Charlie Wilson's War was a publishing sensation and a New York Times, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times bestseller. In the early 1980s, a Hous...
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Jan 30, 2008
Leslie
rated it: 
This book was too long and poorly written. It repeated itself and skipped around quite a bit. It took me a very long time to get through this, despite being interested in the material. The author would have done better with a condensed book that flowed better. The story is over dramatized and extrodinarily biased. I'd like to hear from Casey, George, and others who were denigrated in this book. I think this is overinflated and a very egotistical version of an important turning point in US Hi
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Jan 10, 2009
Bear and I watched this movie last night and while on one hand I have to say it earned its "R" rating and then some, due to nudity, excessive profanity and immorality, it is nevertheless the incredible story of an unknown second-district Texas Congressman playboy who almost single-handedly procures millions of dollars (which were then matched by the Saudis) to support the Afghani mujahideen in their fight against the Soviet Union during the 1980s. Of course you know the outcome. What
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Apr 28, 2008
John
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I stumbled across a copy of this book while on vacation. I haven't seen the film version as of yet, but I always prefer to read the book if given the choice between the two.
This book is an astonishingly well-written report of how easily one man, in the right position, can circumvent due process and the rule of law. Everyone involved in the events described here seems to think of the incidents reported here as a great patriotic endeavor. I think it's a tremendous primer on the use of More...
This book is an astonishingly well-written report of how easily one man, in the right position, can circumvent due process and the rule of law. Everyone involved in the events described here seems to think of the incidents reported here as a great patriotic endeavor. I think it's a tremendous primer on the use of More...
Mar 31, 2008
George
rated it: 
A tremendously fun read and how many books on the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the jihad against the Soviets can you say that about? I'd give it 5 stars, if I felt I could trust it completely, but if it isn't entirely true, you'd want it to be. An alcholic dissolute Congressman brings down the Soviet Union, working with renegade CIA agents, right wing Christain fundamentalists aligned with fundalmentalist Muslims in Pakistan and Afghanistan. How can you not like this story? It's a bit lik
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Mar 16, 2008
Naeem
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This is a popular book which will soon be a film. But more goes on here than meets the eye. On the face of things, it seems like a book about the heroic efforts of a one man to help the Afghan Mujahideen take on the Soviets.
But the author is actually telling three stories. The second on is about the journey to find meaningful desire. Charlie Wilson is a wreck of a human who moves from false desire to false desire until he gets to the Mujahideen.
The question is: d More...
But the author is actually telling three stories. The second on is about the journey to find meaningful desire. Charlie Wilson is a wreck of a human who moves from false desire to false desire until he gets to the Mujahideen.
The question is: d More...
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Jan 14, 2008
Tim
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I guess now that Tom Hanks starred in a movie based on this book, I'm obligated to write a review. If you're into politics , intrigue, and war stories, this will be your favorite book. It's a completely true story, yet it reads like the best fiction in the genre. The movie covered a lot, but of course, a lot was left out, like Charlie's short marriage and long decline into alcoholism, which was only symbolized in the movie.
Charlie Wilson was a Democrat hawk who saved freedom for t More...
Charlie Wilson was a Democrat hawk who saved freedom for t More...
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May 03, 2008
Mike
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Charlie Wilson is a bit like everyone - a good side and a bad side. His "public" persona displayed a lot of what many would think is bad. His personal mission as a congressman from Texas was to help the Afghans who were being invaded by Russia in the 1980's. He did this through funding and close work with the CIA. His problems with alcohol will strike a chord with any recovering or former drinker.
It is an intriguing book, and somewhat scary that one man could wield this More...
It is an intriguing book, and somewhat scary that one man could wield this More...
