A Night Divided

by: Jennifer A. Nielsen

With the unanticipated rise of the Berlin Wall, eight-year-old Gerta suddenly finds her family divided...with no way to reunite. She, her mother and eldest brother Fritz are trapped in East Germany (controlled by the Soviets) while her father and middle brother, Dominic, who had gone to the West in search of work, cannot return home. Gerta knows it is dangerous to watch the wall, to think thoughts of freedom but she can't help herself. She knows everything shines brighter in the West. She sees the East German soldiers holding guns, ready to shoot at their own people; Gerta, her family, friends and neighbors are trapped in their own city! On her way to school one day, though, Gerta spots her father pantomiming a strange dance on a viewing platform on the western side. Then when she receives a mysterious drawing, Gerta combines two and two together and discovers that he wants Gerta and Fritz to tunnel their way out of East Germany. To tunnel their way to freedom. But if they are caught, the consequences will be deadly. No one can be relied upon. Will the family find their way to freedom?

What I Thought:

I didn't come to know about this book by a friend or recommendation. I was, in fact, searching for a book that was yet to be available on Kindle when I was led to this book. It sounded interesting (which it was) and so I decided to read this. It teleported me to East Germany, in 1961 while in the comfort of my own bed. It was gripping and motivational. If I was in Gerta's shoes, I don't think I'd be able to do what she did. This book talks about a topic not talked a lot about and I was yearning to learn more about the Berlin Wall that divided Germany, and the world, for decades.