Scan barcode
cc_loves_books's review against another edition
2.0
I hate this book. The author is a bro who shortens all of the military actors names to make himself sound like they’re buddies. It’s a bunch of dick-swinging, which is unfortunate, because the subject matter is fascinating. Too bad the author’s ego gets in the way of the story he’s trying to tell.
I may try to push through to the end just because I am indeed curious about the historical elements. But god, why oh why do so many people who write about war have to act like cowboys?
I may try to push through to the end just because I am indeed curious about the historical elements. But god, why oh why do so many people who write about war have to act like cowboys?
mlejmeyer's review
5.0
Cynically honest
This book has voice and perspective, very hard to put down. Some will be put off by its tone, which is probably why those who don't like it should consider their positions on it honestly. This feels starkly honest and cynical to the point of pessimism, but it's impossible to ignore the through logic presented.
This book has voice and perspective, very hard to put down. Some will be put off by its tone, which is probably why those who don't like it should consider their positions on it honestly. This feels starkly honest and cynical to the point of pessimism, but it's impossible to ignore the through logic presented.
liberrydude's review against another edition
4.0
I didn't realize when I requested this book it was by the "infamous" Rolling Stone reporter Michael Hastings. I had to overcome my initial feelings of disdain for this guy who got McChrystal fired. But it was McChrystal who got himself fired, not Hastings. Hastings did his job and this book reads like Bob Woodward's book or Megan Stack's "Every Man in this Village is a Liar." It's visceral, penetrating, and page turning. Hastings is no wimp nor a wallflower. Once when McChrystal's staff is trying to sugarcoat an incident, Hastings steps up and tries to tell Big Stan what really happened. This book is more a message about the cult of personality in which acolytes become transfixed by their mentors-military and civilian. The book is not only about McChrystal though, all the players in this debacle called Operation Enduring Freedom are there. Petraeus comes across like the Pope of Spin. The cover of this book really pissed me off-I'd have given it five stars but for the cover and its over the top sensationalism. It detracts from the subject matter with its flip image of a man in uniform with alcohol. I also found it disturbing that DOD screwed with Hastings by denying him an embed he was already approved for once the Big Stan story broke. Hastings didn't think McChrystal would be fired and either did I. We need to get out of Afghanistan yesterday.
tumblehawk's review against another edition
5.0
Bam! Here's a book! The sentences are tight! The action moves. And the information, dizzying in its scope, is rendered entirely digestible. The result: you get the picture, you get the story, all the pieces, and are able to follow the bureaucratic nightmarish clusterfuck that is America in Afghanistan with a mix of horror and awe. It is a damn shame that Michael Hastings died in a car crash in June of 2013, because he has left behind all the markings of a writer and a journalist with immense amounts of promise. I'm sad to think that, as time marches ever onwards and nations, corporations, and individuals of power and influence perpetrate all sorts of heinous bullshit around the world, there will be one less fearless journalist with an incredible mastery of language to report back to us on the happenings with his unique take.
Read this book!
Read this book!
jolles's review against another edition
5.0
I was instantly hooked on this book. Hastings had me going from start to finish. The consistent switch between flashback and present day was refreshing and well-done. I also fell in love with Hastings' writing style - it was clean but full of good description and strong imagery.
xxstefaniereadsxx's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
3.0
Michael Hastings detailed his travels around the desert with General Stanley McChrystal during the Afghanistan War. This book exposed the negative feelings of military personnel towards those in charge back in Washington. When those comments were made public, former President Obama stripped McChrystal of his command. It also lifts the veil on the machinations behind the war in Afghanistan. It left me with some negative feelings about the administration of Obama, as well as the war. I have seen what involvement in that war has done to people that I know personally, that I love, and it is hard to reconcile what they believed in and what other people get up to behind the scenes. It is also interesting to note that the author met an interesting and untimely end, and it is widely believed that his death was related to this book. It wasn't the best book I read all year, but it was interesting, and necessary.
epersonae's review against another edition
4.0
Just finished reading and am still somewhat overwhelmed by a sense of despair. Which is to say that this was a really good book. The author did what I think is a very admirable thing: he took the access that he was given, and instead of using it to get more access, he actually shared what he saw. And put it into the context of things outside of those bubbles. Setting the ideology of the "COINdinistas" up against the reality of both on the ground and surveys like those done by RAND. (Look up "How Terrorist Groups End", for example.) I haven't been especially happy about the war in general, but this was...vivid and immediate.
(Minus one star for overly "Rolling Stone" style, which I suppose I ought to have been expecting.)
(Minus one star for overly "Rolling Stone" style, which I suppose I ought to have been expecting.)
auspea's review against another edition
4.0
I was surprised how much I liked it. The General Stanley McChrystal exposé in Rolling Stones sent shockwaves through the Army and I was prepared for Hasting’s biases but he did provide some insightful commentary on a very complex problem. I also found his writing style entertaining, his Elroy like riffs reminded me of American Tabloid. The recent wikileaks revelations have also fueled the conspiracy theories surrounding Michael Hastings death and reinforces the similarities to an Elroy novel.