One of Slate's Ten Best Books of 2023 - A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice - A Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of 2023 The gripping story of a collective passion for freedom that shook the world.
In August 1989, three months before the fall of the Berlin Wall, anti-Soviet activists in Hungary won the permission of their reformist government - and tacitly of Gorbachev himself - to mount something unthinkable: a picnic in the no-go zone of the Iron Curtain, where people from either side of the border would come together for a one-off afternoon of togetherness. A cocktail of factors, including the determination and bravery of a handful of...
A dramatic reconstruction of the greatest border breach in Cold War history and its tumultuous aftermath. 'A pivotal ¿ and exhilarating ¿ moment in late 20th-century history . . . gripping' Observer'This little gem of a book . . . intensely moving' Sunday Times* A GUARDIAN BIGGEST FICTION AND NON-FICTION FOR 2024 * A WATERSTONES `BOOK YOU NEED TO READ IN 2024¿ * A FOYLES TOP TEN READ FOR JANUARY 2024 *In August 1989, a group of Hungarian activ...
In August 1989, a group of Hungarian activists organized a picnic on the border of Hungary and Austria. But this was not an ordinary picnic-it was located on the dangerous militarized frontier known as the Iron Curtain. Tacit permission from the highest state authorities could be revoked at any moment. On wisps of rumor, thousands of East German "vacationers" packed Hungarian campgrounds, awaiting an opportunity, fearing prison, surveilled by ...
Borders are changing in response to terrorism and immigration. This book shows why this matters, especially for sovereignty, individual liberty, and citizenship.
