Table of Contents
Family and Historical Chronology xiii
Preface xix
Part 1
1 The Handover: End of War (1945) 3
2 An Iron Curtain Descends: Cold War Begins (1945-1946) 17
3 "If You Want to Get Out, Do It Soon": Close Calls and Escapes (1946-1948) 31
4 Flight: A Small Suitcase and the Final Escape (August 11, 1948) 50
Part 2
5 Two Castles: Out of the Whirlwind (1948-1949) 63
6 A Sister Born in the East; The Stasi Takes Control (1949-1952) 74
7 "We Want to Be Free"; A Workers' Uprising (1953) 91
8 The Visit: Sisters Meet (1954) 99
9 Life Normalizes in a Police State: A Courtship (1955-1957) 107
10 The Fur Coat: Last Meeting (1958-1959) 120
Part 3
11 "A Wall Will Keep the Enemy Out": A Wall to Keep the People In (1960-1961) 137
12 The Family Wall: Oma's Faith and Opa's Defiance (1962-1965) 150
13 Only Party Members Succeed: "We Have Each Other" (1966-1969) 165
14 A Message with No Words: Oma's Love from Afar (1970-1974) 179
15 Dissidents and Troublemakers: Opa Committed (1975-1977) 196
16 A Light Shines: "Out Souls Are Free" (1977) 209
17 A Surprise from America: Innocence (1978-1980) 218
18 Paradise Bungalow: Refuge and Solace (1980-1982) 234
Part 4
19 Assignment: Berlin-Intelligence Operations (1982-1984) 245
20 Face-to-Face with Honecker: Mission, in Ludwigslust (1984-1985) 266
21 Beyond the Checkpoint: Passage (1985) 277
22 Imagine: The Road Ahead (1986) 297
23 "Tear Down This Wall": Winds of Change (1987-1988) 307
24 "Gorby, Save Us!": A Nation Crumbles (1989) 315
25 The World Is Stunned: "Schabowski Said We Can!"; or, the Wall Falls (November 9, 1989) 324
26 Dawn: Leaving the East (Autumn 1989) 331
27 Reunion and Rebirth: Together Again (1990-2013) 333
Epilogue 341
Author's Note 351
Acknowledgments 357
Glossary 361
Bibliography 363
Image Credits 375
Index 377