In Search Of Berlin

'Compelling and compassionate' Sadiq Khan<BR>'Solutions-focused authorship at its best' Andrew Roberts<BR>'A how-to book with inspired answers to our urgent questions' Lyse Doucet<BR>'Read this book as an antidote to fatalism and gloom' Robert Peston<BR>'Closely reported, surprising and, above all, hopeful' Jonathan Freedland<BR><BR>At a time when democracies seem paralyzed by fear and populations are turning inward, award-winning journalist John Kampfner travels to ten countries confronting our shared challenges with bravery and imagination.<BR><BR>- Taiwan's health system achieves 90% patient satisfaction at a fraction of the cost of the NHS. <BR>- Moroccan solar panels in the Sahara produce enough clean energy to power two million homes. <BR>- Estonia has transformed itself into a digital pioneer in a single generation - becoming the world's first fully digital government where 97.6% of citizens access state services online.<BR>- Costa Rica has tripled its economy while doubling its forest cover, proving that green policies can pay direct dividends.<BR><BR>What unites these countries, and more, is a refusal to accept that difficult problems are unsolvable. The places showing true innovation are often those with their backs against the wall - not wealthy nations assuming they have all the answers. Braver New World is an urgent reminder that solutions exist. The question is whether we have the courage to learn.<BR><BR>'A persuasive and imaginative argument against the gloom of our times' Bronwen Maddox<BR>'Seminal... A rallying cry for radical, pragmatic optimism; democratic and institutional courage' Shashi Tharoor<BR>'A thought-provoking read, full of real ideas that could make Britain a better place' Lindsey Hilsum<BR>'A must-read for Keir Starmer and anyone hoping to take over from him' The Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt

A WATERSTONES BEST HISTORY BOOK OF 2023<BR><BR>'A masterful portrait of one of the world's greatest cities... A must-read' PETER FRANKOPAN<BR><BR>'Such a delightful read' KATJA HOYER, The Times<BR><BR>'Berlin may well be Europe's most enigmatic city and John Kampfner is the ideal guide.' JONATHAN FREEDLAND, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Escape Artist<BR><BR>'Gripping' Financial Times<BR><BR>No other city has had so many lives, survived so many disasters and has reinvented itself so many times. No other city is like Berlin.<BR><BR>Ever since John Kampfner was a young journalist in Communist East Berlin, he hasn't been able to get the city out of his mind. It is a place tortured by its past, obsessed with memories, a place where traumas are unleashed and the traumatised have gathered.<BR><BR>Over the past four years Kampfner has walked the length and breadth of Berlin, delving into the archives, and talking to historians and writers, architects and archaeologists. He clambers onto a fallen statue of Lenin; he rummages in boxes of early Medieval bones; he learns about the cabaret star so outrageous she was thrown out of the city.<BR><BR>Berlin has been a military barracks, industrial powerhouse, centre of learning, hotbed of decadence - and the laboratory for the worst experiment in horror known to man. Now a city of refuge, it is home to 180 nationalities, and more than a quarter of the population has a migrant background. Berlin never stands still. It is never satisfied. But it is now the irresistible capital to which the world is gravitating.<BR><BR> In Search of Berlin is an 800-year story, a dialogue between past and present; it is a new way of looking at this turbulent and beguiling city on its never-ending journey of reinvention.

Emerging from a collection of city states 150 years ago, no other country has had as turbulent a history as Germany or enjoyed so much prosperity in such a short time frame. Today, as much of the world succumbs to authoritarianism and democracy is undermined from its heart, Germany stands as a bulwark for decency and stability. Mixing personal journey and anecdote with compelling empirical evidence, this is a critical and entertaining exploration of the country many in the West still love to hate. Raising important questions for our post-Brexit landscape, Kampfner asks why, despite its faults, Germany has become a model for others to emulate, while Britain fails to tackle contemporary challenges. Part memoir, part history, part travelogue, Why the Germans Do It Better is a rich and witty portrait of an eternally fascinating country.