rlk7m's review against another edition
3.0
Fascinating story, but there were so many players, it was difficult to keep everyone straight.
cawhite's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. This is a nonfiction account of escapes from the divided city. Having seen the Berlin wall, I couldn't imagine how anyone could ever escape East Berlin. I was impressed with the bravery of the tunnel diggers and escape helpers. I was very disappointed with the indifference of the JFK administration regarding the fate of the Berliners, both east and west. I was also disturbed by the suppression of the news by JFK and his team. How could anyone believer that building a wall to separate a city could ever be a good idea, or would ever turn out well?
bookhawk's review against another edition
3.0
An interesting history of the Cold War burning hotly in Berlin where it impacted real people. It is sad to note that President Kennedy and his administration tried so hard to squelch the free press. This book is good but sometimes lost its momentum when it went too deep in the details of too many people.
tanyarobinson's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't find this account of escapes under the Berlin Wall as compelling as I expected. I remember as a child seeing the movie "Night Crossings" about an escape in a hot air balloon, and I was so moved by that family's desperate desire for freedom. The Tunnels told the stories of brave men and women who dug tunnels for weeks on end, crossed into the East to make contact with prospective refugees, and escorted people to the West while risking their own lives and freedom, but I felt far removed from their emotions. Mitchell seemed primarily focused on telling the story of NBC's and CBS's rival efforts to produce a documentary about the tunneling, and JFK's efforts to control the media in a time of political unrest (which is interesting and new, but not the heart of the story!). Don't get me wrong -- I still learned a lot, but I didn't love the book. 3 stars.
jeter21's review against another edition
4.0
After watching The Same Sky on Nextflix, I became really intrigued by what was happening during the time of the Berlin Wall. Enter in Greg Mitchell and his book The Tunnels to continue to stoke the fire. Subtitled, Escapes Under the Berlin Wall and the Historic Films the JFK White House Tried to Kill, this book is part thrilling narrative and part history lesson. It’s a great book that manages to do a great job of enlightening it’s reader but not talking down to them. I like how it integrated Cuba and the US government, while also keeping the focus on those risking their lives to change their way of life. The one minus I had for this book was that there is a ton of facts so sometimes it slows the read down, but it’s so interesting that you make your way through.
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