10 best books of January: the Monitor's picks

What the Monitor's book critics liked best this month.

8. "Born in the GDR," by Hester Vaizey

What was it like to be born in the German Democratic Republic (East Germany) and then see your country virtually disappear overnight after the 1989 collapse of the Berlin Wall? Academic Hester Vaizey follows the lives of eight former East Germans to produce an insightful, behind-the-scenes view of history. You can read the Monitor's full review of "Born in the GDR" here.

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