The Coldest Winter

America and the Korean War

De: David Halberstam

Narrado por: 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

Reseñas de la Crítica

"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

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.

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!

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!

Something is missing

Some really astounding revelations concerning Douglass and his lap dog, Ned. I think National shame over a Wat “forgotten” ties in to national trauma. we build up a “Commie-fighting superhero to such an extent that we tolerate his bad behavior and megalomania until he essentially murders thousands of our servicemen through his insatiable desire to place God -like status over His duty.

Something is missing here though. Many things were screeed up going in, but once the MacArthur crime is out of the bag I needed much more. But who wants to write or film a story which has our guys getting obliterated and freezing, shamed starved, imprisoned to death - to satisfy the ego of such an American hero. From his Emperors Palace in Tokyo, This Man ordered the deaths of whole divisions

The Author calls this turn “embarrassing.” It was so much worse than that. Trauma buries memories. National Trauma uproots society. In America, we chose collective denial which made Vietnam a prelude.

If your still in denial about our place in the World don’t read this book. If you are a Korean Vet, I am total awe of your courage and refusal to give up in spite of knowing that at the top, your boss had lost his mind and soul.

The Coldest Winter

This book is well written and great account of what happened in Korea during the 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.

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.