BERLIN: 1961 Kennedy, Khrushchev, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth

Paul Hecht’s deep, slow voice adds gravity and interest to this chronological account of the events of 1961 in the isolated, divided city of Berlin. These events included the construction of the Berlin Wall—perhaps the iconic artifact of the Cold War. According to Kempe, these events also brought the world to the edge of nuclear war. Kempe’s account is careful and exhaustive. The main characters—Kennedy, Khrushchev, Adenauer, and the like—are sufficiently few and sufficiently colorful for a listener to remember easily. As its title makes clear, this is a history of one important year, not the entire Cold War. F.C. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: SEPTEMBER 2011]