Kissinger: Volume I: 1923-1968: The Idealist

by Niall Ferguson Narrated by Malcolm Hillgartner

Overview

The definitive biography of Henry Kissinger, based on unprecedented access to his private papers

No American statesman has been as revered and as reviled as Henry Kissinger. Once hailed as "Super-K"-the "indispensable man" whose advice has been sought by every president from Kennedy to Obama-he has also been hounded by conspiracy theorists, scouring his every "telcon" for evidence of Machiavellian malfeasance. Yet as Niall Ferguson shows in this magisterial biography, the idea of Kissinger as the ruthless arch-realist is based on a profound misunderstanding. Drawing not only on Kissinger's hitherto closed private papers but also on documents from more than a hundred archives around the world, Ferguson argues that the true foundation of Kissinger's thought is philosophical idealism-combined with history itself.

The first half of Kissinger's life is usually skimmed over as a quintessential tale of American ascent: the Jewish refugee from Hitler's Germany who made it to the White House. But in this first of two volumes, Ferguson shows that what Kissinger achieved before his appointment as Richard Nixon's national security adviser was astonishing in its own right. Toiling as a teenager in a New York factory, he studied indefatigably at night. He was drafted into the U.S. infantry and saw action at the Battle of the Bulge-as well as the liberation of a concentration camp-but ended his army career interrogating Nazis. It was at Harvard that Kissinger found his vocation. Having immersed himself in the philosophy of Kant and the diplomacy of Metternich, he shot to celebrity by arguing for "limited nuclear war." Nelson Rockefeller hired him. Kennedy called him to Camelot. Yet Kissinger's rise was anything but irresistible. Dogged by press gaffes and disappointed by "Rocky," Kissinger seemed stuck-until a trip to Vietnam changed everything.

The Idealist is the story of the single most important strategic thinker America has ever produced. It is also a political Bildungsroman, explaining how "Dr. Strangelove" ended up as consigliere to a politician he had always abhorred. Like Ferguson's classic two-volume history of the House of Rothschild, Kissinger sheds dazzling new light on an entire era. The essential account of an extraordinary life, it recasts the cold war world.

Editorial Reviews

JANUARY 2016 - AudioFile

In a gravelly voice, Malcolm Hillgartner narrates this dense biography of one of the nation’s most influential strategic thinkers of the twentieth century, Henry Kissinger. Reading effortlessly, Hillgartner engages with the complex history and politics that made up the life and times of Kissinger before his appointment as Richard Nixon’s national security adviser. Hillgartner shifts intonation for quotes and clearly identifies footnotes—drawn from primary sources, archives, and a multitude of published sources—without breaking his narration. His stentorian voice is perfect for this biography of an uncommonly strong personality. Using subtle shifts in pacing, Hillgartner draws the listener into the ever-increasing political tensions at home, particularly during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Listeners will be fascinated. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

From the Publisher

George P. Schultz: 
Combine careful and extensive scholarship, clear writing, and a magnificent subject and you get Niall Ferguson on Kissinger, a genuinely educational read.”

John Lewis Gaddis, Yale University: 
“With all that’s been written about Kissinger over so many years, you might think that there’d be little new to say. Think again. Niall Ferguson's Kissinger: The Idealist shifts the trajectory of Kissinger studies fundamentally. Always thorough, often surprising, at times deeply moving, this is an extraordinary biography of the most significant scholar-statesman-strategist of our time, by one of our most accomplished historians. Not to be missed.

Library Journal

04/15/2015
Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard and a New York Times best-selling author (e.g., Civilization), Ferguson had unprecedented access to Kissinger's private papers, so this book could live up to its billing as the definitive Kissinger biography. Lots of unaccustomed background on Kissinger's early years, including his World War II service with the U.S. infantry, leading up to his first fateful encounter with Vietnam.

JANUARY 2016 - AudioFile

In a gravelly voice, Malcolm Hillgartner narrates this dense biography of one of the nation’s most influential strategic thinkers of the twentieth century, Henry Kissinger. Reading effortlessly, Hillgartner engages with the complex history and politics that made up the life and times of Kissinger before his appointment as Richard Nixon’s national security adviser. Hillgartner shifts intonation for quotes and clearly identifies footnotes—drawn from primary sources, archives, and a multitude of published sources—without breaking his narration. His stentorian voice is perfect for this biography of an uncommonly strong personality. Using subtle shifts in pacing, Hillgartner draws the listener into the ever-increasing political tensions at home, particularly during the Korean and Vietnam Wars. Listeners will be fascinated. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169701593
Publisher:	Brilliance Audio
Publication date:	09/29/2015
Edition description:	Unabridged

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