Drew is an army brat, a hotshot athlete poised to be his high schools star pitcher, when he has to move for the sixth time in fifteen years this time to West Berlin, where American soldiers like his dad hold an outpost of democracy against communist Russia in Hitlers former capital. Meanwhile, in East Berlin, his cousin Matthias has grown up in the wreckage left by Allied bombing during World War II, on streets ruled by the Communist Partys secret police. From the opposing sides of the Cold War, Drew and Matthias begin to overcome the many ideological walls between them to become wary friends. They argue over the space race, capitalism, socialism, and even the American civil rights movement, and bond over rock n roll music outlawed in Matthiass part of the city. If Matthias is caught by the Stasis neighbourhood spies with the records or books Drew has given him, he will be sent to a work camp for 're-education'.At the same time, Drews friendship with the East Berlin Jugend who ardently spout communist dogma raises suspicions about his familys loyalty to America. As the political situation around them gets all the more dire, Drew and Matthiass loyalty to their sector, their countries, their families, and each other will be tested in ways that will change their lives forever. Set in the tumultuous year leading up to the surprise overnight raising of the Berlin Wall in August 1961, and punctuated with real-life photographs, headlines, and personalities of the time, Walls brings to vivid life the heroic and tragic choices of the Cold War.

 

 

This book has been graded for interest at 12-18 years.

There are 352 pages in this book.

It is aimed at Young Adult readers. The term Young Adult (YA) is used for books which have the following characteristics: (1) aimed at ages 12-18 years, US grades 7-12, UK school years 8-15, (2) around 50-75k words long, (3) main character is aged 12-18 years, (4) topics include self-reflection, internal conflict vs external, analyzing life and its meaning, (5) point of view is often in the first person, and (6) swearing, violence, romance and sexuality are allowed.

This book was published in 2021 by Algonquin Books (division of Workman) .

L. M. Elliott works as a senior writer for the Washingtonian magazine. Under a War-Torn Sky was inspired by her father's experiences in World War II, and his stories of the courage and self-sacrifice of the French Resistance.