The Coldest Winter

America and the Korean War

By: David Halberstam

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

"In a grand gesture of reclamation and remembrance, Mr. Halberstam has brought the war back home."---The New York Times

David Halberstam's magisterial and thrilling The Best and the Brightest was the defining book about the Vietnam conflict. More than three decades later, Halberstam used his unrivaled research and formidable journalistic skills to shed light on another pivotal moment in our history: the Korean War. Halberstam considered The Coldest Winter his most accomplished work, the culmination of forty-five years of writing about America's postwar foreign policy.

Halberstam gives us a masterful narrative of the political decisions and miscalculations on both sides. He charts the disastrous path that led to the massive entry of Chinese forces near the Yalu River and that caught Douglas MacArthur and his soldiers by surprise. He provides astonishingly vivid and nuanced portraits of all the major figures--Eisenhower, Truman, Acheson, Kim, and Mao, and Generals MacArthur, Almond, and Ridgway. At the same time, Halberstam provides us with his trademark highly evocative narrative journalism, chronicling the crucial battles with reportage of the highest order. As ever, Halberstam was concerned with the extraordinary courage and resolve of people asked to bear an extraordinary burden.

The Coldest Winter is contemporary history in its most literary and luminescent form, providing crucial perspective on every war America has been involved in since. It is a book that Halberstam first decided to write more than thirty years ago and that took him nearly ten years to complete. It stands as a lasting testament to one of the greatest journalists and historians of our time, and to the fighting men whose heroism it chronicles.©2007 David Halberstam; (P)2007 Hyperion

Critic reviews

"I could hardly put this book down. Meticulously and thoroughly researched, it is splendidly compelling reading. The Coldest Winter is a superb conjoining of all the factors of this tragic war: the military tactics and strategy of both sides; the international diplomacy; the internal politics; the personalities of the various players. A great work."—Lt. Gen. Harold G. Moore (Ret.), co-author of We Were Soldiers Once . . . and Young

"Halberstam is at his very best."—The Wall Street Journal

"An instant classic look at the people, power and politicsthat created a dangerous stage...and then acted on it."—Chicago Sun-Times

"He is a peerless reporter of events and facts--with a signature human touch."—The Seattle Times

"In a grand gesture of reclamation and remembrance. Mr. Halberstam has brought the war back home."—The New York Times

"His most operatic war story."—The New York Times Book Review

Filled a Gap

I think my favorite thing about this book was how it filled in a huge gap in my knowledge of American history. I knew the broad strokes of the conflict, but this book really helped me understand some of the nuances and decisions, as well as the personalities.
A good solid use of the credits.

Simply awesome

I couldn't have wanted a better book on the Korean War. It gives a full account of the events surrounding the war, including the behind-the-scenes politics and personalities. Yet it reads (well, listens I guess) like a good novel. I stayed up later than I planned a couple nights because I couldn't tear myself away. The narration was pitch perfect. All in all, one if the best non-fiction books I've ever encountered.

Avoid abridged works.

Not sure why the publisher thought this work needed to be abridged. The final result is choppy and contains large holes in the main story. Recommend avoiding this work if you're after serious history of this subject. The narration was superb.

I wish audible had an unabridged version

this is an excellent book and deserves to be told wholly and completely. not truncated.

Read this to understand the Korean War

Halberstam’s final work may be his best. As with all his books, it reads like a novel even though it’s nonfiction. For military historians though, orders of battle are clearly presented so this can be used as a research document as well. It sets up as a natural companion and prequel to Best and the Brightest. I can’t recommend it enough. This is instantly one of my favorite books I’ve ever read.