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According to the publisher Kiepenheuer & Witsch, former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's memoirs, which have been much-publicized in talk shows and book signings, have sold around 550,000 copies since they were published on 26 November. In its third week, the 700-page book, which has been sold worldwide, was number one on the Spiegel bestseller list, although the autobiography has had a mixed reception, at least in German reviews: There was talk of “administrative prose”, “dull”, little empathy in comments. The British “Guardian”, on the other hand, came to the conclusion that although Merkel is not exactly a gossip, her book still provides interesting insights into her personality. Critics also complained that the CDU politician had not apologized for her U-turn on the nuclear energy issue, her stance on migration and her Russia policy. Merkel justified her decisions in a TV program, saying that they should always be seen in the circumstances of the time. The once most powerful woman in Europe will probably not be able to match the memoirs of US presidents: Barack Obama's autobiography “A Promised Land” sold 3.3 million copies in the USA and Canada in the first four weeks after publication in 2020.

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