Berliners

By: Vesper Stamper

Narrated by: Clifton Duncan, Vesper Stamper

A riveting story about the rivalry between two brothers living on opposite sides of the Berlin wall during its construction in the 1960s, and how their complicated legacy and dreams of greatness will determine their ultimate fate.

A city divided. A family fractured. Two brothers caught between past and present.

Berlin, 1961. Rudi Möser-Fleischmann is an aspiring photographer with dreams of greatness, but he can't hold a candle to his talented, charismatic twin brother Peter, an ambitious actor. With the sudden divorce of their parents, the brothers find themselves living in different sectors of a divided Berlin; the postwar partition strangely mirroring their broken family. But one night, as the city sleeps, the Berlin Wall is hurriedly built, dividing society further, and Rudi and Peter are forced to choose between playing by the rules and taking their dreams underground. That is, until the truth about their family history and the growing cracks in their relationship threaten to split them apart for good.

From National Book Award-nominated, critically acclaimed author-illustrator Vesper Stamper comes a stark look at how resentment and denial can strain the bonds of brotherhood to the breaking point.

*Includes a downloadable PDF of a Glossary and Resources from the book

Critic reviews

"This intimate portrait of two brothers split by the Berlin Wall in 1961 feels like a parable, a warning, a mirror of our modern times." —Daniel Nayeri, author of Everything Sad Is Untrue, Printz Award Winner

"A richly layered, complex historical novel that poses important questions and provides a chilling lens into a dark period of history." —New York Times bestseling author Ruta Sepetys

“The novel is rich with well-researched detail, but it is the nuanced characters who really keep the pages turning.... In a divided world that feels hauntingly like our own, Berliners asks the all-important question: What would you do, or not do, for your family?” —The New York Times

★ "An excellent, nuanced piece of historical fiction." —The Horn Book, starred review

"[Stamper's] portrayal of propaganda and how teens can easily fall prey to this kind of rhetoric is spot on." —Booklist

Gripping and timely

Excellent book, and a moving performance by Duncan.

Almost eery in its timeliness. As the author says in the note at the end, so much about that moment in history rhymes with our own, and Stamper highlights the similarities between the two moments without being heavy-handed about it. I’m a college professor, and I plan to have my freshmen read this book next semester.

Short chapters and a brisk pace move the plot along without moving too quickly. Some really beautiful human moments even as the tension ramps up.

Occasionally the dialogue sounds just a *little* too contemporary, but that’s a very minor complaint.

Can't recommend this book enough

I have been in the habit, lately, of reading books, watching movies/series, and playing video games strongly grounded in historical events. That way, I can be entertained while learning something new... or old, I guess, in the case of history. The Berliners is no exception. I am a fan of the author, Vesper Stamper, and how she has a gift of shining a beautiful light on the darkest spots in the history of humanity. This is even more evident if you own a physical copy of the book that has magnificent illustrations. I would love to dive more into how well this book was written, but, for the sake of not going through the whole plot, I will just say it is well worth the read.

Politically balanced YA novel

If you’re a hard right or left winger, you probably won’t appreciate this novel. If you’re a normie centrist kind of person, go for it! It’s hard to find novels with such a balanced narrative voice. Maybe it’s because there are two main characters who share the same upbringing but experience different perspectives of East and West Berlin during 1961 (the year the Berlin Wall was put up). If you or your teen are looking for a historical YA novel, I would highly recommend this book. The audio version was also produced well. Thank you, Vesper Stamper, for writing such a wonderful book!

Poignant for today.

Intriguing story, well researched. Super voices in the audio, characters came alive. Another great read by Stamper.