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)

Frightening

This is a wonderfully written disturbing history of the CIA. I finished this book wondering if the CIA represents the inevitable malfunction of all government bureaucracies, or specific to an American spy agency. I fear the former, and am left with grave concern that intelligence can act intelligently.

Fascinating; starts slowly

Having read great reviews of this on Amazon, I was, at first, a bit disappointed because it started out rather boringly. About half-way through Part 1, it started to deliver on the promise.

I actually knew about the involvement of the CIA in all the things the author wrote about; however, I didn't know details. Plus, having it all laid out in one document made it all the more disturbing.

Don't misunderstand; I think we the USA (and every country) needs to have an intelligence agency. I'm not a "wacky liberal" (have never voted anything but Republican, in fact). I'm in no way opposed to intelligence gathering. A government would be negligent not to have such an agency. However, I am opposed to many/most/all covert operations. Firstly, because they are generally immoral and illegal. And second, because of the long term affects. I lived in Central America and know what CIA activities there have done to American prestige and credibility. What it's done in the Mideast has contributed greatly to(I don't say "caused") the problems we have there.

Finally, it is just plain frightening to know that - excuse me for saying it - but that such stupid people, have held so much unrestrained power.

Informative but not insightul

An excellent summary of recently released secret documents...but not much more.

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slow

It was hard to stay interested. The first half was especially boring.

Very interesting

Information that is not know to the general public. Ineptitude to the fullest by people we are supposed to trust.

Like being told Santa isn't real

What did you like best about Legacy of Ashes? What did you like least?

This book is hard to read for someone who doesn't know about some of the times and eras that the book uses as a backdrop. I really didn't get into the book until I got to the Kennedy era.

Any additional comments?

The title says it all. With all the movies, tv series, and even history books it hard to think of the CIA as something other than all powerful and all knowing. Tim Weiner does a great job explaning events in such a way that there's little question to the validity that we are living with a "Legacy of Ashes".

Outstanding history of the CIA

Would you listen to Legacy of Ashes again? Why?

Absolutely. Gripping story that never gets boring.

What does Stefan Rudnicki bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

His voice just sucked me right into the story. He did a great job.

Any additional comments?

After listening to John C. Dvorak constantly talk about this book on the No Agenda Show, I broke down and got it, and boy am I glad I did. It is an excellent story of an organization misused by the powers that be for their own purposes.

It is one of the few books I just could not stop listening too, I had my earbuds in non stop for the 3 days it took me to consume it.

This ranks as one of my top 10 Audible favorites, and should be a must read for everyone.

Fantastic Read

I've done a whole lot of reading on the IC from a number of authors, and this one has made its way to the top of my list. A fantastic read on the history of the intelligence service, covert action programs, and American foreign policy. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in these subjects.

You’re Out if Your Element

A fascinating and richly detailed story of American espionage and intelligence. Makes one ponder an intelligence apparatus more befitting of America’s strengths.

Stellar info

This was an eye opening book about the successes and failures of the CIA. Sadly, the failures far outweigh the successes because there are too many arrogant leaders in the US government, the CIA and the military. It’s also because the CIA has too many newbies (at the books publication date) and the private intelligence companies are recruiting away the best talent.
We need to do better and be better or America will go the way of all the other arrogant countries in history.