BERLIN 1961: Kennedy Khrushchev And The Most Dangerous Place On Earth

                        

The best non-fiction work I had read so far, BERLIN 1961 is a real thriller. It has every ingredient to become a Dan Brown novel but for the fact that all the characters are real(perhaps word’s most powerful humans at that time)And all the scenarios of it real history.

                     The popularity of this book is very low in my circle, in fact, I am the only member of my town’s library (having around 20,000 members) who have read it since its arrival there (almost a year ago)even for its official page there are not even 1000 likes. Maybe the poor response is due to its professional stature. In my opinion, what makes this book great is the man who wrote it, the 59 year old American Frederick Kempe, president and CEO of the Atlantic Council.

FREDERICK KEMPE

                    Kempe, like a grandmas’ tale, narrates the surging cold war tension between USA and USSR at a time when the world was centered around BERLIN, no a divided Berlin. Both the superpowers were trying to superimpose their own political systems, communism and capitalism, over the other so that they alone would dominate this planet .we now know, in 2014, that USA would win in the long run, but the story was a different one in 50s, 60s and 70s.how it was different……well……..you read this book to find out how it was different.

            This is what the book is roughly about: failed meetings between Kennedy and Khrushchev, a glance into the times of FDR, Eisenhower and Stalin, ascension of Khrushchev and Kennedy to the ultimate thrones, Khrushchev’s American visits, construction of the Berlin wall, condition in east and west Berlin ,personal tales of Berliners during the wall era, soviet rush to overtake  USA, an insight into the personalities of the big leaders and their families and the general air of the world in the mid 20^th century.

             This book is bit costly, it would be better to lend one. But then it is worth having one in your personal collections.

KENNEDY AND KHRUSHCHEV AT VIENNA CONFERENCE

            The biggest fact that I had learned by reading this book is: among the two great figures, Khrushchev was the best, better health, better leadership and better commanding personality. Unfortunately, USA was ages ahead of the soviets. One man couldn’t change it all. (mind you, this is my personal opinion. I am neither an anti-American and pro-Russian, nor the vice versa. I am neither a communist nor a capitalist. In my mother’s words I am a mere blasphemist. And I hope I will not be ‘guantanamoised’ for my political opinion.)

            If you want to read more about the book online,visit author’s sitehttp://fredkempe.com or visit the official FB PAGE  https://www.facebook.com/Berlin1961