Scan barcode
madmooney's review against another edition
5.0
[b:The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War|56668328|The Bomber Mafia A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War|Malcolm Gladwell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1616422126l/56668328._SX50_.jpg|88566827] is a story about what happens when a new technology sparks the imaginations of two groups of people differently, falling prey to that unfaltering dichotomy between armchair theorists and the practical doers.
[a:Malcolm Gladwell|1439|Malcolm Gladwell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1564001739p2/1439.jpg] does not disappoint here, and shows that he can tell a very compelling story (even to the heights of [a:Erik Larson|5869|Erik Larson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1304371037p2/5869.jpg]) without having to fit an ill-fitting thesis (I am specifically referring to [b:Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know|43848929|Talking to Strangers What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know|Malcolm Gladwell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549393502l/43848929._SX50_.jpg|68174561] here).
I felt very swept up in the narrative as he sets the two kings upon the chessboard: Generals Haywood S. Hansell and Curtis LeMay. One king, the godhead of the 'Bomber Mafia', a group of people who believe that a newer technology could allow for precision warfare and reduce civilian casualties. The other king, a more practical general, who sent countless young pilots to their death and capture on this new theoretical type of warfare (which failed attempt after attempt) and decided for a more practical a more effective application of this technology.
At the center of all of this is the technology itself: the bombsight, which would allow for planes to accurately drop bombs onto specific targets (when it worked).
I would totally be fine if Gladwell career strayed away from his typical social psychology grounds to pull small interesting stories from history and bring them to life!
[a:Malcolm Gladwell|1439|Malcolm Gladwell|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1564001739p2/1439.jpg] does not disappoint here, and shows that he can tell a very compelling story (even to the heights of [a:Erik Larson|5869|Erik Larson|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1304371037p2/5869.jpg]) without having to fit an ill-fitting thesis (I am specifically referring to [b:Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know|43848929|Talking to Strangers What We Should Know About the People We Don’t Know|Malcolm Gladwell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1549393502l/43848929._SX50_.jpg|68174561] here).
I felt very swept up in the narrative as he sets the two kings upon the chessboard: Generals Haywood S. Hansell and Curtis LeMay. One king, the godhead of the 'Bomber Mafia', a group of people who believe that a newer technology could allow for precision warfare and reduce civilian casualties. The other king, a more practical general, who sent countless young pilots to their death and capture on this new theoretical type of warfare (which failed attempt after attempt) and decided for a more practical a more effective application of this technology.
At the center of all of this is the technology itself: the bombsight, which would allow for planes to accurately drop bombs onto specific targets (when it worked).
I would totally be fine if Gladwell career strayed away from his typical social psychology grounds to pull small interesting stories from history and bring them to life!
zwong's review against another edition
fast-paced
4.0
Nice work on storytelling, light like podcast, with many voice acting, great work of arvhived information retrieval. More engaged compared to reading the book.
freckleduck's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I feel like my star rating is reflective of the fact that the topic isn’t my favorite. I still appreciate Gladwell’s work even though the topic isn’t my favorite.