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bookhawk's review against another edition
5.0
Fantastic book. Written well and organized logically with the perfect level of detail. Highly recommended.
lydaalexander's review against another edition
informative
fast-paced
4.0
Interesting delve into history that most of us don't want to think about.
jaxboiler's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.5
I wasn't quite sure I was getting into with this book. I thought it was just okay. it did teach me some interesting things about the birth and growth of the US Air Force during WWII. At times it felt like it dragged and maybe the author/narrator voice is what made it hard for me to enjoy.
jeremyanderberg's review against another edition
4.0
I'd call it 4.5. Loved reading Gladwell write in the history genre. Definitely not what I expected and I really enjoyed where Gladwell went with the morality tale. I couldn't quite tell which way his own opinion was going to go (almost like Lulu Miller's "Why Fish Don't Exist"), but it was ultimately really satisfying. Learned a ton about a war I know a lot about; it's amazing that the firebombing of Japan isn't studied more in-depth like the nukes are.
kelleyjandrew's review against another edition
2.0
I agree with much of what other have said. It makes for a compelling audio book, it has the same tone as an extended episode of Revisionist History, it has good audio clips that can be compelling. I think the content is interesting as well, but I think Gladwell thesis isn’t all that compelling, it feels forced when you read it. It feel as if Gladwell read a little about the characters involved, nominated one a protagonist and the other a foil and wrote from there. As you read it feels hard to buy into this narrative, it doesn’t feel believable and I was not fully bought in as it was not sold well by the writer. It turns out there is reason for that, upon further research you find that these characterizations are forced at best. It’s fine, it’s interesting, but it has major flaws.
vireogirl's review against another edition
4.0
Not as interesting as his other books, probably because I’d heard big chunks of it on his podcast. Also different to be focused on a period in history instead of a concept he was trying to illustrate.
kristinamskinner's review against another edition
4.0
This books reads like Gladwell’s podcast. Informative, entertaining, insightful. I enjoyed learning about the bombsight and the leaders behind the Air Corp in WWII. My WWII military history knowledge is basically nil. This book made me aware of a lot. But I think the purpose was more to make me think, which it also did.