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Jan 27, 2011
Erik
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This is indeed an entertaining book about a moral reprobate, Texas Congressman Charlie Wilson, substantially responsible--along with the CIA, the Saudis and other authoritarian allies of the USA--for the defeat of the Soviet's attempts at nation building in Afghanistan during the eighties. Although this edition doesn't go into it, the history of American support for the Afghan "freedom fighters" is a good case study of unintended consequences as the withdrawal of Soviet forces support
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Jan 05, 2008
Jason
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This book is overly long and unnecessarily repetitive, and constantly displays a dumpy fratboy's hero-worship of dudes who get chicks, but if you want to understand how and why the United States government and its surrogates established the Afghani terror schools that trained people like Osama bin Laden, Crile is your man. He's not exactly what I'd call writerly, but the coda about the war's aftermath among Soviet soldiers is beautiful, and for you wonks at the Central Asia desk, he calls Flashm
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Nov 30, 2008
Richard
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There are many and complex aspects of Afghanistan's war with Russia (e.g., Saudi weapons improved by Israeli technological adjustments delivered to Pakistan for transfer to the mujahideen to fight the Russians). The author points out that an unintended consequence of this "just war" initiated by a rogue congressman and rogue CIA agent was to replace the mujahideen with the taliban. Was the not-so-covert op worth it? Wilson argues it was because it brought down the Berlin wall. Guess
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Nov 27, 2011
William
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The movie barely scratches the surface. It's a great read for anyone interested in foreign affairs & policy. Crile could have done a better job organizing some of the chapters (I have a feeling they shuffled around a bit in the editing process), but it doesn't detract much.
There's obviously a lot of depth around the funding & planning of the afgan war, but it's also an interesting porthole into how things are done on Capitol Hill. Gust & Charlie Wilson are interesting character More...
There's obviously a lot of depth around the funding & planning of the afgan war, but it's also an interesting porthole into how things are done on Capitol Hill. Gust & Charlie Wilson are interesting character More...
Mar 28, 2011
Rob
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Charlie Wilson's war is indispensible for anyone who wants to understand the roots of our current war in Afghanistan. It's also a primer on how Washington worked in the 1970s-1980s under Reagan, Tip O'Neill, and others. Congressman Charlie Wilson and the CIA funneled billions of dollars worth of money and equipment to the Mooj, or Mujahadeen, in Afghanistan to "bleed" the Soviet 40th Army. Every penny, every bullet, went via Pakistan's ISI, as a condition of Pakistan allowing it all
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Jul 25, 2010
Mark
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I'm pretty conflicted about this one. It is an amazing true story with tremendous consequences (it could be argued for both good and bac) to every American. The story is very well told but filled with profanity (all of it, I presume, authentic). That was conflicting enough, but the most unsettling of all is how to weigh out the whole thing. It is fairly clear that the Russians' war with Afghanistan was the straw that financially broke the proverbial camel's back (along with an arms race with Ron
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May 24, 2010
I read this because it talked about the contemporary history of what was going on in Central Asia the decades prior to Three Cups of Tea. I had just finished the sequel to Three Cups "Stones to Schools" when this audiobook of Charlie Wilson's War came across my path.
Hindsight is always so interesting. Sometimes it is clear when an investigative author puts thigns into perscpective. Author really fleshed out some of the motivations, and goings on, of what happened in afghan More...
Hindsight is always so interesting. Sometimes it is clear when an investigative author puts thigns into perscpective. Author really fleshed out some of the motivations, and goings on, of what happened in afghan More...
May 02, 2010
Steve
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I read this book to review it for the San Francisco Chronicle back in 2003, long before Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts made what I consider a pretty good movie out of it. An important book. Here's my review from 2003:
An army of one
How a fast-living Texas congressman secretly funneled billions of dollars to Afghanistan to fight the Soviets
Reviewed by Steve Kettmann
Sunday, May 25, 2003
Charlie Wilson's War
The Extraordinary Story of More...
An army of one
How a fast-living Texas congressman secretly funneled billions of dollars to Afghanistan to fight the Soviets
Reviewed by Steve Kettmann
Sunday, May 25, 2003
Charlie Wilson's War
The Extraordinary Story of More...
