Includes bibliographical references (pages 233-241)

Introduction -- I. The invention of difference -- Jericho -- Conquest -- II. Border as forge -- Hadrian -- Empire -- III. Unstable walls -- China -- Crisis -- IV. The art of the wall-able -- Thiers -- Reaction -- Constructing the normal -- Berlin -- Takeover -- VI. The return of them -- West Bank -- Control -- VII. The way of all walls

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. A year and a half into his term, with only a few prototype segments erected, the wall is the 2,000-mile, multi billion-dollar elephant in the room of contemporary American life.0In 'The Great Great Wall', architectural historian and critic Ian Volner takes a deep dive into the story of Trump's wall. Volner follows the conception, selling, design, and construction (or lack thereof) of this expensive and consequential barrier, giving readers a detailed look at what's happening in Washington, DC, and along the border. He also travels far afield, to China, the Middle East, Northern England, and back to our border to examine the barriers we've been building for centuries. Why do we build walls? What do they reveal about human history? 'The Great Great Wall' is an absorbing, smart, and timely book on an incredibly contentious and newsworthy topic