Legacy of Ashes

The History of the CIA

By: Tim Weiner

Narrated by: Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 21 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

National Book Award Winner, Nonfiction, 2007

This is the book the CIA does not want you to read. For the last 60 years, the CIA has maintained a formidable reputation in spite of its terrible record, never disclosing its blunders to the American public. It spun its own truth to the nation while reality lay buried in classified archives. Now, Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter Tim Weiner offers a stunning indictment of the CIA, a deeply flawed organization that has never deserved America's confidence.

Legacy of Ashes is based on more than 50,000 documents, primarily from the archives of the CIA. Everything is on the record. There are no anonymous sources, no blind quotations. With shocking revelations that will make headlines, Tim Weiner gets at the truth and tells us how the CIA's failures have profoundly jeopardized our national security.

©2007 Tim Weiner (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

"Absorbing...a credible and damning indictment of American intelligence policy." ( Publishers Weekly)
"A timely, immensely readable, and highly critical history of the CIA, culminating with the most recent catastrophic failures in Iraq." (Mark Bowden, author of Blackhawk Down)

Well documented

the details of the research and length of the time frame the book covered. well done

A Must Read/Listen

This is by far the most informative book I have read or listen to for the real details of the CIA. The book does not have an agenda but one gets the sense the author does respect the employees who have put their lives on the line as well as those who daily attempted to protect this country.

This book is aimed at the leadership of the agency for the history of the CIA AND our leaders who we have voted for to guide this country. The book is based on documents, interviews and not a personal bias from the author. What the facts are based on is what is so scary, I have become very skeptical about the agency.

I have always defended the agency and assumed that the government (aka CIA)did what it had too do to keep us safe. This book reveals personal agendas by those in power who wanted revenge for the several defeats we as a county have had, even when it is described as less than a defeat.

It is a long book (21 hours) but well worth the time. For those who still have 9/11 burned into your memories, the story behind the story told in this book will leave you very upset.

I have listen to THE COMPANY and CHARLIE WILSON'S WAR, both relating to the CIA and the abuse of power by those in our government but LEGACY OF ASHES is the best.

Extensive and Excellent

This is one of the most complete histories of the CIA I have encountered. It is incredibly detailed and yet still managed to hold my attention all the way through.

A number of interesting threads weave through this history. One is the massive shifts between a dangerous lack of oversight and a devastating lack of independence of the Agency. Another is the shameful misuse of this intelligence tool as doctrinal and political hammer, instead of a gatherer and analyzer of information.

The author cleverly paints a portrait of a governmental entity so badly structured at its core, that it leaves the reader wondering if any amount of restructuring could ever remedy some of the most basic flaws of its architecture.

The choice of reader was perfect for this book. Understated, clear-spoken and precise.

Distortions of History

I was eager to read more about this powerful organization and how it has directed the history of our country. I found some of the information confirming of information I had encountered from other sources. I became concerned when certain facts appeared to be glossed over or distorted. The way he dealt with the assassination of President Kennedy, which omitted many known facts. As well as the tone with which he ridiculed President Clinton’s handling of foreign policy, directly contradicts the statements in Richard Clark’s book. I became concerned that this was a clever distortion of history mixed with truth, which of course is the best way to deceive.

Correct Subtitle: A History of the CIA's screw-ups

Should be Subtitled "A History of the CIA's screw-ups." Solid look at the mistakes of the past, with a focus on how the CIA was supposed to be one thing and ended up another. Rarely talks about the successes, and spends lots of time on Washington and presidents. Richard Helms is praised in the book, but his time as Director is criticized, this duality is never explained. Wish it was, if he was so good, what was he doing right besides telling everyone else that they're doing it wrong.

Long and Biased

Tim Weiner's VERY LONG history of the CIA is a rather convincing indictment of the CIAs blunders through the years, and according to this book with the exception of 4 times, the CIA has been completely (or if Tim is being charitable mostly) incompetent. This is a very biased book, and should be looked at as an indictment where a prosecutor only displays the failures. If you are inclined to this view, this book is for you.

To be fair the this book did present some interesting revelations regarding how politicians, once elected, continually expected different missions from the CIA, so they were never on steady footing.

Audio-wise, Stephan did a passable job narrating the book, though there isn't a lot of feeling put into the narration.

This book is VERY CHALLENGING because it jumps through history and it can be quite difficult to follow. The author is constantly going back and forth through time and it can be challenging to gain a linear time line.

Easy listening to the truth

The narrator did a great job and kept my interest throughout. I tend to believe the info the author seamed together throughout this long history of the CIA and felt that he was not biased, but providing the details that our government would never devulge or even want us to know about. As our modern day technology decreases the gap, we are all starting to see what the real truth is. We can now understand why for so long, other countries viewed the US as the "bad guy". It's ashame that the wonderful US citizens get caught in this net of dispise throughout the world because of the underhanded dealing of US government operative and officals' egos which were and still are larger than the globe itself. This is a must read, or listen too..you won't mind the rewinds as your mind tries to grasp the truth, because as previously mentioned, the narrator is the best.

absolutely chilling

Stephen King, stand aside, the true story of the CIA gave me many more nighmares than your wonderful horror fiction. Truth is stranger than fiction as well as way more frightening!

Falls apart at 9/11

The book was very detailed and credible until he didn’t report on 9/11. I went back several times thinking I miss a chapter or two. He vaguely leads up to 9/11 says nothing about the security failures only the conclusion that there were terrible security failures. I expected a detailed analysis of how things failed which he went into in many of the CIA’s other misadventures. He says and then on 9/15 the Government called a meeting to discuss the event. Nothing on 9/11. Very disappointing.

Mind-blowing account of an ineffective agency

This book is just stunning. It offers a comprehensive account of the "covert action" missions of the CIA since its establishment post-World War II. Billions of dollars were spent over 60 years and countless agents and innocent civilians lost their lives. However, at the end of the book the author has trouble coming up with a single successful mission. It's Mad Men style arrogance with nothing to show for it.

With such colossal intelligence failures as the Bay of Pigs, Vietnam, the failure to predict the end of the cold war and fall of the Berlin Wall, failure to predict 9/11, and the nonexistent WMDs in Saddam Hussein's Iraq, the arrogance and needless secrecy of the CIA are impossible to defend.

The book is a good read, although on occasion you get lost in the various missions and the activities of agent X and spy Y. Rather than a chronological account, the author might have considered a different way to organize the material.