Prasetya Nababan

Berliners

Book by Vesper Stamper

DETAILS

Publisher : Knopf Books for Young Readers (October 25, 2022) Language : English Hardcover : 448 pages ISBN-10 : 0593428366 ISBN-13 : 978-0593428368 Reading age : 12 - 17 years Lexile measure : HL720L Grade level : 7 - 9 , A riveting story about the rivalry between two brothers living on opposite sides of the Berlin wall during its construction in the 1960s, and how their complicated legacy and dreams of greatness will determine their ultimate fate. A city divided. A family fractured. Two brothers caught between past and present. Berlin, 1961. Rudi Möser-Fleischmann is an aspiring photographer with dreams of greatness, but he can't hold a candle to his talented, charismatic twin brother Peter, an ambitious actor. With the sudden divorce of their parents, the brothers find themselves living in different sectors of a divided Berlin; the postwar partition strangely mirroring their broken family. But one night, as the city sleeps, the Berlin Wall is hurriedly built, dividing society further, and Rudi and Peter are forced to choose between playing by the rules and taking their dreams underground. That is, until the truth about their family history and the growing cracks in their relationship threaten to split them apart for good. From National Book Award-nominated, critically acclaimed author-illustrator Vesper Stamper comes a stark look at how resentment and denial can strain the bonds of brotherhood to the breaking point. Read more

REVIEW

I heard an interview with the author (on the Clifton Duncan Podcast) and I was so impressed by her philosophy and her intention for this book that I went looking to buy it as soon as the interview was over. I didn’t realize it was a YA title. As a forty-something woman, I don’t usually read Young Adult fiction, but I wanted to support the author and I have a teenage bookworm niece I could always pass it along to. I was curious enough to read the beginning and I was hooked. It’s beautifully written and the characters are engaging and well-concieved. This book does not read like YA which I believe is the best compliment I can offer.

DOWNLOAD PAGE