Book excerpt: Aust presents the definitive account of the RAF, capturing a highly complex story both accurately and colorfully. Much new information has surfaced since the mass suicide of the Groups' leaders in the 1980s. Some RAF members have come forward to testify in new investigations and formerly classified Stasi documents have been made public since the fall of the Berlin Wall, all contributing to a fuller picture of the RAF and the events surrounding their demise. Aust ranges from the group's creation in 1970 to their breakup in 1998, incorporating all of the new information.