papelgren's review against another edition

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3.0

A lot of the information in this book was available during the run up to the war which is surprising. It is a frustrating look into a regime dead set on one thing even though a lot of people were pointing out it was a bad idea.

thumbpricker's review

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challenging informative medium-paced

4.5

graziamj's review against another edition

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informative reflective slow-paced

3.0

arielcantread's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

4.5

tacoboozefairy's review against another edition

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4.0

This book reframed my entire understanding of the Iraq war. This should be required reading for every American. Without taking sides, this book does a great job of laying out the comedy of errors (and lies) that led to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

May be too academic for most casual readers. There are A LOT of names to keep track of.

jbelang85's review

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3.0

Very well researched book on the lead up to the war. I felt like the author could have spent more time discussing Saddam's posturing leading up to invasion. But it is still very well argued that at the very least, the Administration saw things they wanted to and not the way they were.

lawyergobblesbooks's review against another edition

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5.0

Draper is an incredible reporter and writer — the difficulty here is the subject matter. This book is about a slow-motion catastrophe and it took me months to actually finish. I could read yet another on this war’s role in breaking this country into what it is now, and will be.

candystripelegs's review against another edition

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informative reflective sad slow-paced

5.0

aloyokon's review against another edition

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4.0

I was just astounded by the level of political infighting and self-delusion that pervaded the Bush administration as they led us into the biggest geo-strategic blunder of the past 40 years! Glad I grabbed this book.

timawetzel's review against another edition

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3.0

This one’s written for an audience a little more familiar with names from the early 2000s and middle eastern geopolitics than I am. It also felt a little too forgiving of members of the administration in an effort to remain unbiased. Really detailed in its timeline and relationships, and definitely encouraged me to read more about the war.