Richard

Predictable and trite. While there are some feel good feelings here, it's very easy to predict everything that will happen and it is over the top at times. There are also some glaring gaps in the logic of the story too. There are better books out there.

Read this before we saw the Taj. Absolutely good thing to know the historical background (and to know some of the guides tales are merely tall tales). Interesting history and background plus architectural discussion.

I'd suggest you listen to the staff briefings first. That gives you the background to understand this and the other testimony better. They're dry, but important to the big picture. Clarke is arrogant and it comes shining through, but he also provides very specific answers to very specific questions, including in answer to a question as to whether a Condy Rice statement about an agressive master Bush plan was true. His complete answer is "No" (not much ambiguity there).

The book and these hearings are not about the same thing. The book takes Bush to task for being obsessed about Iraq from day one and therefore missing out on the threat of terror. This hearing deals just with 9/11 and largely with being able to get Bin Laden. Very informative and thanks Audible/CSPAN for providing it free.

This is a truly wonderful book, made better by the excellent reading voice. An intense and plausible story, where virtue is seen in both black and white, and the shortcomings of man are also seen in black and white. Despite being 50 years old the story is still highly relevant. The descriptions of South Africa make it clear that it is both worthy of being called beloved and alas, also worthy of crying over....