The Coldest Winter

America and the Korean War

By: David Halberstam

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

Length: 13 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

David Halberstam's magisterial and thrilling The Best and the Brightest was the defining book for the Vietnam War. More than three decades later, Halberstam used his unrivalled research and formidable journalistic skills to shed light on another dark corner in our history: the Korean War. The Coldest Winter is a successor to The Best and the Brightest, even though, in historical terms, it precedes it. Halberstam considered The Coldest Winter the best book he ever wrote, the culmination of 45 years of writing about America's postwar foreign policy.

Up until now, the Korean War has been the black hole of modern American history. The Coldest Winter changes that. 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, 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.

At the heart of this audiobook are the individual stories of the soldiers on the front lines who were left to deal with the consequences of the dangerous misjudgments and competing agendas of powerful men. We meet them, follow them, and see some of the most dreadful battles in history through their eyes. As ever, Halberstam was concerned with the extraordinary courage and resolve of people asked to bear an extraordinary burden.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2007 David Halberstam (P)2007 Hyperion

Critic reviews

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

"Alive with the voices of the men who fought, Halberstam's telling is a virtuoso work of history." (Publishers Weekly)

A wonderful book well read

I'm not particularly interested in war histories, but I purchased this audio book because my father was in the war and I know nothing about why we fought there. This is a clear and compelling story that explains both the politics and the ramifications for individual soldiers. A must read (or listen) for anyone wanting a primer on the Korean War told from the perspective of those who lived (or died) through it. Excellent!

Good book, but seems somewhat general.

Okay, as far as Korean histories go this book checks all the boxes. It covers the political side of things very well. It breaks down and very clearly illustrates the struggle between the president and MacArthur. Also, in typical Halberstam fashion, he uses a lot of personal accounts in his coverage of combat. This makes for an engaging story and I enjoyed it very much. However, he really only covers 5 major battles. Even then his coverage of Chosin was somewhat sparse. No mention of the air war either. Still a great book for wetting your feet on the Korean War.

Want the full book!

Loved listening to this fascinating book read by a great narrator- Edward Herrman. I just wish the full version was available, I don’t like only having the abridged option.

Outstanding book!

What made the experience of listening to The Coldest Winter the most enjoyable?

The narrator is always a big part of whether I listen to a book. Not knowing anything about the Korean War, I bought this book.The writer has your attention from the beginning. In school the Korean War is not spoken about. It should be an integral part of history studies. The men who fought in this war are all but forgotten and they deserve our respect for what they had to go thru.

What did you like best about this story?

Everything.

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

Both

Any additional comments?

Heart-pounding at times. Emotional, Suspenseful, Great Listen, if you are interested in history and especially war. This is a well written book.

A *must read*

This is a "must read" story that relates the complex geo-politics between the Soviet Union under Stalin, a rising new China under Mao, and the United States under Truman with Korea as victim. Our leaders, presidents, admirals and generals, need to take hard lessons from the debacle that was the Korean War. History is a teacher, and this account of the Korean War is an excellent thesis of the corruption of power and its affect on history. Sixty years later, these events are very relevant today given the continued belligerence of North Korea and the strength of China. This is necessary reading, lest those events happen again. The author, David Halberstam, did an outstanding job covering the many broad areas of the war, from the political aspects to the military engagements. Edward Herrmann is an excellent narrator and his voice and tenor apply themselves perfectly to the story that had to be told. Read it and remember.

Origins of the Korean War and Key Battles

Narration: Crystal clear, varied rhythm, authoritative voice.

Content: Crystal clear explanations of the roles played by Mao, Stalin, Truman, and the intransigent dictators of North and South Korea. One horrible miscalculation after another.

There are many good books on the Korean War, but but I doubt there is one better than this superb contribution. Its uniqueness lies in Halberstam explaining in detail--just the right amount of detail--the intricacies of power dynamics and personalities precipitating and pursuing this utterly unnecessary war. Halberstam makes a good case for Mao being the only leader who actually benefited from this hellish war, borne of miscalculations of all leaders concerned.

The critique of MacArthur is devastating. Hubris does not begin to describe this selfish man's machinations and deceit. He sought to be am "American Caesar" (William Manchester). In the end he showed himself to be a manipulative, inconsiderate egotist. One might even characterize him as a sociopath. How awful it must have been to serve under this narcissist only rivaled by Trump in his unconscionable grandiosity.

The epilogue is a well deserved, poignant portrait of a brilliant journalist who found writing nonfiction more fascinating than fiction. Thank goodness he wrote over 20 books which we can savor.

Everything you want in a history book!

This book makes the history of this time not only feel real but personal. These are the types of history books that makes history interesting!

Good performance, annoying music.

Whoever produced this decided to add transition music between chapters. This wouldn’t be a big deal for me but the music extends into the first couple sentences of every chapter distracting from Edward Herrmann’s performance.

Brilliant

Listen to this. We owe it to the men who fought in Korea.

Quibbles: it goes into a lot of battle detail, but it’s manageable. Also, the musical interludes are silly.

The Very Coldest War

A very solid account of the Korean War and ultimately why it is still not over 72 years after it started and almost 70 years since hostilities were arrested by an Armistice that the UN administers to this day. Why the lessons of Korea were not applied in Vietnam and why LBJ didn't listen to MacArthur about not becoming involved, no, embroiled there, remain unaccounted for. One only has to ask if the US would again defend the Hermit Kingdom and if the results would be any different.