In chronicling the adventurous life of legendary CIA operative Edward Lansdale, The Road Not Taken definitively reframes our understanding of the Vietnam War. In this epic biography of Edward Lansdale (1908? 1987), the man said to be the fictional model for Graham Greene?s The Quiet American, best-selling historian Max Boot demonstrates how Lansdale pioneered a ?hearts and In chronicling the adventurous life of legendary CIA operative Edward Lansdale, The Road Not Taken definitively ...
| Title | : | The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam |
| Author | : | Max Boot |
| Rating | : | |
| Genres | : | History |
| ISBN | : | 0871409410 |
| Edition Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 768 pages pages |
The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American Tragedy in Vietnam Reviews
I?m not a fan of Max Boot the commentator but I shouldn?t let that affect my view on his book. Giving it 4 Stars, maybe a little generous but it is worth your time to learn more about Lansdale and his impact on the Philippines and Vietnam. I was going to write more of a review but ...
More Vietnam War-related reading. This time, a sprawling biography of CIA operative Edward Lansdale, a "creative and unpredictable maverick" and "expert in counterinsurgency." His career started in WWII but he gained fame afterward for his work in the Philippines, where he developed th...
Any Goodreads member knows something about Ed Lansdale as he is thought by many to be the model for Graham Greene?s ?Quiet American? (not true), Colonel Hillandale in ?The Ugly American? (probably true) and even the inspiration for General Y in Oliver Stone?s ?JFK.? Thi...
Don?t let the page count influence you into not reading this book. It just flows and flows. It goes with the flow. Zen warrior motif. An absorbing account of an unusual man who was an atypical soldier. Robert Lansdale had lots of personal capital with Magsaysay and Diem. It was g...
For a reasonable negative review, read here: http://www.theamericanconservative.co... Only a man could climb a ladder, and yet I couldn't think of it as a man like myself?it was as though an animal were moving in to kill, very quietly and certainly with the remorselessness o...
I found this book to be quite interesting and informative. I had no idea that Ed Lansdale actually existed and had the influence that he had. Although it wS not always followed, his strategy if implemented in Vietnam May have caused a different outcome. We will never know. Quite det...
A very interesting book. Someone I never heard of before and this book peaked my interest. I have read books on the Vietnam War and read such classics as Harold Moore's We Were Soldiers Once and Young. This book tells the story of a covert American operative named Edward Lansdale. Lans...
I very much enjoyed this. Edward Lansdale's life is a tale of what might have been in Vietnam. The US off and on tries counter-insurgency or COIN, but Lansdale showed what was possible. It's too bad that the establishment has to go its own way and won't listen to those who have anot...
I initially picked this up because I thought it was directly about the Vietnam War and options not taken there. While there is a good deal of that included, I found out on page 1 that it's actually a biography of Ed Landsdale, usually known today if at all as the supposed basis for the...
I found this book outstanding. On many levels the history of Edward Landsdale is a history of the Vietnam War. After success in the Philippines, Landsdale move on to Vietnam in the 1950's. His ideas of gaining trust and support of the Vietnamese population was essential ingredient to w...
Very detailed look at the career, and life, of the unconventional US political advisor and "personality", Ed Lansdale, sometimes in the CIA, other times not. He was ultimately a failure in three ways: 1) his own disdain for his own bureaucracy, resulting in 2) the bureaucracy's corresp...
This is, first off, a comprehensive biography of Edward Lansdale, his origins and upbringing, his career in advertising and as a US gov't operative and adviser, and his involvement with US counterinsurgency efforts in the mid-20th Century, first in the Philippines and later in Vietnam....
I felt a little disappointed when I put this book down. I think that Max Boot makes a strong portrayal of Edward Lansdale, describing his strengths and weaknesses. Lansdale had a fascinating life, working on "projects" that included the establishment of a Free Government in the Philipp...
The popularity of the new film, ?The Post? has refocused the attention of many people on the PENTAGON PAPERS and the Vietnam War. Daniel Ellsberg?s leak of the history of the war commissioned by then Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara to the New York Times created a crisis atmo...
History at its best. Max Boot is a great writer of History. Thorough coverage of the subject and great documentation. B. Fowler, Combat Infantry Officer in Vietnam. ...
Great book Great allot history lessons we should have learned and followed after Vietnam and would helped in Iraq and Afghanistan you wonder why are leaders don?t read more history ...
The most complete biography of an iconic, if misunderstood figure most often (if incorrectly) identified with the Vietnam War. In some ways is a homage to A Bright Shining Lie by Neil Sheehan. John Paul Vann offered a somewhat better platform for discussing Vietnam, but Lansdale's care...
To simply refer to Edward Lansdale as a legendary CIA operative does an incredible disservice to the man and his ideals. Max Boot covers his career from his early successes to his fall from the graces of the politicians and military leaders who were his superiors. It covers the ugly in...- Could not put this one down! Superb book and really opens your eyes to a different time when winning hearts and minds was how you were able to have an impact in conflict. ...
SPOILER ALERT: I reveal a detail that probably won't spoil your reading of the book, but it does give a little something away. If you look at the photos in the book before you read it, you'll also discover the spoiler! "The Road..." reminds me of Neil Sheehan's "A Bright Shining Lie...
Just more confirmation of the tragedy of wasted blood and treasure in Vietnam. Lansdale another dissenting voice ignored about how to fight and win a counter insurgency. Think we still would have lost in Vietnam even if Lansdale had been listened and followed but lost a lot less blood ...- Great book ...
Well worth your time. Do not be intimidated by the size of the book as it reads quick and keeps your interest. An amazing tale about the man that inspired both the Quiet American and the Ugly American with lessons that are still applicable today. ...
Splendid! ...
Quite good. A biography of the legendary counter insurgent Lansdale that is also a history and critique of American foreign policy. Could the war in Vietnam have ended differently if Lansdale had had a more central role, and hearts and minds emphasized over big unit military ops? Maybe...
This history is not all about Edward Landsdale, nor is it all about what Americans refer to as the Vietnam War (but Vietnamese refer to as the American War). However, it gives a lot of information on events leading up to and power players making the fatal decisions which had so much to...
Engrossing and very much a page-turner. ...- Ambivalent I enjoy reading the book but I felt completely ambivalent about Edward Lansdale activities. He accomplished a lot but he had no issues in manipulating people in order to get what he wanted. On the other hand this was the Cold War in all of his manifestations so I somewh...
In wonderful biography and an interesting study on what to do and what not to do as a diplomat... ...
This is a clever and interesting book. I also understand what the author is trying to accomplish by structuring this biography around the ?what if? questions around how the Vietnam war might have developed had Landsdale been granted more influence. The policy questions around Lands...
