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A review by madmooney
The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War by Malcolm Gladwell
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!