with Berlin and its fascinating history, before and after the Cold War. All agree: this is a particularly weak work, blandly written, and, worst, careless with facts. One need only cite one blatant error, an error anyone at all acquainted with Berlin would never make: The name of the wide avenue that leads to the Brandenburg Gate, one of Europe's great boulevards, is "Strasse des 17. Juni," or "17th of June Street." This date commemorates the East German uprising of 1953, easily one of the most significant dates in Berlin's history. Ms. Tusa refers to this street as "17 July Street," and goes on to explain that on "17 July there were strikes all over the country..." With this date, and with this book, she was off by more than a month. And lest readers make the mistake of thinking this is a history of Berlin from WWII to 1989, as the subtitle states, be warned that it is really a portrayal of Berlin from WWII through the building of the Wall in 1961. The following decades are dismissed in about 40 breezy pages.

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Berlin in the Time of the Wall

Manufacturer: Loosestrife
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0975312006

Product Description

An exercise in the art of seeing and bookmaking, this 464 page tome explores the Berlin Wall as a repository for 20th century history and as a symbol of a divided, dangerous and polarized world. By asking us to look at what we have misplaced or abandoned as well as what we intended Gossage brings us face to face with the present as it becomes history. The production of the book, from its weight (at over 8 lbs), design (case bound, slip cased, acetate dust jacket) and printing (lush duotone) makes it a physical as well visual experience.

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