Books: Germans Against the Wall

THE DANCING BEAR (246 pp.)—Frances Faviell—Norton ($3.50).

ACQUAINTED WITH THE NIGHT (200 pp.) —Heinrlch Böll—Holt ($3).

For most West Germans, the struggle back to prosperity has been a dramatic success, though for all of them it was grim. Along the way, many despaired and died without lament. Two good new books on Germany, one fact, the other fiction, lament those Germans who went to the wall. The books share a common theme: courage and tragedy.

Resistance in Berlin. In The Dancing Bear, a warmhearted but coolheaded account of how Berlin rose from its ashes, Frances...