Books with author Gregory Mitchell

A thrilling Cold War narrative of superpower showdowns, media suppression, and two escape tunnels beneath the Berlin Wall. In the summer of 1962, the year after the rise of the Berlin Wall, a group of young West Germans risked prison, Stasi torture, and even death to liberate friends, lovers, and strangers in East Berlin by digging tunnels under the Wall. Then two U.S. television networks heard about the secret projects and raced to be first to document them from the inside. NBC and CBS funded two separate tunnels in return for the right to film the escapes, planning spectacular prime-time specials. President John F. Kennedy, however, was wary of anything that might spark a confrontation with the Soviets, having said, “A wall is better than a war,” and even confessing to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, “We don’t care about East Berlin.” JFK approved unprecedented maneuvers to quash both documentaries, testing the limits of a free press in an era of escalating nuclear tensions.As Greg Mitchell’s riveting narrative unfolds, we meet extraordinary characters: the legendary cyclist who became East Germany’s top target for arrest; the Stasi informer who betrays the “CBS tunnel”; the American student who aided the escapes; an engineer who would later help build the tunnel under the English channel; and the young East Berliner who fled with her baby, then married one of the tunnelers. The Tunnels captures the chilling reach of the Stasi secret police as U.S. networks prepared to “pay for play” but were willing to cave to official pressure, the White House was eager to suppress historic coverage, and ordinary people in dire circumstances became subversive. The Tunnels is breaking history, a propulsive read whose themes still reverberate.

A thrilling Cold War narrative of superpower showdowns, media suppression, and two escape tunnels beneath the Berlin Wall. In the summer of 1962, the year after the rise of the Berlin Wall, a group of young West Germans risked prison, Stasi torture, and even death to liberate friends, lovers, and strangers in East Berlin by digging tunnels under the Wall. Then two U.S. television networks heard about the secret projects and raced to be first to document them from the inside. NBC and CBS funded two separate tunnels in return for the right to film the escapes, planning spectacular prime-time specials. President John F. Kennedy, however, was wary of anything that might spark a confrontation with the Soviets, having said, “A wall is better than a war,” and even confessing to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, “We don’t care about East Berlin.” JFK approved unprecedented maneuvers to quash both documentaries, testing the limits of a free press in an era of escalating nuclear tensions.As Greg Mitchell’s riveting narrative unfolds, we meet extraordinary characters: the legendary cyclist who became East Germany’s top target for arrest; the Stasi informer who betrays the “CBS tunnel”; the American student who aided the escapes; an engineer who would later help build the tunnel under the English channel; and the young East Berliner who fled with her baby, then married one of the tunnelers. The Tunnels captures the chilling reach of the Stasi secret police as U.S. networks prepared to “pay for play” but were willing to cave to official pressure, the White House was eager to suppress historic coverage, and ordinary people in dire circumstances became subversive. The Tunnels is breaking history, a propulsive read whose themes still reverberate.

A thrilling Cold War narrative of superpower showdowns, media suppression, and two escape tunnels beneath the Berlin Wall In the summer of 1962, the year after the rise of the Berlin Wall, a group of young West Germans risked prison, Stasi torture, and even death to liberate friends, lovers, and strangers in East Berlin by digging tunnels under the Wall. Then two U.S. television networks heard about the secret projects and raced to be first to document them from the inside. NBC and CBS funded two separate tunnels in return for the right to film the escapes, planning spectacular prime-time specials. President John F. Kennedy, however, was wary of anything that might spark a confrontation with the Soviets, having said, “A wall is better than a war,” and even confessing to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, “We don’t care about East Berlin.” JFK approved unprecedented maneuvers to quash both documentaries, testing the limits of a free press in an era of escalating nuclear tensions.As Greg Mitchell’s riveting narrative unfolds, we meet extraordinary characters: the legendary cyclist who became East Germany’s top target for arrest; the Stasi informer who betrays the “CBS tunnel”; the American student who aided the escapes; an engineer who would later help build the tunnel under the English channel; the young East Berliner who fled with her baby, then married one of the tunnelers. Capturing the chilling reach of the Stasi secret police, U.S. networks prepared to “pay for play” yet willing to cave to official pressure, a White House eager to suppress historic coverage, and the subversive power of ordinary people in dire circumstances, The Tunnels is breaking history, a propulsive read whose themes still reverberate.