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Feb 18, 2010
Richard
rated it:
An incredibly entertaining history of Amercia's most successful covert war via proxy. When the Soviets went into Afghanistan, Congressman Charlie Wilson pushed to support the mujaheddin.
Its true that this eventually turned against us, providing the training that militarized those who would eventually become terrorists, but those dots couldn't be connected until many years later. At the time, it would have seemed just as plausible that Afghanistan would be solidly a U.S. partisan.
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Its true that this eventually turned against us, providing the training that militarized those who would eventually become terrorists, but those dots couldn't be connected until many years later. At the time, it would have seemed just as plausible that Afghanistan would be solidly a U.S. partisan.
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Nov 24, 2008
Darrick
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This was a fantastic history of the Afghan/Russian war of the late 70s-80s. There were quite a few things that struck me as ironic while reading this. First off, the Mujahideen that the US CIA were funding to fight the invading Russians with both weapons and money were called "Freedom Fighters" by Americans. These same people we would, in 2003-?, call terrorists when fighting us in Iraq.
I find it ironic that we pumped this area with billions of dollars for weapons annually More...
I find it ironic that we pumped this area with billions of dollars for weapons annually More...
Nov 07, 2011
Jerjonji
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Why are we where we are today in Afghanistan? Part of the answer to that question is found in this story of a man who decided to take action when no one else would. Bigger than life, bigger than even the movie based on this book, Charlie Wilson took on Communist Russia and brought it to its knees over a secret war in a small country. Everyone knew the tribesmen couldn't win against Russia's tanks and helicopters, and Charlie Wilson decided to even the odds, shaping the politics and a country for
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Mar 29, 2010
Moira
rated it:
Makes anything by Tom Clancy seem tame - this is a true life spy story about a near-billion dollar program (yes, $Billion) that one congressman and US covert ops ran in the 1980's in Afghanistan.
Few Americans know about this - and how it contributes to the current events in Afghanistan - which makes it an important read. (The movie, while entertaining, was nothing compared to this.)
My only quibble is that Crile drops in crucial relevant info (such as history of conflict More...
Few Americans know about this - and how it contributes to the current events in Afghanistan - which makes it an important read. (The movie, while entertaining, was nothing compared to this.)
My only quibble is that Crile drops in crucial relevant info (such as history of conflict More...
Mar 30, 2009
Amang
rated it:
If US Congressman Charles Nesbitt Wilson didn't watch Nightline that night in Caesar Palace, the history of Cold War will be different. Ted Koppel had opened his Nightline broadcast with a disturbing refrain: "Good evening. Tonight is the two hundred and thirty-seventh night of captivity for the hostages in Tehran. The United States with its $200 billion annual defense budget couldn't even force a taunting Third World nation to turn over fifty hostages." That news opened Charlie eyes a
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Jan 22, 2012
Osho
rated it:
A fascinating overview of US involvement in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan, revealing a history quite different from what one was told at the time. It reinforces the impressions that
1. Governments are full of scheming narcissists and manipulable incompetents.
2. Narcissists do what they want, for their own gain and egos.
3. If you get in the way of a narcissist or its government, you will be destroyed.
4. You may be destroyed for trivial reasons.
5. The law is for ho More...
1. Governments are full of scheming narcissists and manipulable incompetents.
2. Narcissists do what they want, for their own gain and egos.
3. If you get in the way of a narcissist or its government, you will be destroyed.
4. You may be destroyed for trivial reasons.
5. The law is for ho More...
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Jul 30, 2011
A very enjoyable read. I was a little surprised with all of the typos though. I noticed them throughout the book. Someone obviously didn't proofread well.
Nevertheless, in terms of the content of the book, it's still just amazing to me how we could have been so fixated on fighting the Soviets that we would support the mujaheddin, apparently with no regard whatsoever as to the long-term consequnces. If only we had known how incompetent the Politburo was at the time, they probably were going to fal More...
