Charlie Wilson's War

The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History

By: George Crile

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

Length: 20 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2003 George Crile (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

• 2004 Audie Award Winner, Unabridged Nonfiction

"Crile, a 60 Minutes producer, offers an absorbing, thoroughly detailed look at the largest and most successful CIA operation in U.S. history: the arming of the Mujahideen in Afghanistan." (Booklist)
"An engaging, well-written, newsworthy study of practical politics and its sometimes unlikely players." (Kirkus Reviews)

“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." ( AudioFile)

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

Very entertaining even after seeing the movie

I really enjoyed this book and found it to be incredibly thorough in the accounts of American involvement in the Afghanistan War.

Uses great excerpts from interviews with many of the actual people and I found it to be humorous and entertaining throughout.

Great! better than the movie

Any additional comments?

I listened to this after watching the movie. It was a pleasure to follow all the details and the people that were not in the somewhat stylized movie. Well done.

Too short!!

Sometimes, in the middle of a book, you curse the fact that there is not an abridged version. This is not one of those times. In fact I only have one complaint about this audio book,I want to see the pictures that are included in the print version of the book.

This is an amazing listen that is also well written and well read. Gust, Charlie, and the rest of the cast are well characterized and their roles are all well deined. George Crile does an amazing job of giving you the background for each of these characters and the context in which this amazing series of events occurred.

A fantastic behind the scenes view of a few key players helping to bring about the end of the Cold War. Best book I've listened to yet.

Great story of unexpected achievement!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. I don't believe that many people know about Charlie Wilson. It illustrates how one's flaws can assist one in achieving your goals. The meeting of three people for a common cause is absolutely wonderful.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Charlie Wilson's War?

There were so many! The book is just chocked full of them. In a word the total "story" was the most memorable moment.

Which scene was your favorite?

Again,there were so many. I think Gust's many colorful explanations made me laugh. The descripitive language astounded me on how it really "cut to the chase". Let's say he had a way with words.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Laugh, laugh again in way that did not take away from such a huge success in a very serious situation. I wish I had known when the Soviets left Afganistan what really happened and how much Charlie Wilson and Gust were responsible for their defeat.

Any additional comments?

Great true story!

Awesome

If you want to understand Afganistan and the Middle East this is a must read. Very interesting and really pulls you in.

Enlightening!!

A well written and researched account of the how and why of America's involvement with Afganistan. Better than fiction. No authors imagination could have come up with a better or more exciting story. This one will keep you engrossed on the edge of your seat. I spent almost the all of the 80's and part of the 90's in the military and would have never believed that one man could have done all that Charlie did. Wow, this one blew me away! A must read. Better than Clancy. Enjoy & learn.

Overall good, maybe better for a read than a listen

It was interesting, but sometimes confusing. A lot of names for people in small parts, it was easy to confuse them.

Awesome Book!

I read this last summer before it came out on audio; loved it because it sucks you right in, like a good book should! I have gone on to read other books about that period.

Everything IS a conspiracy!

Typically, I avoid political books, non-fiction or fiction. But, before I saw the anticipated movie, I wanted to listen to this book. It is well read. It reads like an intriguing novel and I kept reminding myself that this is supposed to be real-life. Every once in a while, the footnotes help keep this in perspective. I loved this book. The character development of each of the key players made them real with nuances of good and bad, of strengths and weaknesses. Then, the author tied each of the characters into their relationships with Charlie Wilson and what their impact was on him and his dream effort. The surprising fact coming out of this book is the fact that there is an extreme amount of money and goals that happens without Americans ever knowing what is going on. I lived through the extensive media coverage of the "crimes" of Oliver North. Just imagine what the media could have done with what Charlie Wilson did had they known. So, in my mind, I believe that one should be skeptical of the news media, that conspiracies happen all the time in the "background" of the government, and there must be a lot of "fall guys" to purge the real issues from the public. Bottom line - even for people who don't like politics or political novels or books - this is THE book to read. It's more lively than history, especially since we lived these days. It is every bit as colorful as a full featured epic. Oh, yes, someone thought that it would make a good movie, too.

Excellent Book

Totally captivating. This was one that I couldn't put down...or turn off. Excellent story and fantastically read. Superb character development contributed greatly to the context of the story. Worth listening to again and again.