Freedom by Angela Merkel, narrator Juliet Stevenson

I was a little intimidated by the 27 hour listening time but was intrigued by a woman who I only knew a little about. And I'm glad that I picked up this book. Not only is it well-written, Merkel has lead a fascinating life. The narrator was a perfect fit, reading the book as I imagine Merkel would, albeit in German. 

As the foreward notes, the book is almost equal between her time out of the chancelloarship and in it. She starts at the beginning, growing up in the GDP, eastern Germany. She was born before the Berlin Wall went up, and was old enough to understand what happened when the wall came down. 

During her time as the Chancellor of Germany, Merkel dealt with any number of political pitfalls. There is a large section given to refugees in Germany. She also crossed swords with Putin and spent time with both Bush and Obama (she speaks of the latter two highly.) She speaks very... professionally about President Trump.

Four stars
This book came out January 1, 2024

Borrowed as audiobook from Libby

Opinions are my own