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Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA Audiobook
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(3.01) - 3,606 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
This is the book the CIA does not want you to read. For over sixty years, the CIA has maintained a formidable reputation in spite of its terrible record, never disclosing its blunders to the American public. It spun its own truth to the nation while reality lay buried in classified archives. Now, Pulitzer Prize–winning New York Times reporter Tim Weiner offers a stunning indictment of the CIA, a deeply flawed organization that has never deserved America’s confidence.
Legacy of Ashes is based on more than fifty thousand documents, primarily from the archives of the CIA. Everything is on the record. There are no anonymous sources, no blind quotations. With shocking revelations that will make headlines, Tim Weiner gets at the truth and tells how the CIA’s failures have profoundly jeopardized our national security.
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"I feel like a better citizen for having read this. I really was naive on how much our foreign policy was dictated by covert actions. It's no surprise to me that we have the reputation that we do internationally; a conclusion that I came to after reading this book. MUST READ for my friends. "
— Katia (5 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“For an important book like this one, it’s important for an audiobook narrator to have a certain gravitas, and Rudnicki has plenty…Rudnicki is one of the best narrators in the business and he’s in top form here—Legacy of Ashes is one of the best audiobooks of the year.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred audio review) -
“Deeply researched…Impressively studied…Provides new insights and details.”
— New York Times -
“The best…ever written on a case of espionage.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“The epigrammatic style, hard edge and caustic bite of a first-rate detective novel.”
— Chicago Tribune -
“Tough, fair-minded…Exceptional in the annals of spy literature for not citing a single anonymous source.”
— Playboy -
“[An] absorbing study…Weiner musters extensive archival research and interviews with top-ranking insiders…to present the agency’s saga as an exercise in trying to change the world without bothering to understand it…The result is a credible and damning indictment of American intelligence policy.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review) -
“Narrator Stefan Rudnicki’s attention to the many quotes enhances the text…His comfort with many languages strengthens the continuity of the production.”
— AudioFile -
“Similar to first-rate fiction, which is generally driven by narrative thrust and strong characters, good nonfiction usually has a unique and identifiable tone. It’s the audiobook narrator’s job to suss out that tone, and to locate its counterpart in his own vocal repertoire. I found Tim Weiner’s tone to be one of profound authority tempered with a delicious sardonic edge. It made the book great fun to read.”
— Stefan Rudnicki, narrator
Awards
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Winner of the 2007 National Book Award for Nonfiction
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A 2007 Publishers Weekly Best Book for Nonfiction
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Winner of the 2007 Los Angeles Times Book Prize for History
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A New York Times bestseller
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A 2007 Time Magazine Top 10 Book for Nonfiction
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A 2007 National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist
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A 2007 New York Times Book Review Notable Book
Legacy of Ashes Listener Reviews
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Robert Garnett, 2/24/2024
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" Wow, things I'd never imagine about the CIA, how it came to be and things we "might" have done. Great book to read. Kept my attention well. "
— Tina, 2/19/2014 -
" If you ever wanted to know here it is, sort of. "
— Mikey, 2/15/2014 -
" This is quite an eye opener. A definite read for anyone studying modern history. "
— Levi, 1/26/2014 -
" This book will scare the bejeezus about of you. Essentially, this book chronicles all the blunders, coverups, miscalculations, lies, deception, organizational mismanagement, and incompetence during the CIA's early history and how many of the flaws of its operations have survived through to today. "
— Djnoll, 1/20/2014 -
" Crap. Total Crap. Utter propaganda. "
— Barrett, 1/18/2014 -
" pretty interesting. weiner makes the cia sound like a cross between a fraternity, FEMA, and loony toons. interestingly, the presidents that came off best on handling intelligence were eisenhower and carter. "
— dead, 1/17/2014 -
" A very clear and precise story of CIA and its questionable activities around the globe. "
— Pujan, 12/29/2013 -
" Engrossing, comprehensive, and scary. After the first chapter or so, you won't be shocked or surprised by anything the CIA has done or hasn't done. The book shows that there isn't one single reason why the agency isn't as effective as it should be. It also shows that there's no easy fix. "
— Emilyrs, 12/18/2013 -
" a well researched book but one sided in presentation. "
— Zazu, 12/17/2013 -
" Overall a good book - lays out clearly the strengths and weaknesses of the CIA - a recommended read for those interested in history "
— Kaarthik, 12/6/2013 -
" CIA memang sejak awal dibangun dengan carut marut, maka kehadirannya hingga kini carut marut... "
— Robby, 12/2/2013 -
" This is a poorly written polemic that is full of portentous one-line paragraphs that betray the author's jouranlistic background. It gets better as it goes along but I would not recommend it. "
— Andrewh, 11/10/2013 -
" This is an insider's history of the CIA. It will make you crazy to read it and you'll have more respect for Robert Ludlum's fiction. If you think Hoover ran his own private FBI, read this! "
— Carole, 4/22/2013 -
" This is very long, but it has a lot of interesting information in it. "
— Krisette, 9/4/2012 -
" Excellent history of the CIA/OSS though judging from the title you will not be surprised at some bias. The CIA must have done something right over the years.....after all....they are the government ? :) "
— Brian, 4/17/2012 -
" Definitely talked me out of considering a job in the CIA. "
— Elena, 9/20/2011 -
" Comprehensive and unsettling. I have renewed faith in important nonfiction books, and now heavy skepticism towards our intelligence community. "
— Ryan, 8/14/2011 -
" Menacing, forbidding book - probably 100% true, how would I know since it's classified info that's involved? "
— John, 6/26/2011 -
" This book makes me sad to be American and ashamed at how we have interacted with the world. Championing ourselves as 'freedom lovers' and 'free election promoters' is humiliating when compared with our covert history. "
— Julie, 5/10/2011 -
" OMG! This is our governement at spying - OMG! "
— Bonnie, 4/12/2011 -
" If the CIA is really as inefficient and ineffective as is portrayed in this book, we should shut the whole thing down right now. "
— Travis, 3/2/2011 -
" A report I wrote is cited in the footnotes! <br/> <br/>The book is also quite good independent of that. "
— Mike, 2/12/2011 -
" Deeply unsettling and frightening. Yet also compulsively readable. "
— Mark, 1/11/2011 -
" Damning history of the CIA and its failures in both foreign and domestic involvement. Some areas still obscure and lack context, but overall cohesiveness of the book does not suffer too greatly for it. "
— Kaworu, 12/23/2010 -
" This book was an eye-opener for me. He does hammer his message a little hard and I would have liked a little more context in what he was talking about, but I think a worthy read for anyone interested in foreign policy and current events. "
— Bryan, 12/22/2010 -
" A truly scary yet fascinating book about the many failures and mis-steps made by the CIA since its inception. "
— Amy, 12/21/2010
About Tim Weiner
Tim Weiner is the author of six books. Legacy of Ashes, his history of the CIA, won the National Book Award. His journalism on secret government programs received the Pulitzer Prize for National Reporting. As a correspondent for the New York Times, he covered war and terrorism in Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Sudan, and other nations. He directs the Carey Institute’s nonfiction residency program in upstate New York and teaches as an Anschutz Distinguished Fellow in American Studies at Princeton.
About Stefan Rudnicki
Stefan Rudnicki first became involved with audiobooks in 1994. Now a Grammy-winning audiobook producer, he has worked on more than five thousand audiobooks as a narrator, writer, producer, or director. He has narrated more than nine hundred audiobooks. A recipient of multiple AudioFile Earphones Awards, he was presented the coveted Audie Award for solo narration in 2005, 2007, and 2014, and was named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voices in 2012.