EAST GERMANY, 1949-1990
Allen Lane, 496pp, £25
Beyond the Wall ‘aims to show that real people lived real lives in a Germany that for forty years was utterly distinct from its neighbour. The book is ‘fast-paced, vivid and engaging.’ Hoyer, who was born in the GDR, ‘covers the large political history with economy and confidence, ranging from geopolitical tensions to the personal shortcomings of the GDR leadership. Her history is humanised by the many smaller stories of ordinary individuals whose lives are told through snippets of memoirs, archive documents and interviews… Cumulatively they give a rich insight into a vanished country from the bottom up.’