Nevertheless, in terms of the content of the book, it's still just amazing to me how we could have been so fixated on fighting the Soviets that we would support the mujaheddin, apparently with no regard whatsoever as to the long-term consequnces. If only we had known how incompetent the Politburo was at the time, they probably were going to fal More...
Jun 11, 2011
Dan
rated it:
A lot of my reading this year has been on the accumulation and exercise of power. This book focuses on two power brokers of incredible skill--Charlie Wilson mastered the art of Congressional appropriations, and Gust Avrakotos mastered the bureaucracy of the Executive Branch.
Outside of the discussions of the exercise of power, I had a couple of issues:
- There wasn't much of a discussion of the war itself, i.e., points in Afghanistan where conflict would happen. I got the f More...
Outside of the discussions of the exercise of power, I had a couple of issues:
- There wasn't much of a discussion of the war itself, i.e., points in Afghanistan where conflict would happen. I got the f More...
Aug 18, 2008
Michelle
rated it:
Eye opening book about a subject that not very many people know about but should know about. It chronicles the millions of dollars the government, via the CIA and thanks to Charlie Wilson, gave to the mujahideen in Afghanistan during the years they were fighting the Russians. The funniest thing about this book is that Mr Wilson has no regrets.
Dec 16, 2009
Mrn
rated it:
Introduces the reader to Charlie Wilson, a former Texas representative, and his involvement in the covert support provided to the mujihadeen. Loose on facts and long on speculation. The book does not provide a thorough history of US involvement nor does it attempt to. If it reads like fiction, a large of it may very well be just that.
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May 28, 2009
Nancy
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Considering the mess we're in right now in Afghanistan, this is a pretty interesting read. Charlie Wilson is a TX congressman who gets pulled into the plight of the Afghans when they are invaded in the 80's by the Soviet Union. Due to his position on the Ways and Means Committee, he has the ability to help fund the Afghans in their attempt to conquer if not wear down the Soviets and convince them to go home. As he hooks up with CIA agents and others championing the cause of these underdogs, he c
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Jan 30, 2012
Sam
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This give a great description of what was going on at the end of the cold war, mainly in Afghanistan.
Some pages made me roar with laughter (when for a humanitarian purpose, the wounded djhadists were taken to Texas hospital and the cultural problems thereafter !)
Having been in Afghanistan in 1972 it brought back a few memories. These guys are though indeed.
And all the devious ways to supply the fighters, one big story. Charlie was certainly a character.
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Some pages made me roar with laughter (when for a humanitarian purpose, the wounded djhadists were taken to Texas hospital and the cultural problems thereafter !)
Having been in Afghanistan in 1972 it brought back a few memories. These guys are though indeed.
And all the devious ways to supply the fighters, one big story. Charlie was certainly a character.
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Aug 05, 2010
Jessie
rated it:
This book is not especially well-written. In fact, I feel like several phrases are used and re-used way too many times in this whopping 523 page brick of a book. But, it is truly a fascinating story and the reason I now feel like I know anything about the history of US involvement in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I read Three Cups of Tea a few months ago and felt like that gave me some idea, but the real nitty gritty comes out in this book and it is astonishing.
Warning: this book will m More...
Warning: this book will m More...
Aug 03, 2009
Jason
rated it:
This is a book that I purchased when it first went into paperback, several years before the film came out. I could not get into it at first and didn't pick it back up for about a year. Thankfully when I did pick it back up it turned into such a page-turner that I nearly kicked myself for ever putting it down. While I'm sure that plenty of hyperbole and exaggeration are involved with some of the tales, sometimes real life is just better than fiction. Alternating between Charlie and Gust's sto
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May 11, 2007
Javier
rated it: 
Terribly patronizing and gross--realist politics are nasty. I can't get behind them.
I suppose the national security establishment didn't think arming the mujahideen might result in the civil war of 1992-6 and the rise of the Taliban? Or does it even matter for them?
I suppose the national security establishment didn't think arming the mujahideen might result in the civil war of 1992-6 and the rise of the Taliban? Or does it even matter for them?
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