The Brothers: John Foster Dulles, Allen Dulles, and Their Secret World War by Stephen Kinzer

4.06 AVERAGE

chibitsy's review against another edition

4.5
informative
tglg3's profile picture

tglg3's review against another edition

5.0
informative medium-paced
oceanwriter's profile picture

oceanwriter's review against another edition

3.0
challenging dark informative medium-paced
Nowadays, we don’t hear much about the Dulles brothers despite the impact they had on the United States and its intelligence (the good and the bad). This book seemed to lean more on the gratuitous side, painting an unnuanced picture of John Foster Dulles and Alan Dulles. It felt like the author’s opinion on the men flip-flopped depending on what was being discussed without much discussion around it. As a general biography, it was sturdy. 
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sticky_notes_on_the_wall's review against another edition

DID NOT FINISH
library ran out :(

ayepoppy's review against another edition

3.75
informative medium-paced
It's all their fault.
kimwhims's profile picture

kimwhims's review against another edition

3.5
informative medium-paced
This biography wouldn’t make anyone a devout fan of the Dulles brothers, but this parallel narrative of their careers and legacy enhances the impact they each still have on our world today.
cristian_m's profile picture

cristian_m's review against another edition

4.0
Interesting topic, but I felt the focus and detail was quite unevenly distributed. The writing was itself clear, though at times mirred in technicalities and lacking humanity. The last chapter compensated for this.

rj_h's review against another edition

3.0
feels like a Limited Hangout. a nice remix of "Overthrow" that gently casts 2 actors vaguely as the chief, usually-bumbling but consequential malefactors of the post wwII world. decently obscures all the domestic antagonism dulles' intelligence community engaged in, directing, basically, the entirety of the narrative outwards.
to, at one point, consider Sukarno a "winner" in the Dulles brother's actions simply erases the literal immediate aftermath wrought on Indonesia by the dulles' anti-communist hysteria fomented in the u.s. as comically over-reductive and a manner so simplistic it serves to only enforce a thesis of the Dulles brother's failures, as opposed to the medium-term successes of their vision

mrpants's review against another edition

dark informative reflective sad fast-paced

knit4ever's review against another edition

4.0
The book bounced around a bit but overall gave good insight. Why did we put some much faith in two people with such narrow views?