One Minute to Midnight: Kennedy, Khrushchev, and Castro on the Brink of Nuclear War

In October 1962, my Troop Carrier Air Force Reserve Squadron at the Air Force Reserve section (now gone) of O'Hare Field was activated because of the "Cuban Crisis." During the day my day job was to "play soldier" (the Army equivalent of a Clerk/Typist) and at night I would drive to my home on Chicago's south side. No one worried about nuclear incineration, and in due course we were deactivated and returned to our civilian careers. It is truly said that ignorance is bliss. If I had know then what I know now, after reading One Minute to Midnight, I don't think I would have slept as soundly as I did. That's why I listened to this book, and why I recommend it. Somewhat more detailed than necessary, it discusses some facts never before disclosed, and points out that the Soviets kept secret for over 40 years that they had deployed tactical nukes in Cuba, in addition to Intercontinental Missiles that targeted, among many other U.S. cities, Washington and New York! I simply never realized how close we came to Armaggedon. Worth reading if you lived through it, and for historical purposes if you didn't, but it brings home the fact that Kennedy and Khrushchev were both level-headed leaders that understood the horrors of war and were therefore able to avoid it, that Castro was willing to plunge the world into nuclear holocaust for the sake of his revolution, and that the "terrorist world" in which we now live does not seem to have the same rational inhibitions to prevent it should a similar confrontation again arise. Well worth your time, especially if your a student of 20th century American history.

The book and the narration are top notch. You stay riveted as you listen, or at least I did. I listen to a lot of audio books and this is in the top tier...highly recommended. It has important implications to learn from, many newly presented for the first time, according to the author.

Even if you watched "13 Days" (I did, and liked it), listen to this book. It has accurate, well researched account of events, some less known facts and very little idle speculation.
The historical facts are presented well, with just enough details to keep the listener interested, and the narration is superb.

This was an excellent read, and very well delivered by Bob Walter. Highly recommended!

"I remember those dreadful days in October 1962. And I thought I knew what went on during that standoff. But Michael Dobbs' book opened my eyes to the complexities and challenges of the Nuclear Showdown.

I especially enjoyed reading the perspective from Castro's and Krushchev's positions. When I finished the book I realised that my memory and understanding of those events where mainly shaped by the American version, which was far from complete."

Ponderous, painful, poorly written, poorly read. This work simply fails to find the balance between the big picture and individual experience that marks good history. The threads of the story were not well interwoven and I found myself losing interest in almost everything as a result. It is hard to believe, but this book manages to make the Cuban Missile Crisis seem tedious and unimportant, which it certainly was not. Huge disappointment.