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.

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. It never believes it has the answer. 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.