Stasiland

The late '80s and early '90s saw the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany. In a land that had seen its secret police headquarters turned into a museum in less than a day, and where one in 50 East Germans were informing on their countrymen and women, there are many stories just waiting to get out. Anna Funder tells extraordinary tales from the underbelly of East Germany—she meets Miriam, who might have started World War III at 16; visits the man who painted the line that became the Berlin Wall; and gets drunk with Mick Jagger of the East, who was once told to his face by authorities that he didn't exist anymore. Written with wit and literary flair, Stasiland is a riveting insight into life behind the wall.