The Great Great Wall: Along the Borders of History from China to Mexico

Ian Volner

Jun 2019 · Abrams

About this ebook

“Timely and highly readable . . . provides a valuable backdrop to Donald Trump’s insistence on a barrier across America’s southern border.” —Robert Dallek, presidential historian

During his campaign for the presidency, one of Donald Trump’s signature promises was that he would build a “great great wall” on the border between the US and Mexico, and Mexico was going to pay for it. Now, with only a few prototype segments erected, the wall is the 2,000-mile, multibillion-dollar elephant in the room of contemporary American life.

In The Great Great Wall, architectural historian and critic Ian Volner takes a fascinating look at the barriers that we have built over millennia. Traveling far afield, to China, the Middle East, Europe, and along the U.S. Mexico border, Volner examines famous, contentious, and illuminating structures, and explores key questions: Why do we build walls? What do they reveal about human history? What happens after they go up? With special attention to Trump’s wall and the walls that exist along the US border already, this is an absorbing, smart, and timely book on an incredibly contentious and newsworthy topic.

“A work of literary alchemy that transmutes the wall, a simple architectural structure, and of late, political metaphor, into a prism through which to view the panorama of human history . . . this book will amaze, delight, and enchant even the most jaded nonfiction aficionado.” —William J. Bernstein, award-winning author of The Delusions of Crowds

“A global journey to some of history’s most significant walls—China, Berlin, and even Jericho—weaving together a fascinating account of their foundational myths and current realities.” —Carrie Gibson, author of El Norte

Ratings and reviews

An interesting and timely read, given the re-emergence of wall-building policy around the world. Through a greater understanding of the history of wall building, I have learned what we can see in the policies of President Trump, and others, is nothing new. In the words of the author, "walls have been with us as long as there has been an 'us'". I was surprised to read of the not-so distant, but vastly different, past of Republican Party policy towards the Mexican border. This book offers further evidence that immigration serves as a convenient and consistent means to achieving political ends. In light of that, the line that resonated with me most was that "walls collapse not when they cease to be of functional use, but when the narratives behind them give way". That may be a long way from right now given current politics, but it offers hope, nonetheless.

About the author

Ian Volner has contributed articles on architecture and design to the Wall Street Journal, the New Republic, Harper’s Magazine, Artforum, Architectural Digest, and The New Yorker online, among other publications, and is a contributing editor at Architect. His previous books include Michael Graves: Design for Life and, a winner of the International Deutsches Architekturmuseum Book Award in 2016. He lives in Manhattan.