European Regional Reviews

Berlin: A Portrait of its History, Politics, Architecture, and Society. By Giles McDonough. New York: St Martins Press, 1998. 540 pages. $30.00 (hardcover). Reviewed by Lieutenant Colonel Rick Runner

Like many FAO's who have explored the cities within their regions, I have often wondered about the history witnessed by the cobbles and old buildings of Europe's streets. I'm not referring to the well-documented and often-written about events, but rather the simpler occurrences. Berlin: A Portrait of its History, Politics, Architecture, and Society describes many such episodes in the history of Germany's capital. Written by Giles McDonough, a former correspondent for London's Financial Times (an excellent newspaper for European FAO's), this book is a collection of written snapshots that capture the texture and flavor of Berlin throughout its history. Using the city's architecture and geography as a background, McDonough describes the simpler aspects of Berlin's history such as education, Berliner slang and humor, crime, workingclass life, food, drinking, markets, caf6s, theater, art, and the life of high society and the diplomatic corps. He organizes the history of the city into its various incarnations: trading village, royal resi- dence and garrison town, the capital of Bismarck's Germany, the industrial city, the cosmopolitan city of the early twentieth century, Hitler's Berlin, the divided city of the Cold War, and the Berlin of reunited Germany. With McDonough's book, it is not difficult to look into the face of Berlin while at the same time to see German history through Berlin's eyes. It is an interesting and effective approach to cultural literacy.

One criticism that could be leveled against the book is its lack of in-depth analysis, the proverbial "so what." With so many books about Berlin's history available, this one adds nothing new to the story. However, I find that acceptable. This book will contribute to the European FAO's cultural literacy in ways that a scholarly history cannot. McDonough's vignettes provide just enough substance to whet your appetite and awaken the desire to search for more information. Additionally, there is enough variety in the book to pique each reader's curiosity in a different way. The book is rather long at 540 pages, but is easily consumed in small bites like a currywurst and pornmes frites. This book is not at the top of the ten books you should read this summer. But it is an ideal companion for reading while eating lunch at your desk or sipping a Berliner Weisse at a cafe on the Ku'damm.

1999, Foreign Area Officer Association
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