The Best and the Brightest

De: David Halberstam

Narrado por: Mark Bramhall

David Halberstam’s masterpiece, the defining history of the making of the Vietnam tragedy, with a new Foreword by Senator John McCain.

"A rich, entertaining, and profound reading experience.”—The New York Times

Using portraits of America’ s flawed policy makers and accounts of the forces that drove them, The Best and the Brightest reckons magnificently with the most important abiding question of our country’ s recent history: Why did America become mired in Vietnam, and why did we lose? As the definitive single-volume answer to that question, this enthralling book has never been superseded. It is an American classic.

Praise for The Best and the Brightest

“The most comprehensive saga of how America became involved in Vietnam. . . . It is also the Iliad of the American empire and the Odyssey of this nation’s search for its idealistic soul. The Best and the Brightest is almost like watching an Alfred Hitchcock thriller.”—The Boston Globe

“Deeply moving . . . We cannot help but feel the compelling power of this narrative. . . . Dramatic and tragic, a chain of events overwhelming in their force, a distant war embodying illusions and myths, terror and violence, confusions and courage, blindness, pride, and arrogance.”—Los Angeles Times

“A fascinating tale of folly and self-deception . . . [An] absorbing, detailed, and devastatingly caustic tale of Washington in the days of the Caesars.”—The Washington Post Book World

“Seductively readable . . . It is a staggeringly ambitious undertaking that is fully matched by Halberstam’s performance. . . . This is in all ways an admirable and necessary book.”—Newsweek

“A story every American should read.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A rich, entertaining, and profound reading experience.”—The New York Times

“The most comprehensive saga of how America became involved in Vietnam. . . . It is also the Iliad of the American empire and the Odyssey of this nation’s search for its idealistic soul. The Best and the Brightest is almost like watching an Alfred Hitchcock thriller.”—The Boston Globe

“Deeply moving . . . We cannot help but feel the compelling power of this narrative. . . . Dramatic and tragic, a chain of events overwhelming in their force, a distant war embodying illusions and myths, terror and violence, confusions and courage, blindness, pride, and arrogance.”—Los Angeles Times

“A fascinating tale of folly and self-deception . . . [An] absorbing, detailed, and devastatingly caustic tale of Washington in the days of the Caesars.”—The Washington Post Book World

“Seductively readable . . . It is a staggeringly ambitious undertaking that is fully matched by Halberstam’s performance. . . . This is in all ways an admirable and necessary book.”—Newsweek

“A story every American should read.”—St. Louis Post-Dispatch

an american tragedy

its been said '"those who cant't remember the past are doomed to repeat it." and that ,"the past does not repeat exactly ,but it rhyms." the truth behind those statements and human beings tendency to keep making the same kind of mistakes again and again; makes books such as these indispensible. great book.

The Best Political History of Viet Nam

If you could sum up The Best and the Brightest in three words, what would they be?

Excellent writing, fantastic reader.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Best and the Brightest?

The background of the Kennedy involvement.

What about Mark Bramhall’s performance did you like?

Steady and smooth.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, It would take over a whole day.

Any additional comments?

I will by the "Prequel" about Korea

Amazing

The detail provided by the author as to how the USA got into the war was amazing. The men who managed the war both in the military and politics were bright. However, they were drawn into the war by a cancer that could not be cured.

The best audiobook I've ever heard

There's not much more to say about the overwhelming brilliance of Halberstam's masterpiece, it's required reading for any thoughtful person anywhere. The audiobook, though...just wow. Mark Bramhall simply knocks the cover off the ball with this remarkable performance. Even if you think you're only marginally interested in the material, he'll make you care about every minute of it. Spectacular.

The Tragic History of Where America Went Wrong

This book offers not only portraiture but deep background on the men that led the US to war in Vietnam.