Charlie Wilson's War: The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History

Crile, George

ISBN 10: 0786179953 ISBN 13: 9780786179954

Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks, 2005

Synopsis

[ABRIDGED Edition - Read by Christopher Lane]

A detailed and brilliantly reported account of the inside workings of the CIA.

Charlie Wilson's War is the untold story of the last battle of the Cold War and how it fueled the rise of militant Islam. Charlie Wilson, a maverick congressman from east Texas, conspired with a rogue CIA operative to launch the biggest, meanest, and most successful covert operation in the Agency's history.

In the early 1980s, after a Houston socialite turned Wilson's attention to the ragged Afghan freedom fighters who continued to fight the Soviet invaders despite overwhelming odds, the congressman became passionate about their cause and procured hundreds of millions of dollars to support the mujahideen. The arms were secretly procured and distributed with the help of an out-of-favor CIA operative, Gust Avrokotos, whose working-class Greek-American background made him an anomaly among the Ivy League world of American spies. Avrakotos handpicked a staff of CIA outcasts to run his operation and, with their help, continually stretched the Agency's rules to the breaking point.

Moving from the back rooms of the Capitol, to secret chambers at Langley, to arms-dealers conventions, to the Khyber Pass, Charlie Wilson's War is a detailed and brilliantly reported account of the inside workings of the CIA.

About this title

About the Author:

George Crile (1945-2006) was an award-winning documentary filmmaker and veteran producer for 60 Minutes and 60 Minutes II. Charlie Wilson's War began as a 60 Minutes profile in 1988.

Review:

''(Audiobook) Narrator Christopher Lane affects an even tone and pace, allowing the events of the story to carry the listener to the extraordinary highs and sickening lows of the flawed but heroic Wilson. Thankfully, Lane takes it easy on the accents and shines brightest when allowing a tinge of cynicism in his delivery. Winner of the Audie Award.'' --AudioFile

''An engaging, well-written, newsworthy study of practical politics and its sometimes unlikely players, and one with plenty of implications.'' --Kirkus Reviews

''Charlie Wilson's War is an amazing tale . . . with a breathtaking cast of characters worthy of a le Carré novel. Only it's all true. And just as vivid.'' --Ken Auletta, New York Times bestselling author

''Tom Clancy's fiction pales in comparison with the amazing, mesmerizing story told by George Crile.'' --Dan Rather, New York Times bestselling author

''Crile has raised the bar on books of this sort. It has more political intrigue, more suspense, more intense psychological analysis, and more technological know-how than anything Tom Clancy or Robert Ludlum could fantasize about. And it has something else besides: It's true.'' --Charleston Gazette

''Put the Tom Clancy clones back on the shelf; this covert-ops chronicle is practically impossible to put down.'' --Publishers Weekly

About this edition

• Publisher: Blackstone Audiobooks
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0786179953
• ISBN 13: 9780786179954
• Binding: Audio CD