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 ...
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...
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 of another kind of creation. The ladder shook and shook and I imagined I saw its eyes glarin...
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...- This is a very well written book that was exciting at the start and then just tapered off, no reflection on the writing, just the way things went. ...
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...- Raise that to about a 3.5 ...
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...
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Amazing story about Edward Lansdale (as the title states). Really enjoyed Max Boot's writing style making a potentially dreary read quite interesting. It's a tome to be sure. ...
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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...- 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 ...
This is an excellent book. Although it is a biography of Edward Lansdale, its principal focus (as indicated by the title) is on Lansdale's work in Vietnam and how American involvement in that country may have gone differently if the powers that be had paid more attention to his ideas o...- 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...
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... ...
I had high hopes for this book. After 60 pages I just wasn't feeling it, but decided to stick with it until I got to 150 pages. Even that was too much. Bailed out at page 100. Landsdale was an interesting character I'm sure. Unfortunately this book was just... Dull. If it had been 300 ...
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...
