Reviews for Tear Down This Wall: A City, a President, and the Speech that Ended the Cold War

The average rating for Tear Down This Wall: A City, a President, and the Speech that Ended the Cold War based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-05-31 00:00:00 Kelly Reed Hail to the speechwriters! In 1987, President Ronald Reagan stood before the Berlin Wall in Germany and uttered words that have since become famous: "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this Wall!" It is a speech that felt like a turning point in the Cold War between the US and the USSR, as well as an impossible pipe dream. And yet, only two years later, the barriers that had kept millions imprisoned in a totalitarian state actually did come down - including the Berlin Wall. Ratnesar gives a somewhat compelling account of the speech and the wall, at least for those who are not already familiar with the history. (Ratnesar, a former managing editor of TIME magazine, would have turned 11 years old the day before the speech was given.) He gives some background on Reagan, Gorbachev, the Cold War and the Wall, as well as some of the speechwriters. Perhaps the most interesting part is the selection of the site itself - not exactly in front of the Brandenburg Gate, but off to the side where the graffiti-covered wall provided a more appropriate backdrop (with the gate still visible over the top of the wall) - and how speechwriter Peter Robinson met with a group of West Germans and incorporated some of their feelings. Ratnesar talks of the back and forth between different government elements who wanted to edit parts of the speech - and the many who feared that famous line would be seen as a provocation by the East. He tells of the day itself and the immediate and later impact of the speech, as well as the relationship between Reagan and Gorbachev. Incidentally, this isn't the first book I've read about a speech by Reagan, having also read The Boys of Pointe du Hoc: Ronald Reagan, D-Day, and the U.S. Army 2nd Ranger Battalion, so even though the fact that speechwriters have been heavily utilized by all presidents and especially their most famous speeches (the most notable exception being The Gettysburg Address by Lincoln) is a little disappointing, I realize that's just the way it is. But what irked me about this book was Ratnesar's constant downplaying of everything Reagan did and giving the credit to others. Gorbachev "won the Cold War" while Reagan "played a supporting role," he tells us. According to his account, Reagan slept through all his meetings with foreign dignitaries and his contribution to the speeches was minimal. The only talent he had seems to be oratory - in other words, he was just a good actor. (At least, that's how it felt listening to the book). It's an argument those on the Left use when seeking to downplay Reagan's accomplishments (and I consider Reagan one of the better presidents we've had in my lifetime). Plus, in a really weird and inappropriate twist, the Epilogue makes comparisons to Barack Obama - who took office in 2009, the same year this book was published. Honestly, it's not a completely bad book and I did enjoy parts of it, but it's not as balanced as it pretends to be. The best part was the inclusion in the audio book of the complete audio of Reagan's actual speech.

Review # 2 was written on 2019-05-18 00:00:00 Donald Edmonson I'll bypass age/date-related commentary & simply say that AB version of this book is upcoming freebie as part of 2019 SYNC Audiobook for Teens. It's paired with A Night Divided. IMHO, SYNC is a great program to entice teens (and sometimes, adults) to 'read' via ABs'e.g., whilst waiting for pick up from whatever activity :D Entire 2019 SYNC title pairings @