"A vivid narrative. . . . Charlie Wilson's War is a
behind-the-scenes chronicle of a program that is still largely
classified. . . . In its time there was little dispute that the
covert war was one of the most successful C.I.A. operations ever
undertaken. . . . Few people who remember Wilson's years in
Washington would discount even the wildest tales." --David
Johnston, The New York Times Book Review "Irresistible. . . . [A]
thoroughly reported, painstakingly detailed and calmly written
account. . . . The story of this odd and world-shaping partnership
really can't be believed until Crile and his thorough reporting
gradually make it clear that yes, it all really happened. Crile
also sketches a variety of other figures in this drama with an eye
for what makes them strange and interesting." --Steve Kettman, The
San Francisco Chronicle "Charlie Wilson's War is one of the most
important books ever written about U.S. government covert
operations. . . . [It's] such a sprawling tale that describing it
adequately in a brief review is daunting." --Steve Weinberg, The
Seattle Times "Vibrant storytelling. . . . Crile reveals in
extraordinary detail the over-the-top, under-the-table machinations
of Wilson, one of Capitol hill's ablest political bulldozers, as he
spearheaded what eventually became known as the Soviets' Vietnam. .
. . [Charlie Wilson's War] offer[s] an entirely new take on
Reagan-era history with international sweep and modern
implications, neatly laid over the intriguing, untold inner
workings of [the CIA]." --Jan Jordan, The Houston Chronicle "[A]
glowing account. . . . Crile is . . . an exhuberant Tom Clancy-type
enthusiast for the Afghan caper. . . . Criles account is important,
if appalling, precisely because it details how a ruthless ignoramus
congressman and a high-ranking CIA thug managed to hijack American
foreign policy." --Chalmers Johnson, The Los Angeles Times Book
Review "Charlie Wilson's War reads like a best-selling novel. . . .
Crile's globe-trotting research and adroit writing have produced a
vastly entertaining book that outmuscles most spy novels in its
quota of sheer thrills and chills." --John Marshall, The Seattle
Post-Intelligencer "Crile's real accomplishment is in telling the
human story of Rep. Charlie Wilson of Texas and a now-retired
covert CIA operative named Gust Avrakotos. . . . [Crile] has
unearthed some startling details about this chapter of our covert
history, found and written about two colorful if flawed characters,
and lent a great deal to a better understanding of our recent past
and our troubled present." --Edward P. Smith, The Denver Post "A
cross between Tom Clancy and Carl Hiassen, with the distinguishing
feature that it's all apparently true. . . . Throw in a middle-aged
Texan belly dancer, an assortment of Congressional looinies, a few
beauty queens, some ruthless Afghan rebels, and a murderous
Pakistani dictator who only wants to be understood." --Gerard
DeGroot, Christian Science Monitor "Charlie Wilson's War conveys
the sense of victory CIA leaders felt over the 'success' in
Afghanistan. . . . Wilson himself is a writer's dream of a main
character. . . . A rollicking good tale." --Karen Sandstrom, The
Cleveland Plain Dealer "In the midst of Crile's important expose of
U.S. covert policy in Afghanistan and it's ramifications, there's
an engrossing character study as well." --Clay Smith, The Austin
Chronicle "A classic story of good intentions gone wrong, a comedy
of can-do Americans loose in a world it really doesn't understand."
--Charles Taylor, Salon.com "His narrative is fast-moving,
supercharged, and overheated, chock-full of high drama and sexual
innuendo. In short, it is great fun." --Raymond Puffer, KLIATT "The
subtitle here--The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in
Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of Our
Times--says it all. Almost. . . . Much of the tale of getting there
is only now revealed by Crile, a veteran TV producer and hell of a
story man." --Celia McGee, New York Daily News "A helluva story. .
. . [Crile] eschews highfalutin generalizations in favor of racy
vignettes. This yields a riveting glimpse of the inner workings of
a secret area of government." --James Critchlow, The New Leader "A
gripping read for students of the cold war, anyone who wants the
lowdown on how their tax dollars really get spent, Central Asia
junkies or those who delight in cloaks, daggers and plausible
deniability." --The Economist "[Crile] gives intriguing insight
into the methods and mentality of the cloak-and-dagger business, as
well as to the machinations of that handful of relatively unknown
members of Congress who dominate Capitol Hill by controlling
appropriations." --Gerard A. Patterson, Pittsburg Post-Gazette "An
engrossing story of this little known and often forgotten war."
