Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of Our Times | 
 enlarge | Author: George Crile
Publisher: Grove Press
Category: Book
List Price: $14.95
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Avg. Customer Rating:  201 reviews
Sales Rank: 8223
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 560
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.9
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.5 x 1.2
ISBN: 0802143415
Dewey Decimal Number: 958.1045
EAN: 9780802143419
ASIN: 0802143415
Publication Date: November 6, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A gripping and vibrant book soon to be released as a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts and directed by Mike Nichols, Charlie Wilson’s War was a New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times best seller when it was published in 2003. Crile’s book is the true story of how a Texas Congressman and a rogue CIA agent conspired to launch the biggest, meanest, and most successful CIA campaign ever — the operation to fund the mujahideen in their fight against the Soviet army that had invaded Afghanistan. Moving from the back rooms of the Capitol to secret chambers at Langley, from arms dealers’ conventions to the Khyber Pass, Charlie Wilson’s War presents an astonishing chapter of our recent past, and the key to understanding what helped trigger the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union and ultimately led to the emergence of a brand-new foe in the form of radical Islam.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 196 more reviews...
 The enemies of our enemies are not our friends... August 29, 2008
Charlie Wilson's War may be one-sided, but it's still a very interesting read, especially in these post-9/11 days. Years before the words Taliban and al Qaeda were in everyday use, or for that matter, even familiar to most Americans, the CIA was waging a secret war in Afghanistan.
Having grown up in the tail end of the Cold War, the threat of the USSR never really gripped me the way it did the generations prior to me. We laughed at the comical "Duck and Cover" commercials when we watched them in history class, but my parents spoke of the real terror they felt at the time. In reading Charlie Wilson's War, I had a glimpse into the mindset of that time period, when we were willing to be friends with anyone who was willing to oppose the Communist Threat. Hindsight being what it is, we of course recognize that Charlie Wilson helped arm the same group that would later assist in horrendous attacks on the United States and kill American men and women in armed conflict with weapons purchased by their tax payer dollars. The implications in the book are astounding and make you wonder about the actions that government takes on our behalf. Second and third order effects were clearly not considered.
I don't chastise Charlie Wilson for not recognizing the future of the Taliban - no one else did, and we woke up when a clear day in NYC was blotted out. This book provides at least a part of the background necessary to begin to ask ourselves why and how we live in the world as it is today.
Forget the politics of it, and focus on how seemingly small decisions have huge impact, and you'll probably begin to look at the decisions made by Congress and the Government with a slightly more critical eye to what they mean for the future.
The movie is highly entertaining, and the book reads very quickly, so even if you don't read more into it, it's an entertaining endeavor.
Absolutely Recommended Reading August 26, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I ordered this book upon the strong recommendation of two of my best - and brightest - friends. They said that it is a "must" read. Due to illness, I have not actually read it, but I can tell everyone that if my two friends think so highly of it, it must be a 6-Star read! I can't wait to dig into it and, because of those who recommended it to me, I assure you that the book should be on your list.
Bob K.
Litchfield, CT
This Book Kept My Interests August 2, 2008
Unreliable story of the CIA involvement in the Afghan War. Lots of insight of the secret in and out of our clandestine service. Interesting read but at the same time lots of grandstanding by the author toward the subject of the book which sometime seem a bit hard to believe. Recommended reading for anyone who is a history buff and would like to expand his/her detailed knowledge of the downfall of Communism and the last military action of the cold war. Don't bother to compare the movie; like most of the time, is the book according to Hollywood re writers. The movie is definitely not worth the money unless you receive it as a gift.
Engaging Read July 28, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
It's no wonder that the book took some 15 years in the making. Crile did extensive research with this book and it shows. I read this book this past weekend, while on vacation and thoroughly enjoyed it. It read like a fictional piece of international intrigue, yet it was based on real events and real people.
Crile wrote a great book that could have been written like an academic tome (dry), instead the characters were human with their hilarious attributes and flaws. I was drawn into it--rooting for Gust or Charlie, even though I knew the outcomes and had seen the movie based on the book.
The book offers a glimpse into the ways that real politics takes place in the USA and how back room deals, friendships, and back stabbing can make or break a career or a bill being passed in Congress.
The fact that Charlie Wilson became interested (perhaps obsessed) with the plight of Afghans was nothing short of just happenstance. And, the cast of characters who he worked with were a colorful group in all senses of the term. This book is written for the lay audience; although I do think an undergraduate audience would appreciate it. It is lengthy, but I tihnk the background provides understanding of the main characters.
What I would have liked-- an additonal chapter in lieu of the short epilogue. Crile needed to make better connections between the freedom fighters of the late 80s and early 90s and how the situation of these young men fed into extremist views.
 That Charlie could do this is incredible July 26, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book discusses a part of politics that I have little knowledge. It is the story of a minor character in the US political process Charlie Wilson, a Democratic United States Representative from the 2nd congressional district in Texas. Before Charlie Wilson came, the US was already supplying some aid to the mujahideen. However soon the Pakistan's military ruler General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq, started pushing for more financial aid to help them. Charlie Wilson decides to help the mujahideen in Afghanistan against the Soviet invaders. This book shows how mostly because to his efforts with a CIA officer Gust Avrakotos, a major international military supply program occurred involving many other countries including Saudi Arabia, Israel and Egypt.
I found it incredible and interesting but it contained too much trivia about the characters. It should have been much shorter.
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