The publishers website describes the author's background as "Tim Marshall is a leading authority on foreign affairs with more than thirty years of reporting experience. He was diplomatic editor at Sky News and before that worked for the BBC and LBC/IRN radio. He has reported from forty countries and covered conflicts in Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Israel." Marshall uses the term "walls" as "shorthand for barriers, fences, and divisions in all their variety," as he describes walls past, present and future. The book is divided into geographical chunks including Israel/Palestine, the U.K., Russia, China, the Middle East, Africa, the U.S., etc. Reviews are generally positive. Booklist describes this as "an incisive, meticulous survey of humanity's physical barriers, the factors that lead to their construction, and the hope for building bridges across them," and goes on to say "Marshall explores walls actual and metaphorical, how their presence is intended not only to physically prevent people from entering but also to protect ideologies." They conclude their review with "Marshall presents concise overviews that allow readers to quickly grasp geographical ruptures and draw universal comparisons. Marshall reminds us that we fear the unknown; crave safety, health, and opportunity; and that where there is inequality, there are walls. This enlightening, shrewd assessment of the walls that separate us proves that there is actually far more that unites us."
Library Journal asserts that "In these examinations, he reveals a depth of knowledge of the region involved, along with its residents and the issues they face..." and "Marshall looks at the history of the area that led to the creation of the wall, its effects today, and where the future might lead." They conclude with this praise, "A provocative and well-written look at current issues in the political landscape." Kirkus notes that "Even though walls tend not to be very effective at keeping undesired people—or ideas—out, they continue to go up... " and they finish by saying that "Marshall is a skilled explainer of the world as it is, and geography buffs will be pleased by his latest." Even though this is a relatively short book (less than 300 pages), it felt overlong in places. I was intrigued by his claim that barriers built on religious ideology are the most difficult to overcome...another nail in the coffin of organized religion in my book.
