#20 Books of Summer - Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman

My first book for the summer challenge is Tunnel 29. It was recommended by Rennie @ What's Nonfiction during a Nonfiction November challenge a couple of years ago. I was so happy when I recently found the book, and it comes with very good reviews.

Originally the story was told through a BBC Radio 4 podcast. It gained lots of critical acclaim and has been made into a documentary, movie and now a book. It is one of those stories that are stranger than fiction.

Merriman gives us a good introduction, and a short resume of the political situation in Europe from World War II, the peace treaty and the division of Europe into East and West. There is also a short, but scary introduction to life in East Germany, the people who ruled it, and the devastating decision to build a wall dividing Berlin.

It is the true story of efforts to flee East Germany once the wall was up. We follow Joachim Rudolph, a young engineering student who, after escaping East Germany in 1961, returned to help others flee. In 1962, Rudolph and a group of fellow students came up with the idea of digging a tunnel beneath the Berlin Wall. The East German authorities had taken measures to prevent people from fleeing above ground and it became more and more difficult and dangerous to try to cross the wall. The group spent several months, facing terrible hardship, to dig the 135-meter tunnel. It was not only the physical dangers, but also dangers of being infiltrated by informants.

I will not reveal any more details, but Merriman follows several people simultaneously, making the story read like a thriller. It just happens to be fact based. Merriman's narrative is based on extensive research, including interviews, news reports, and Stasi files. She is giving us a vivid portrayal of life in the divided city. It is also part of the story how television networks started reporting events in a different way.

It was the time of the Cold War, and Merriman also gives us some insights in how the politics were working. The sensitive decisions politicians had to make, considering the fear of another war. This is a story for everyone who is interested in European politics and the Cold War era. Excellently written, and more exciting than anything, any author, could make up.