Book Descriptions
for When the Wall Came Down by Serge Schmemann
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Serge Schmemann was the Bonn (Germany) bureau chief for the New York Times in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This riveting account of the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989, provides both historical and political context for the event that changed the world. Schmemann weaves a cogent account of the rise and fall of communism in Eastern Europe into a commentary that captures the excitement and frenzy surrounding the Wall’s fall, which he witnessed firsthand, as well as the challenges that a reunified Germany faced. Numerous photographs and original New York Times articles written by Schmemann and others before, during, and after the fall are also featured, along with a helpful timeline and extensive list of articles for further reading. (Age 11 and older)
CCBC Choices 2007 . © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2007. Used with permission.
From The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)
This compelling, first-person narrative recounts the events leading up to the building of the Berlin Wall in 1961 and its fall in 1989. Well-chosen articles and black-and-white and color photographs from the archives of the New York Times bring the story to life. Maps, a time line of twentieth-century events, suggestions for further reading, and an index supplement the text. NYPL Books for the Teen Age. The author received a Pulitzer Prize for his reporting of the reunification of Germany.
Originally published by Kingfisher Great Britain, in 2006.
Bridges to Understanding: Envisioning the World through Children's Books. © USBBY, 2011. Used with permission.