Reviews

The Doomsday Machine by Daniel Ellsberg

sozh's review against another edition

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5.0

terrifying

ccbaxter's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative reflective slow-paced

3.5

tempamatic's review against another edition

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5.0

This is one of the scariest books ever written.

aelbergan's review against another edition

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1.0

I ended up dropping this book a while ago because it was tedious and unnecessarily boring. it could have been written in a more interesting way, which would have made it much more engaging

rschmidt7's review against another edition

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5.0

If I could give this 6 stars, I would. An absolute must-read for any student of American history. An important and insightful look at the profoundly immoral system that overtook American strategy in the latter half of the 20th century. Ellsberg, the famed whistle-blower and leaker of the Pentagon Papers, revisits his stint at the infamous RAND Corporation in the 1950s and '60s and reveals a harrowing amount of institutionalized insanity at the highest levels of our government.

pitosalas's review against another edition

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5.0

A very disturbing, very interesting book. Probably the book that had the most impact on me of all the books I read this year. I now put accidental (or purposeful) nuclear war / world war at the same level of risk and scaryness as climate change. Climate change is inevitable and slow, Nuclear War is sudden and not inevitable. But the ricketiness of the command/control of the nuclear arsenal of all countries is amazing and scary.

bclark8781's review against another edition

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5.0

Pretty amazing book. Most of us probably only know Daniel Ellsberg because of "The Pentagon Papers," but he had an amazing life and career for over a decade before that. His position with the RAND organization gave him almost total access to the military and civilian people who shaped and supported America's strategy on nuclear weapons; in fact, he himself wrote a great portion of that strategy. A very well-written and passionate memoir from a man at the center of the highest level of the country's national security planning.

benrogerswpg's review against another edition

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3.0

It was interesting, especially how I'm not a big history fan - it still kept my attention!

3.0/5

nras's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective tense slow-paced

4.5

dvargas's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

4.75

One of the few books of which I have to say everyone should read this!
A compelling and all too real story of human madness.