W. N.

The narrator instructs the listener to refer to the PDF, clearly indicating that it should be included. This is a chronic problem with Audible Books, reference to a pdf, but none available. With this book, it makes it impossible to follow. It's like reading an 18th century math book, tedious, impossible to follow.
If you're interested, get a paper copy, I know more about the ideas in this book from reading a press report than after an hour of listening. Big disappointment.

The first of three parts seemed repetitious, predictable (it is). The more personal information we learn about a soldier, the more we know he's going to be killed or injured in short order. (It's like the movie cliche where the guy shows a picture of his girlfriend, talks about what he's going to do after the war....) This is a flaw. I almost stopped listening, but.... Second part, a bit more of the same, but there's a build up of my commitment to these soldiers.

By the third part, when the inevitable attack finally came, the only reason I'd pause might be to punch a politician or general.

Annoying voice, nasal, harsh, almost painful. I get the eager nerdiness idea, this is too much.

I agree with reviewers who called it a rehash, recommending Malcolm Gladwell and Michael Lewis. I usually enjoy these sort of books, I'll read anything by Lewis, Gladwell, Taleb, Khaneman, Airely, etc... and I've listened to weaker books with a few good ideas even poorly written, I'll even bite on the lesser, copycat books, OK. If Silver knows something new it's not here. Either he's holding back for the next couple of books (I doubt it) or he doesn't have anything new. It's like his pre-Presidential articles in the New York Times-a storm of sources, obvious conclusion and a little Statistics 101.

Initially I was skeptical of the claim of his predicting ability, but I was open to learning more. I gave it a chance. I'm halfway through and haven't heard much of anything new or interesting. I don't know if I can finish listening.

Dalton Trumbo wrote that the HUAC committee and the actions of the Communist Party USA created only victims. The Radoshes have here a well researched well told history about a minor but significant period of US history.
Well read, a little slow getting started, Red Star Over Hollywood establishes the main characters, then follows them through the years to the present.
I think if one has a favorite or hero from the Blacklist period---read this. If anyone thinks they know who the villains were--read this.
If I have a criticism, it's the one I have about most books about this subject. For the studio artists and workers, some Communist and some not, none famous, who were in the 1945 Warner Brothers Strike, the blacklist never ended. They never worked in the movie business again.
Good book. Worth reading.

I hate abridged books--I???m a big Tim Ferriss fan. I don???t know if I???d personally do what he recommends, but I do know I want to read about it.

When I bought this, I didn???t realize this was abridged. Listening to it, I just thought it was full of holes, until at the very end of the audiobook--almost the very last 5 seconds of the book it announces ???abridged.??? So I missed the fine print
Why do unabridged books announce it in their titles, but bowdlerized books don???t?
I wish there was an Audible choice that would announce in 36 point type--???ABRIDGED???.
Read the book. What I listened to was interesting, weird, inspiring, and full of so much detail, it???s better to read this in print.