Description: "Checkpoint Charlie is the story of the men and women--from both sides of the Cold War's political divide--who lived, served on, or escaped through the Berlin Wall during its life span (13th August 1961 - 9th November 1989)"--
Brief description: Iain MacGregor is the author of the acclaimed history of Cold War Berlin: Checkpoint Charlie and the award-winning The Lighthouse of Stalingrad: The Hidden Truth Behind WWII's Greatest Battle. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, has spoken at many literary festivals and conferences in the UK and abroad, appeared on podcasts such as The Rest Is History and on television documentaries. His writing has appeared in The Washington Post, The Spectator, BBC History Magazine, and The Guardian. He lives in London.
Review Quotes: "One of the many strengths of this fluid and constantly captivating book is the wonderful range of voices that Mr. MacGregor, a British editor and publisher, has brought together... well-researched and often moving." --The Wall Street Journal
"MacGregor brings the wall back to life through interviews with the people who built, defended and lived with it." --Washington Post, "Books to Read in November" "A fascinating and telling reminder of what was perhaps the most potent symbol of the Cold War....MacGregor writes with great fluency and narrative drive." --William Boyd, NewStatesman "As an aspiring student of modern history in the 1980s, my thinking was dominated by the Berlin Wall and the monstrous regime at its heart. It is difficult to believe now--much like the Cold War itself--that we all thought the Wall was so immortal. As a writer of oral history, I look forward to MacGregor bringing the stories of the people who populated this barrier to life. We need to remember." --Joshua Levine, New York Times bestselling author of Dunkirk "A lively, evocative account of the life and death of the world's most notorious wall. In capturing the essence of the old Cold War he may just have helped us to understand a bit more about the new one." --The Times "A rich collection of tales from cold war Berlin captures the city's mad complexities." --Observer