Reviews

It was really informative and good "fuck that guy" material, but it's exhausting listening to how a handful of white men have fucked up the lives of so many human beings for... Since the dawn of human existence.

shieldbearer's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative reflective medium-paced

5.0

This book, which so heavily draws from Kissinger's own writing and own words to show what sort of man he is- thankfully, at the time of this writing, was- and it's such an eye-opening read for anyone who wants to understand the shape of American politics. May his memory be a curse.

kputnam's review

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informative medium-paced

3.75

cham3rion's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

3.75

Neither a Kissinger biography nor a deep examination of the many countries he helped to destabilize, but a scathing analysis of the man's ideology (or frequently, ideological incoherence) and its institutionalization in US foreign policy. Where Grandin excels is in picking apart Kissinger's lies and contradictory logic, portraying a man who believed in the exercise of power as an end in itself and made a philosophy of petulantly refusing to learn from the past - "never let[ting] yesterday's catastrophes get in the way of tomorrow's actions."

The book is a surprisingly quick read, in part because (with few exceptions) Grandin breezes through a lot of the context and effects of Kissinger's policies abroad. I think it's probably best read with prior knowledge, or as an introduction with one eye on the footnotes. I also thought it could have been a bit better organized in places. As a sharp summary rather than an exhaustive analysis, though, it's a good overview of one man's incredibly damaging legacy.

meemees's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

4.0

I felt like I wasn’t smart enough to read this book. Lol

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