Freedom Audiobook By Angela Merkel cover art

Freedom

Memoirs 1954-2021

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Freedom

By: Angela Merkel
Narrated by: Juliet Stevenson
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About this listen

The long-awaited memoir by one of the most important political leaders of our time

For 16 years, Angela Merkel bore the governmental responsibility for Germany, leading the country through numerous crises and shaping German and international politics and society with her actions and attitude. But Angela Merkel was not born a Chancellor. In her memoirs, co-written with her long-standing political advisor Beate Baumann, she looks back on her life in two German states—35 years in the GDR (German Democratic Republic), 35 years in reunified Germany. More personally than ever before, she talks about her childhood, youth, and her studies in the GDR, and the dramatic year of 1989, when the Wall fell and her political life began. She shares insights into her meetings and conversations with the world's most powerful leaders and elucidates, with clear and precise examples, significant national, European, and international turning points and how decisions were made that shape our times. Her book offers a unique insight into the inner workings of power—and is a decisive plea for freedom.

“What does freedom mean to me? This question has occupied me my entire life. Naturally, politically, because freedom needs democratic conditions, without democracy there is no freedom, no rule of law, no protection of human rights. But this question also occupies me on another level. Freedom, for me, is finding out where my own limits are, and pushing my own limits. Freedom is for me not to stop learning, not to have to stand still but to be allowed to continue, even after leaving politics.”–Angela Merkel

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.

©2024 Angela Merkel (P)2024 Macmillan Audio
Germany Politicians Presidents & Heads of State Women in Politics

What listeners say about Freedom

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Can’t see the forest for the trees

I was missing Dr Merkel’s perspective as one of the key western world leaders in recent years, As a non-German reader the book gave too many details on German politics, dates, parties etc with an offensive tone on various decisions made in the past.

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A leader capable of thinking in complex ways about complex realities

In a time when populist leaders rely on emphatic sloganeering, Angela Merkel demonstrates the rare capacity to think in complex ways about complex realities. This capacity will need to be rediscovered by political leaders if humanity is to survive the complex challenges we face.

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Reader should be German

I so admire merkel and was eager to hear her story. I had a hard time with the British reader though. Just did not work for me. Wish they had used a woman from Germany, who could sound like Angela, in English.

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Dry and factual

I think there are other books out there that describe this great leader better than she describes herself. I only made it partway through part 2, and like other reviews say…it read like dry lists or general information. The historical context was interesting for sure. I would have loved to hear more insight or storytelling from her to help understand the thinking or personal context and emotions behind the information or lists. However, reading about her from others it sounds like this is her personality—very matter of fact.

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Absolutely boring and uninspiring

Reading a stack of old grocery receipts would be more interesting than Angela Merkel’s “Freedom”. I wanted to like this book because I’ve always had and still have a lot of respect for Merkel’s diplomatic style. Instead, I drowned in an overwhelming wave of abbreviations and daily meeting schedules.

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