--Sterlin Holmesly, The San Antonio Express "This
I-can't-believe-it's-not-fiction tale has it all: a Marlboro Man
handsome leading man, a parade of impossibly gorgeous women, sex,
spies, copious quantities of booze and enough violence to take
Arnold Schwarzenegger and his Terminator scriptwriters through
several more sequels. ... The story, narrated with cinematic verve
by George Crile . . . is both hilarious and harrowing." --Kathy
Kiely, Arkansas Democrat "Charlie Wilson's War is one of those
rare, priceless books about politics and history. It has the
uncanny ability to uplift even the most hardened of spirits while
simultaneously confirming anyone's deepest fears about the way it
all really works. . . . A masterful narrator, Crile manages to
include the relevant technical data. . . .[He] offers a trenchant
meditation on just how fleeting glory really is, and just how
quickly the wheel of fortune can turn the other way. . . . It has
more political intrigues, more suspense, more intense psychological
analysis, and more technological know-how than anything Tom Clancy
or Robert Ludlum could fantasize about. And it has something else
besides: it's true." --Michael Shannon Friedman, Charlotte Gazette
"Fascinating [and] entertaining. . . . What a story!" --Dennis
Lythgoe, The Deseret News "If you like tell-all books about the
unbelieveable things that our elected folks can do for you, you
will love this book. Charlie Wilson's War has it all as well as an
explanation about how our most feared enemy, Osama bin Laden, got
his start with a little unintended help from his friends right here
in the United States." --Saralee Terry Woods, The Nashville City
Paper "A bizarre chapter of contemporary history that could have
been written by Ian Fleming (it is too improbable for Tom Clancy or
John LeCarre), Charlie Wilson's War is a true tall tale of silver
screen-sized characters that, for better or worse, changed the
world." --Mary Brown Malouf, The Salt Lake Tribune "Charlie
Wilson's War shines the light on a gripping story of international
intrigue, booze, drugs, sex, high society and arms deals. The last
great battle of the Cold War was anything but a typical CIA
program." --Lucas Everidge, Politics Now "One thing I especially
like about Crile's treatment of all this splendid material is his
almost tender portrait of Wilson himself, warts and all. . . . It's
a whale of a tale, and I recommend it highly. You'll never find
another history that reads more like a cross between Flashman and a
Tom Clancy novel." --Molly Ivins, Working For Change "Fascinating."
--Larry D. Woods, The Nashville City Paper "Wilson and Avrakotos
give life to an incredible story about U.S. involvement in
Afghanistan. . . . If there is one book to read about U.S.
involvement in Afghanistan and its relevance to the emergence of
the Taliban, September 11th, and the war in Afghanistan, this is
it." --Craig A. Stoehr, The Northeast Book Reviews "Put the Tom
Clancy clones back on the shelf; this covert-ops chronicle is
practically impossible to put down. No thriller writer would dare
invent Wilson. . . . Superb writing from Crile . . . will keep even
the most vigorous critics of this Contra-like affair reading to the
end." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "Crile offers an
absorbing, thoroughly detailed look at the largest and most
successful CIA operation in U.S. History. . . . [Charlie Wilson's
War is an] engrossing account of the remarkable battle that ended
the Soviet Union's hold on Afghanistan. Readers interested in the
politics and cultures of Washington, D.C., and the Middle East will
relish this book." --Booklist (Starred Review) "An engaging,
well-written, newsworthy study of practical politics and its
sometimes unlikely players, and one with plenty of implications."
--Kirkus Reviews "Crucial and timely. . . . Criles book, with its
investigative verve and gripping narrative, is a comprehensive
political assessment and sobering account of the power structures
that run parallel to, but apparently unknown by, official
government authorities." --PW Daily for Booksellers "Americans
often ask: 'Where have all the heroes gone?' Well a lot of them
come roaring through in this tour de force of reporting and
writing. Tom Clancy's fiction pales in comparison with the amazing,
mesmerizing story told by George Crile. By resurrecting a missing
chapter out of our recent past, Charlie Wilson's War provides us
with the key to understanding the present." --Dan Rather "An
amazing tale, made all the more amazing because it was missed by
the press. George Crile has written a book revealing the
extraordinary details and intrigue of a secret war, and that alone
would be a monumental achievement. But he has also written a book
about how power works in Washington, about how the C.I.A. succeeded
in this war but failed because it armed an ally who became our
enemy, about how we might better understand Islamic fundamentalism,
about how a solitary Congressman guilefully moved the U.S.
government, and all of this comes with a breathtaking cast of
characters worthy of a LeCarre novel. Only it's all true. And just
as vivid." --Ken Auletta "[A] riveting, beautifully researched and
profoundly disturbing book. . . . Crile's book is also an
astonishing glimpse into the world of the CIA and the power of
individual, cash-rich lobbies in American politics. More than
anything, it is the parade of characters that is the real pleasure
of the book." --Jason Burke, Guardian (UK)
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