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A review by komet2020
The Shadow of War: A Novel of the Cuban Missile Crisis by Jeff Shaara
adventurous
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
The Shadow of War: A Novel of the Cuban Missile Crisis offers the reader a fully rounded view - from the halls of power in Washington and Moscow, as well as from Cuba itself and from a university professor's family in Tallahassee, Florida -- of the nearly 2-week long Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962. Shaara does a deft job of putting the reader into the minds of President Kennedy, his brother Bobby the Attorney General (who also acted as a special advisor to the President who could be wholly relied upon for advice and counsel), Nikita Khrushchev the Soviet leader, and the university professor in Florida - along with some minor Russian and American characters, both real and fictional.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the one moment in the Cold War Era when we came the closest to facing nuclear annihilation. The stakes had never been higher. Reading this novel (which began by highlighting the impacts from the failure of the CIA Bay of Pigs operation against Cuba in April 1961 on the Kennedy Administration) made me even more appreciative of the poise, intelligence, and restraint President Kennedy exercised in dealing with this crisis, not allowing the hot heads like Air Force General Curtis LeMay of the Joints Chiefs of Staff have their way and bring on a full-scale war with the Soviet Union by invading Cuba to take out the offensive missiles the Soviets had surreptitiously placed there. Furthermore, in reading this novel, I gained a better appreciation for Khrushchev and the way he and President Kennedy were able to defuse and resolve the crisis. Both men showed their humane-ness and determination to keep the world safe for diversity.
I've read other novels from Jeff Shaara and this one succeeds in putting the reader back into that perilous time when it seemed that nuclear war was all but inevitable.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was the one moment in the Cold War Era when we came the closest to facing nuclear annihilation. The stakes had never been higher. Reading this novel (which began by highlighting the impacts from the failure of the CIA Bay of Pigs operation against Cuba in April 1961 on the Kennedy Administration) made me even more appreciative of the poise, intelligence, and restraint President Kennedy exercised in dealing with this crisis, not allowing the hot heads like Air Force General Curtis LeMay of the Joints Chiefs of Staff have their way and bring on a full-scale war with the Soviet Union by invading Cuba to take out the offensive missiles the Soviets had surreptitiously placed there. Furthermore, in reading this novel, I gained a better appreciation for Khrushchev and the way he and President Kennedy were able to defuse and resolve the crisis. Both men showed their humane-ness and determination to keep the world safe for diversity.
I've read other novels from Jeff Shaara and this one succeeds in putting the reader back into that perilous time when it seemed that nuclear war was all but inevitable.