... you have GOT to read this book!!

At The Abyss: An Insider's History of the Cold War by Thomas C. Reed, with a forward written by none other than former President (and before that, Head of the CIA) George H. W. Bush.

this book has gotten some excellent reviews and rightfully so! just 50 pages into it and I am completely blown away at the stories I've read, the depth of research and access to information. it is very well written and I already highly recommend picking up a copy. it is definitely a hard book to put down...



I love these real-life espionage stories. Blind Man's Bluff : The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage also has some excellent stories of Cold War espionage, but isn't as well written as this one... and tends to cover a far broader history of the submarine being used in espionage, from the very first submarine. moderately interesting, but I found myself skimming ahead to get to the modern espionage stories, which were amazing beyond words.

the people on both sides who were the pawns and knights in an incredible global game of nuclear chess... and even the thinkers/gamblers planning their moves... were truly a breed apart.

 

how bout a few preview stories?

 

With that kind of review, I've got to pick it up.

 

Another amazing book is Nelson Demille's The Charm School. He also writes many other good books; I've read them all. You really can't go wrong with him.

 

^ that's fiction though. I'm talking non-fiction. the real stuff, with real heroes and real risks.

 

I've read 'Blind Man's Bluff' & thougth highly of it. I'll put the 'Abyss' book on my reading list. Thanks for the tip.

'Skunk Works' by Ben Rich was worth reading also. It's about Lockheed's black projects, inlcuding the stealth fighter.

 

this book just gets better and better... *great stories*


still highly recommend (halfway through book now...)

 

Thank you, Tritium Pie, for recommending this book. I picked it up as my reading material for my 10 hour flight to N.Y. and couldn't put it down!
Unfortunately, I ended up staying awake at nights reading this book in the hotel room due to the jet lag and never fully adjusted to N.Y. time until the last day. I finished it before my return flight and had nothing to read on the way back! So maybe no thanks.

Seriously though, it was a great book and I also recommend it. Truly an insider's perspective on the Cold War. We have the luxury of looking back upon that period (with, dare I say, a little bit of nostalgia) because of all of the heroes, sung and unsung, that put their lives on the line for their countries and also for humankind.

 

glad you liked it!

I finished it recently and decided to start reading it again! since he often follows characters, the book moves somewhat non-chronologically, so the second time around I feel like I'll be able to more accurately place the interrelations between people and events. but besides that, the stories!! my god, the insider's view of what actually happened on both sides are truly amazing. so good I have to read it twice.

 

I'll read it again too, but I've already lent it out to a friend, so I'll have to wait until I get it back.