A man’s manners are a mirror in which he shows his portrait.

— Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

A man’s manners are a mirror in which he shows his portrait. Photo of Mt. Denali from Reflection Pond © J. Elke Ertle, 2018. www.walled-in-berlin.com.

For a sneak peek at the first 20+ pages of my memoir, Walled-In: A West Berlin Girl’s Journey to Freedom, click “Download a free excerpt” on my home page.

Walled-In is my story of growing up in Berlin during the Cold War. Juxtaposing events that engulfed the city during the Berlin Blockade, the Berlin Airlift, the Berlin Wall and John F. Kennedy’s Berlin visit with the struggle against my own, equally insurmountable, parental walls, Walled-In is about freedom vs. conformity, conflict vs. unity, domination vs. submission, loyalty vs. betrayal.