About this title: In this posthumous work, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist explores the untold heroism and pathos of the worst American military disaster since Little Big Horn, and the politics that set it in motion. Abridged. 10 CDs.
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Description: Good. 1401384854 Fast Shipping. Cover torn, wrinkled, missing or book is otherwise damaged. Publishers Overstock. Customer service is our #1 priority. read more
Binding: AUDIO
Publisher: Hyperion
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9781401384852ISBN:1401384854
Description: Very good. [I will ship immediately] Book in standard used condition: slightly marked, moderately worn covers and edges, and good binding. read more
Binding: Spoken Word Compact Disc
Publisher: Hyperion Audio
Date Published: 2007-09-01
ISBN-13:9781401384852ISBN:1401384854
Description: NEW. Spoken Word Compact Disc. From an inventory that is 100% brand-new, 100% direct from the publishers' distribution channel. We carry NO pre-owned, NO remaindered. We pack in CARDBOARD to ensure the pristine quality is maintained. (Bubble-wrap alone is NOT sufficient to protect from USPS equipment. ) Guaranteed brand-NEW, protected with CARDBOARD, your satisfaction is guaranteed. BKLUVID: 9781401384852. read more
Binding: Audio CD
Publisher: Hyperion
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9781401384852ISBN:1401384854
Description: New. Brand New! Buy with confidence-your satisfaction is guaranteed at B-Logistics! Due to the large scale of our operation, we do not have access to the specific contents/condition of our items. Please note that Expedited shipping is not available at this time. read more
Binding: Audio CD
Publisher: Hyperion
Date Published: 2007-09-01
ISBN-13:9781401384852ISBN:1401384854
Description: Like New. Never Owned Or Read! Some May Have A Publishers Remainder Mark or Light Shelf Wear. NEW CONDITION OTHER THAN PUBLISHERS REMAINDER MARK! read more
Edition: Abridged
Binding: Audiobook CD
Publisher: HYPERION BOOKS
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9781401384852ISBN:1401384854
Description: New. In this posthumous work, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist explores the untold heroism and pathos of the worst American military disaster since Little Big Horn, and the politics that set it in motion. Abridged. 10 CDs. read more
"This volume typifies the care with which the author develops his books. The start is the surprise appearance of Chinese troop at Unsam in October of 1950. Their vast numbers and surprise attack shredded American forces, which had advanced by then deep into North Korea. The discussion of the fighting is classic Halberstam, with a lot of veterans reporting their experiences here, with great detail to provide a sense of the confusion and chaos as the Chinese attacked. And, amazingly, General Douglas MacArthur proceeded as if all was well as the Chinese melted back into North Korea after the attack, no longer to be seen. The continuing march to the Yalu River, of course, was to have dire consequences for the American and Allied forces.
The book then examines the context for the outbreak of the Korean War, with a look at key actors--from MacArthur (no longer, apparently, at the top of his game), Mao Zedong, Kim Il Sung (the leader of North Korea), Syngman Rhee (the South Korean leader), Harry Truman, to Joseph Stalin. Many other characters are portrayed as well, such as Dean Acheson and George Kennan and Chiang Kai-shek. The depiction of these characters in the unfolding drama provides context, as does placement of Korea in the historical context of repression under the Japanese for much of the first half of the 20th century.
One example: the detailed discussion of Douglas MacArthur is not very flattering. But the description of his relationship with his father (a Civil War hero) and mother (a "stage mother" to her son's military career) and his need to always be right and to have control helps understand some of the decisions made early in the war. Many will doubtless be upset about this portrayal of the General, but it is one of those detailed descriptions for which Halberstanm is well known.
Then, the actual invasion of the South by the North in June, 1950 is laid out. The discussion includes the dawning realization in Japan (MacArthur's HQ) and Washington D. C. of what is happening "on the ground" and their military and political response. In great detail, the book considers the battlefield picture, including the surprise and effective counterattack by MacArthur's forces at Inchon, the rolling up of the North Koreans, and--then--the emergence of Chinese troops to turn the picture around once more--and finally, to the deadly stalemate near the line from which the war had begun.
Some of the more valuable aspects of the volume are the interviews by the author with surviving veterans. These data provide invaluable richness to the text and make the nature of the fighting come alive for the reader.
In short, another epic work from David Halberstam. He died shortly after completing the book in a car crash, so this represents his last major work. It represents the author still at the peak of his powers. A book well worth attending to."
"This is a wonderful book on many levels. As a history of the Korean War, few can match it. As an overview of the start of the Cold War it is excellent. As a look at MacArthur it is unflinching. A man whose sense of his own greatness led to so many unnecessary American deaths.
The book also gives us a view at the birth of the Republican tactic that is still in use today. After losing to FDR for all those years and then even losing to Truman they were desperate for an issue. When China was "lost to the communists" the Republicans found as issue. They discovered that making almost insane claims of treason in the state department and even accusing the venerated General Marshall of communist sympathies, enough people bought it. They were able to gain traction and derail the Truman administration by spouting wild claims and fear mongering...Sound familiar? Death Panels anyone. Read this book and you will not only understand the importance of the Korean War but also gain some insight into today's politics."
"Not a blow by blow account of the war but rather a study of the major personalities that contributed to it, both American, South Korean, North Korean, and Chinese. He follows their strengths and weaknesses with glorious 20/20 hindsight that is a compelling read. I recall going to a class member's close by neighborhood home, on a class field trip, as they had the good fortune to own a television set. In fuzzy black and white, we watched Mac Arthur's "retirement" speech to Congress where he enshrined the words from an old army song, "Old soldiers never die, they just fade away". I further the recall praying for the welfare of "our soldier boys" around Grandpa and Grandma's dining room table at their evening prayers. When the cease fire was accomplished, I was at a summer military school, Camp Culver, and we all celebrated accordingly, with a nine year old's enthusiasm, not really understanding the enormity of the situation. A fascinating read of the "forgotten war" and it's participants."
"The Coldest Winter" is a summary of the Korean war - the politics and people that took center stage in this conflict.
We see Douglas MacArthur at his most brilliant and his most hubris-filled moments.
We see China's Mao flexing his muscles at the beginning of his long reign.
We see General Matthew Ridgway's brilliant intervention in the terrible leadership vacuum plaguing the war.
But most heart-rending is the story of common soldiers who died heroically despite criminally inept leadership, who fought without the glory attending WWII veterans, who suffered horribly in the Korean winter fighting a war they did not understand. In so many sad ways, this war was a prequel to Vietnam.
Halberstam hits the highlights of the war, leaving certain battles untouched (i.e., the Marines breaking out of the Chosin Reservoir), but he explain the complexity of the war in such a way that even a historical novice like myself can understand.
Just a warning, though, about Halberstam's prose - you have to pay attention. Aside from deliberate stream of consciousness, I have never read an author who so liberally sprinkles interruptory elements throughout sentences. In this book, commas are like the sands of the sea - endless and unavoidable. One example illustrates. Speaking of MacArthur's return, Halberstan writes: "Each day his case seemed a bit weaker, he himself a bit smaller, and his opponents, indeed his punching bags, like Acheson and Marshall, a bit more thoughtful and better grounded in the issues" (p. 613). This example is typical, and not representative of the more complex sentences which contain layers and layers of thoughts, like a set of Russian dolls.
That being said, the book seems offer an important contribution to the sparse literature on the Korean War. I'm glad to have read it.
This was the last book Halberstam completed before his tragic death in a car accident. His voice will be missed."
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