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Legacy of Ashes

The History of the CIA
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( 14,715 ratings, 1,468 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Legacy of Ashes offers a comprehensive look into the history of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) from its inception after World War II up to the 21st century. Tim Weiner draws on newly declassified documents to explore the successes and numerous failures of the CIA, discussing its impact on global politics and international relations. The book critically examines the agency’s operations and challenges faced throughout its history.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you are interested in the complex and often secretive world of the CIA, with its detailed examination of the agency's history and operations. It's an engaging read for those fascinated by the intersection of politics and intelligence, offering insight into the successes and failures in American espionage.

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All-powerful, brilliant, decisive, ruthlessly effective... this is the image of the CIA as portrayed in countless films and novels. It is wrong. This book, based on thousands of declassified documents and interviews with agents at all levels, shows the reality behind the glamorous myth.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Winner of the National Book Award

Legacy of Ashes is described as "an extraordinary story" that "reads like tragedy and thriller." Impeccably sourced, utterly absorbing, dazzling and very, very dark, according to Time Out.

The all-powerful, brilliant, decisive, ruthlessly effective image of the CIA, as portrayed in countless films and novels, is misleading. This shocking book, based on thousands of declassified documents and interviews with agents at all levels, shows the reality behind the glamorous myth: a blundering, chaotic and dangerously incompetent organisation. In a story of botched coups, missed targets, lost operatives and fatal errors, Tim Weiner reveals how the CIA now poses a threat not only to the security of the US but the world.

'Combines thrilling storytelling with terrifying revelations' - Simon Sebag Montefiore, New Statesman, Books of the Year

'Weiner's riveting history of the CIA contains dozens of jaw-dropping incidents . . . astonishing' - Mail on Sunday

'Timely, immensely readable, and highly critical' - Mark Bowden, author of Black Hawk Down

'Marvellous . . . that every quote is also on the record is a testament to his skill' - Steve Coll, author of Ghost Wars

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Tim Weiner's Legacy of Ashes is lauded as a gripping and meticulously sourced history of the CIA, offering dark and dazzling insights that read like both tragedy and thriller. It combines thrilling storytelling with astonishing revelations, portraying the CIA in a way that challenges traditional spy narratives. The book is noted for its timely, critical perspective and the rigorous on-the-record documentation of its source material.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780241956236

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 March 2012

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Books Ltd

Illustration: 8pp

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 37.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 579g

Pages: 832

About the Author

Tim Weiner is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist at the New York Times where he has reported from Afghanistan, Pakistan, the Sudan, and fifteen other nations. He was based for a decade in Washington, DC, where he covered the CIA and the military - the last topic being the basis for his famous book Blank Check- The Pentagon's Black Budget. His latest book is Legacy of Ashes- The History of the CIA (2007).

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