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One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War Audiobook
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(4.01) - 718 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
In October 1962, at the height of the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union appeared to be sliding inexorably toward a nuclear conflict over the placement of missiles in Cuba. Veteran Washington Post reporter Michael Dobbs has pored over previously untapped American, Soviet, and Cuban sources to produce the most authoritative book yet on the Cuban missile crisis. In his hour-by-hour chronicle of those near-fatal days, Dobbs reveals some startling new incidents that illustrate how close we came to Armageddon. Here, for the first time, are gripping accounts of Khrushchev’s plan to destroy the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo; the accidental overflight of the Soviet Union by an American spy plane; the movement of Soviet nuclear warheads around Cuba during the tensest days of the crisis; the activities of CIA agents inside Cuba; and the crash landing of an American F-106 jet with a live nuclear weapon on board. Dobbs takes us inside the White House and the Kremlin as Kennedy and Khrushchev agonize over the possibility of war. He shows how these two leaders recognized the terrifying realities of the nuclear age while Castro–never swayed by conventional political considerations–demonstrated the messianic ambition of a man selected by history for a unique mission. Dobbs brings us onto the decks of American ships patrolling Cuba; inside sweltering Soviet submarines and missile units as they ready their warheads; and onto the streets of Miami, where anti-Castro exiles plot the dictator’s overthrow.
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"Minute-by-minute account of 1962 missile crisis between US and USSR. Mainly written from the US perspective, but still many details from the Soviet side too. Very dramatic at times and some very exciting details about the decision making and tactics at that time. Chilling and "scary" read at times, but thoroughly enjoyable."
— Milan (5 out of 5 stars)
Awards
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New York Times bestseller
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A 2008 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Nominee for History
One Minute to Midnight Listener Reviews
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" A thorough reconstruction of the Cuban Missile Crisis, using a lot of previously unused sources to give a more complete picture of the whole Crisis. We came thiiiiiiis close to nuclear war. "
— Matthew, 2/15/2014 -
" I'm working through this thing right now. It's really insightful and shows how scary the Cuban Missile Crisis was. "
— Shukti, 2/10/2014 -
" An amazing work, bringing forth facts heretofore missed or suppressed. Frightening, eye opening, informative. A real page-turner, even though we know how it ends. Dobbs rather sartorically points out that of all the players in the drama, Castro outlasted them all. "
— James, 2/7/2014 -
" Thought it was awesome. While a lot has been written over the years on the Cuban missile crisis, I think this book doesn't falter from a lot of the biases prevalent in many of the other works on the subject. "
— Tanya, 2/3/2014 -
" finally, i made it through this one. every time i tried to give up, something else interesting came along. this book would be waaay better with a ruthless editing job, but otherwise, good. "
— Claire, 2/3/2014 -
" Really well-told tick-tock of the famous "13 Days" with lots more insight into the Soviet military deployment on Cuba. A great read on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the missile crisis. "
— Russ, 1/27/2014 -
" Very detailed history of a critical cold war event, of Cuban Missile Crisis. Learned lots. Not a super fast read but engaging. Increased my interest in Cuba. "
— Natasha, 1/15/2014 -
" Lots of technical info ... hard to read. I didn't finish it. "
— Barb, 1/11/2014 -
" Brilliant; enough to put anyone off poker for life! "
— Ken, 12/20/2013 -
" Good book that was interesting to read. It gave me a unique view of the Cuban Missile Crisis and. How close the world was to World War III! I am glad I read it. "
— Zaki, 12/13/2013 -
" Fascinating book about the Cuban Missle Crisis. Dobbs went back to original sources and has new data and revelations about those crazy days. Lots of implications for our current and future international dealings. "
— Alyson, 10/27/2013 -
" Brilliant, though I expected a little more at the end. I was surprised about some of the revelations the author makes about JFK. "
— Jeffrey, 6/20/2013 -
" Never knew just how close we were to nuclear war. We almost exploded a bomb in Indiana. F-106 full of nuclear bombs had a close call on landing in Indiana. I was involved with a crash of an F-106, brought back memories and made me research the crash. "
— Daniel, 3/5/2013 -
" Easy to read. Good book. "
— Tri, 12/10/2012 -
" Awesome. I love the way it never mentions the future, so you see things as they unfold, as it would have been seen at the time. It made me appreciate how close things were, crazy. "
— Nigel, 11/4/2012 -
" Literally one of the scariest books I've read. I knew we got close to all out wwiiii but didn't realize how close or how it could have changed in an instant. Shows the extremes of high stakes diplomacy. "
— Michael, 7/2/2012 -
" Thought it was awesome. While a lot has been written over the years on the Cuban missile crisis, I think this book doesn't falter from a lot of the biases prevalent in many of the other works on the subject. "
— Tanya, 3/13/2011 -
" Interesting play by play description of the Cuban missile crisis. Dobbs explores the personalities of the men calling the shots and otherwise swept up in this momentous series of events that brought the US and USSR to the brink of nuclear war. 3.5 stars. "
— Hope, 3/11/2011 -
" this is a must read if you're interested in the cold war. very well researched and entertaining. "
— Tommy, 1/22/2011 -
" Good book that was interesting to read. It gave me a unique view of the Cuban Missile Crisis and. How close the world was to World War III! I am glad I read it. "
— Zaki, 1/1/2011 -
" I think I've read just about everything on this crisis and this is an excellent, gripping summary of the time the world stood still. Read this and the book with the transcribed tapes and you will have an excellent understanding of the event. "
— Robert, 12/23/2010 -
" Excellent book, most informative , highly recommended "
— Mikebradbury, 12/21/2010 -
" Amost everything you think you know about the Missile Crisis is wrong. Utterly frightening. "
— John, 10/17/2010 -
" This one filled in the gaps on what I knew about the Cuban missile crisis (which wasn't all that much). Very well written, tense, and made me try other books written by this author. "
— Katie, 7/27/2010
About Michael Dobbs
Michael Dobbs was born and educated in Britain, but is now a US citizen. He was a long-time reporter for the Washington Post, covering the collapse of Communism as a foreign correspondent. He has taught at leading American universities, including Princeton, the University of Michigan, and Georgetown. He is currently on the staff of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. His previous books include the bestselling One Minute to Midnight on the Cuban missile crisis, which was part of an acclaimed Cold War trilogy. He lives outside Washington, D.C.
About Bob Walter
Bob Walter is a producer, director, and audiobook narrator. He is best known for his work as a music producer and sound effects designer for the movies Halloween, The Little Brave Toaster, and Apocalypse Now. His audiobook narrations include several nonfiction and fiction titles from Hachette, Random House, and HarperCollins, among others.