“Using the U.S.-Mexico border as a starting point, Ian Volner goes on 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. Moving seamlessly between the past and present, this book provides much-needed context and insightful reflections on why societies build barriers, and their ultimate cost, at a time when wall-building has once again become a political priority.”
author of El Norte: The Epic and Forgotten Story of Hispanic North America

“One of the successes of [The Great Great Wall] is the way it steers clear from being a flash-in-the-pan title . . . To the chorus of opinions tackling the humanitarian, policy-related, political, economic, or environmental arguments about the proposed U.S.-Mexico wall, Volner’s is a welcome voice. From his vantage point in architectural journalism, he is able to take a long view, incorporating those subjects and questioning just what such a wall would mean.”
Architectural Digest

“Ian Volner’s timely and highly readable book on ancient and modern walls provides a valuable backdrop to Donald Trump’s insistence on a barrier across America’s southern border. Volner’s book illustrates the difference between needed historical impediments to external dangers and Trump’s unconvincing demand for a wall.”
Presidential historian

“Ian Volner's The Great Great Wall is 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. From biblical Jericho to medieval European fortresses to America's poorly understood southern border, this book will amaze, delight, and enchant even the most jaded nonfiction aficionado.”
author of A Splendid Exchange: How Trade Shaped the World