Born in West Germany but raised in East Germany, Angela Merkel has known both repression and freedom. With the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Merkel started her meteoric rise to become Germany's first female chancellor and one of the world's most powerful women. A scientist by training, Merkel possesses analytical skills seldom seen in a world leader, and she confronts not only German problems but European and world issues with diplomacy and tact. Enhanced by a chronology, bibliography, and suggestions for further reading, this full-color biography is the inspiring account of an intriguing leader who's a tireless force for progress.