In her memoir, WALLED-IN: A WEST BERLIN GIRL'S JOURNEY TO FREEDOM, J. Elke Ertle draws from her childhood and teen experiences to write with a fresh voice. Having grown up in West Berlin during the Cold War at a time when the Iron Curtain took its harshest form, she juxtaposes historical events with personal narrative. She chronicles her story against the backdrop of the Cold War and draws a unique parallel between the brick-and-mortar Berlin Wall and her own, equally insurmountable, parental walls. WALLED-IN is a story of growing up, breaking free, and learning to stand alone under trying circumstances.