THE INCREDIBLE TRUE STORY OF TUNNEL 29 AND THE DARING ESCAPES FROM EAST BERLIN. 'A story with so much inherent drama.' The Guardian ‘One of the great untold stories of the Cold War.’ Alex Kershaw, author of Avenue of Spies _______________ In the summer of 1962, the year after the construction of the Berlin Wall, a group of young West Germans risked prison, Stasi torture and even death to liberate friends, lovers, and strangers in East Berlin by digging tunnels under the Wall. As Greg Mitchell's riveting narrative unfolds we meet a host of extraordinary characters who demonstrate astonishing courage in the face of adversity: the legendary cyclist who became East Berlin’s most wanted man; the tunneller who had already served four years in the East German gulag; the young East Berliner who escapes with her baby, then marries one of the tunnellers; an engineer who would later help build the tunnel under the English Channel; and the Stasi informer who betrays them all.Capturing the spirit of a divided Berlin and celebrating the subversive power of ordinary people in desperate circumstances, The Tunnels is an exhilarating real-life thriller with themes that reverberate today. _________________ ‘A stark reminder that barriers can never cut people off entirely but only succeed in driving them underground.’ New York Times

The year is 1897.Young thief Kamen is on the run, but he believes his luck has changed for the better when he stows away on board the Russian ship Demeter, on course for England. He befriends a mysterious black dog, as well as the captain’s daughter, Yana. But an ominous storm bears down upon the Demeter, and suddenly crewmen begin to disappear. What’s more, a Great White shark is stalking the boat, keeping an unnaturally steady watch. Kamen and Yana soon discover that not everything is as it seems on board the Demeter, and the young friends find themselves facing not only the notorious Count Dracula, but also a relentless shark. What will it take to stop the foes challenging the Demeter’s crew, and will the ship make it to England at all?

A thrilling Cold War narrative of superpower showdowns, media suppression, and two escape tunnels beneath the Berlin Wall. In the summer of 1962, the year after the rise of the Berlin Wall, a group of young West Germans risked prison, Stasi torture, and even death to liberate friends, lovers, and strangers in East Berlin by digging tunnels under the Wall. Then two U.S. television networks heard about the secret projects and raced to be first to document them from the inside. NBC and CBS funded two separate tunnels in return for the right to film the escapes, planning spectacular prime-time specials. President John F. Kennedy, however, was wary of anything that might spark a confrontation with the Soviets, having said, “A wall is better than a war,” and even confessing to Secretary of State Dean Rusk, “We don’t care about East Berlin.” JFK approved unprecedented maneuvers to quash both documentaries, testing the limits of a free press in an era of escalating nuclear tensions.As Greg Mitchell’s riveting narrative unfolds, we meet extraordinary characters: the legendary cyclist who became East Germany’s top target for arrest; the Stasi informer who betrays the “CBS tunnel”; the American student who aided the escapes; an engineer who would later help build the tunnel under the English channel; and the young East Berliner who fled with her baby, then married one of the tunnelers. The Tunnels captures the chilling reach of the Stasi secret police as U.S. networks prepared to “pay for play” but were willing to cave to official pressure, the White House was eager to suppress historic coverage, and ordinary people in dire circumstances became subversive. The Tunnels is breaking history, a propulsive read whose themes still reverberate.

The year is 1897. Young thief Kamen is on the run, but he believes his luck has changed for the better when he stows away on board the Russian ship Demeter, on course for England. He befriends a mysterious black dog, as well as the captain’s daughter, Yana. But an ominous storm bears down upon the Demeter, and suddenly crewmen begin to disappear. What’s more, a Great White shark is stalking the boat, keeping an unnaturally steady watch. Kamen and Yana soon discover that not everything is as it seems on board the Demeter, and the young friends find themselves facing not only the notorious Count Dracula, but also a relentless shark. What will it take to stop the foes challenging the Demeter’s crew, and will the ship make it to England at all?

It's a classic American rite of passage. It's Little League® baseball...and coaching his son's team gave one father a profound and hilarious perspective on the suburban field of dreams. Managing his son's wildly unpredictable Little League through two nail-biting seasons and a dramatic playoff showdown, Greg Mitchell (who once played baseball with Bruce Springsteen) learned as much about baseball as he did about today's kids, about parenting -- and about adult involvement in a game played by and meant for kids. With humor and wisdom, Mitchell captures a colorful cast of characters, outrageous anecdotes, and the pleasures and pitfalls faced by players and their coaches. Commenting on timely issues -- the phenomenon of "Little League rage" and the role of youth sports in our electronic age -- Mitchell scores with a memorable protrait of a father-son experience like no other.

It's a classic American rite of passage. It's Little League® baseball...and coaching his son's team gave one father a profound and hilarious perspective on the suburban field of dreams. Managing his son's wildly unpredictable Little League through two nail-biting seasons and a dramatic playoff showdown, Greg Mitchell (who once played baseball with Bruce Springsteen) learned as much about baseball as he did about today's kids, about parenting -- and about adult involvement in a game played by and meant for kids. With humor and wisdom, Mitchell captures a colorful cast of characters, outrageous anecdotes, and the pleasures and pitfalls faced by players and their coaches. Commenting on timely issues -- the phenomenon of "Little League rage" and the role of youth sports in our electronic age -- Mitchell scores with a memorable protrait of a father-son experience like no other.