Forty autumns

In this riveting memoir, a former American military intelligence officer tells the true story of her family—five women separated by the Iron Curtain for more than forty years and their near-miraculous reunion after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

In 1948, at the age of 20, Hanna fled East Germany for West Germany. But the price of freedom—leaving behind her parents and eight siblings—broke her heart. Rootless, Hanna eventually moved to the United States, where she started a family.

Raised near Washington, D.C., Hanna's daughter, Nina Willner, became the first female U.S. Army intelligence officer to lead covert operations in East Berlin at the height of the Cold War. Although only a few miles separated Nina from her German relatives, a fierce political war kept them apart.

In Forty Autumns , Nina tells the story of her family—ordinary lives upended by circumstances beyond their control. She also takes us into the tumultuous world of East Germany under communist rule, revealing the cruel realities her relatives faced and her own experiences as an intelligence officer, running covert operations behind the Berlin Wall that put her life at risk.

A personal look at an explosive era that divided a city and a nation, Forty Autumns is an intimate and beautifully written story of courage, resilience, and love—of five women who fought to preserve what matters most: family.

"Willner's epic memoir spans three generations, recounting the tragic separation and the astonishing courage of a family torn apart. [...] A moving and relevant read for historians and general readers alike." - Publishers Weekly

“Moving and passionate, at times harrowing.” - Kirkus Reviews

"A book you can't put down. [...] A multigenerational story that brings the Cold War and the Iron Curtain to life in tragic and memorable ways." - Booklist

“An excellent and intriguing account of the impact of the Cold War on families and lives on both sides of the Berlin Wall.” - Library Journal