THE PICNIC

A gripping reconstruction of the daring escape to freedom of hundreds of East Germans in the summer of 1989 and how it led to the fall of the Berlin Wall Beautifully written The Picnic reads like a thriller Peter Frankopan Exhilarating Observer Intensely moving Sunday Times Engrossing and dramatic William BoydIn August 1989 a group of activists did the unthinkable they entered the forbidden militarised zone of the Iron Curtain and held a picnic On wisps of rumour thousands of East German holiday makers had made their way to the border surveilled by lurking Stasi agents The stage was set for the greatest border breach in Cold War history The fall of the Berlin Wall the end of the Soviet Union the so called end of history all would flow from what happened next Drawing on dozens of original interviews with those involved Matthew Longo reconstructs this world shaping event and its tumultuous aftermath Revelatory adds a new captivating chapter to the history of the Cold War New Statesman Gripping refreshingly fast paced effortlessly moving the reader from one place and moment to another History Today Evoke s the dramatic events in vivid colour fascinating Katja Hoyer Telegraph A great story this is histo