The explosive first-hand account of America's secret history in AfghanistanWith the publication of Ghost Wars, Steve Coll became not only a Pulitzer Prize winner, but also the expert on the rise of the Taliban, the emergence of Bin Laden, and the secret efforts by CIA officers and their agents to capture or kill Bin Laden in Afghanistan after 1998.
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"Coll set me on fire. Let's get the adjectives aside first: astounding feat of research; brilliantly written; detailed; and, finally, authoritative. Ghost Wars holds the high beams on the second-tier players, the operatives and analysts as well as U.S. sources on the ground. The policy makers have their place in Ghost Wars, but it's the boots-and-dust bunch Coll focuses on. The book narrates the walk-up to 911, without being a tic-toc. This is great historical writing, so good that I've begun two other books (not his) about the rise of non-state actors, discovering a version of history that might have been. My perspective has been altered going forward. For instance, I just read Coll's review of "Zero Dark Thirty," in the 7 Feb 13 issue of the NY Review of Books. With Ghost Wars at my back the movie took new form: it became just another cowboy film. However, I love cowboy movies!" — Jeff (5 out of 5 stars)
"Coll set me on fire. Let's get the adjectives aside first: astounding feat of research; brilliantly written; detailed; and, finally, authoritative. Ghost Wars holds the high beams on the second-tier players, the operatives and analysts as well as U.S. sources on the ground. The policy makers have their place in Ghost Wars, but it's the boots-and-dust bunch Coll focuses on. The book narrates the walk-up to 911, without being a tic-toc. This is great historical writing, so good that I've begun two other books (not his) about the rise of non-state actors, discovering a version of history that might have been. My perspective has been altered going forward. For instance, I just read Coll's review of "Zero Dark Thirty," in the 7 Feb 13 issue of the NY Review of Books. With Ghost Wars at my back the movie took new form: it became just another cowboy film. However, I love cowboy movies!"
“Certainly the finest historical narrative so far on the origins of al Qaeda in the post-Soviet rubble of Afghanistan…Ghost Wars provides fresh details and helps explain the motivations behind many crucial decisions.”
“Takes a long—and long overdue—look at the peaks and valleys of the CIA’s presence in Afghanistan throughout the decades leading to Sept. 10, 2001. It is a well-written, authoritative, high-altitude drama with a cast of few heroes, many villains, bags of cash, and a tragic ending.”
“Gripping new history of the events leading up to September 11, 2011…Coll never simplifies a complex situation.”
Certainly the finest historical narrative so far on the origins of al Qaeda in the post-Soviet rubble of Afghanistan . . . Ghost Wars provides fresh details and helps explain the motivations behind many crucial decisions.
The CIA itself would be hard put to beat his grasp of global events . . . Deeply satisfying.
A well written, authoritative, high-altitude drama with few heroes, many villains, bags of cash, and a tragic ending—one that may not have been inevitable.
" Excellent book about how the US intervention into the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan inadvertently led to the rise of the Osama Bin Laden. Very readable for a political/historical book. "
" Seems dated now that so much more has happened, but the background to the birth of the Taliban and the role of Pakistan's ISI in assisting it is illuminating. "
" An incredible history of the 25-30 years that led up to Osama bin Laden's 9/11 attacks. What is said is how close we came on several occasions to getting bin Laden. "
" By far one of the best books I've ever read. Steve Coll is the man! A great lesson on how screwed this country is and how long it's been that way. "
" This is a well-written and factual account of the CIA's actions in the decades leading up to 9/11. It deals with alot of complex situations and therefore can be a bit confusing at times, but all-around is a really great book if you want to educate yourself on foriegn policy the inside info on our governments actions. Lesson learned - our government has not learned any lessons. "
" Educational AND a bit depressing. my favorite combination "
" scary because it was real... "
" I guess he got the Pulitzer for the research. The writing was lucid and mildly compelling, but it read more like an 800-page news article. I suppose perhaps that was the intent. "
" Incredible outline of what the U.S. is up against in the Middle East. "
" Good account of what changed the world and where it is heading now. "
" FASCINATING. Read as an informational accompaniment to Charlie Wilson's War. Red meat for a foreign affairs novice like me. "
" Very informative and thought provoking. "
" A very dense read, but well worth the time. "
" Excellent book. A lot of history I didn't know. "
" Vital context for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, the rise of bin Laden, etc...Not exactly a page turner, dense and packed with minutiae, but extraordinary. "
" I'd really give this book about 3.5 stars. It was very informative and I learned a lot about Afghanistan and intelligence collection. "
" This book is pretty amazing. It'll give any reader a firm grasp on how the government actually works, including the CIA, and give you a very detailed account of how modern day afghanistan is what it is. Incredibly well written "
" You know how everyone says the U.S. is hypocritical because we initiatially funded the Taliban and supplied them with weapons. This is the story of how the CIA did that via the Pakistani intelligence agency "
" Fantastic and scary all at once. "
" an excellent account of afghanistan and al-quaida leading up to 11 Sept 01 - well documented account of how this entire thing is of our own making!!! "
" Got to be pretty long winded in the mid to late of the book, but very interesting how the US and Saudi Arabia funded the Afghan Muhajeddin "
Steve Coll is the New York Times bestselling author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Ghost Wars and the dean of the Graduate School of Journalism at Columbia University. From 2007 to 2013 he was president of the New America Foundation, a public policy institute in Washington, DC. He is a staff writer for the New Yorker and previously worked for twenty years at the Washington Post, where he received a Pulitzer Prize for explanatory journalism in 1990. He is the author of seven other books, including On the Grand Trunk Road, The Bin Ladens, and Private Empire.
Malcolm Hillgartner is an accomplished actor, writer, and musician. Named an AudioFile Best Voice of 2013 and the recipient of several Earphones Awards, he has narrated over 250 audiobooks.
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