Bob Woodward

Full Biography

admin — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:26:42 +0000

Bob Woodward (born March 26, 1943) is regarded as one of America's preeminent investigative reporters and non-fiction authors. He has worked for The Washington Post since 1971 as a reporter, and is currently an associate editor of the Post. While a young reporter for The Washington Post in 1972, Woodward was teamed up with Carl Bernstein; the two did much, but not all, of the original news reporting on the Watergate scandal that led to numerous government investigations and the eventual resigation of President Richard Nixon.

The War Within

admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 14:24:33 +0000

Details:
Hardcover: 468 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
(September 8, 2008)
ISBN: 1416558977
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The War Within takes readers deep inside the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the intelligence agencies and the U.S. military headquarters in Iraq. Based on extensive interviews with participants, contemporaneous notes and secret documents, the book traces the internal debates, tensions and critical turning points in the Iraq War during an extraordinary two-year period.

- Bob Woodward Details A White House Divided

From: CBS:
In his latest inside-the-White-House book, legendary reporter Bob Woodward reveals strategies governing the war in Iraq coming directly from President Bush and his inner circle. Scott Pelley reports.

Reviews:

The Washington Post, Josiah Bunting III, September 10, 2008:
“In important ways the book recalls David Halberstam’s iconic The Best and the Brightest… The War Within makes its case quietly and persuasively.”
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/10/AR2008091001490.html

The New York Times, Michiko Kakutani, September 7, 2008:
“…A damning conclusion about the presidency of George W. Bush. … It’s a picture of an administration riven by internal conflicts…an administration in which the advice of experts was frequently ignored or dismissed, traditional policy-making channels were routinely circumvented, policy often took a backseat to electoral politics, accountability was repeatedly evaded, and few advisers dared speak truth to power. …”
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/07/books/07book.html?ref=arts

Los Angeles Times, Tim Rutten, September 10, 2008:
“Brilliantly reported … A stunning series of on-the-record interviews.”
http://www.latimes.com/features/books/la-et-rutten10-2008sep10,0,1049807.story

The Nation, Robert Dreyfuss, September 9, 2008:
“…like reading raw transcripts of documents and interviews from a sensational murder trial: you know what happens, and you know who the victim and the perpetrator are. But to read their actual words is chilling. It’s the In Cold Blood of national security journalism.”
http://www.thenation.com/blogs/dreyfuss/357371

Politico, Mike Allen, September 8, 2008:
“…shows how the cross-currents of domestic politics and a deteriorating war buffeted a tiring president before his surge of troops at the start of 2007…”
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0908/13234.html

State Of Denial

admin — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 00:07:38 +0000

Details:
Hardcover: 576 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (2006)
ISBN: 0743272234

“INSURGENTS AND TERRORISTS RETAIN THE RESOURCES AND CAPABILITIES TO SUSTAIN AND EVEN INCREASE CURRENT LEVEL OF VIOLENCE THROUGH THE NEXT YEAR.” This was the secret Pentagon assessment sent to the White House in May 2006. The forecast of a more violent 2007 in Iraq contradicted the repeated optimistic statements of President Bush, including one, two days earlier, when he said we were at a “turning point” that history would mark as the time “the forces of terror began their long retreat.”

State of Denial examines how the Bush administration avoided telling the truth about Iraq to the public, to Congress, and often to themselves. Two days after the May report, the Pentagon told Congress, in a report required by law, that the “appeal and motivation for continued violent action will begin to wane in early 2007.”

In this detailed inside story of a war-torn White House, Bob Woodward reveals how Andy Card, with the indirect support of other high officials, tried for 18 months to get Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld replaced. The president and Vice President Cheney refused. At the beginning of Bush’s second term, Stephen Hadley, who replaced Condoleezza Rice as national security adviser, gave the administration a “D minus” on implementing its policies. A SECRET report to the new Secretary of State Rice from her counselor stated that, nearly two years after the invasion, Iraq was a “failed state.”

Woodward reveals that the secretary of defense himself believes that the system of coordination among departments and agencies is broken, and in a SECRET May 1, 2006, memo, Rumsfeld stated, “the current system of government makes competence next to impossible.”

State of Denial answers the core questions: What happened after the invasion of Iraq? Why? How does Bush make decisions and manage a war that he chose to define his presidency? And is there an achievable plan for victory?

Reviews:

“[S]erious, densely, even exhaustively, reported, and a real contribution to history…This is a primer on how the executive branch of the United States works, or rather doesn’t work, in the early years of the 21st century.” -Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal

“State of Denial feels all the more outraged for its measured, nonpartisan tones and relentless reporting. It is nothing less than a watershed…In crisis after crisis, the government simply failed to operate the way it was designed to. Memos failed to circulate or arrived after they became irrelevant. Briefings conveyed only the news that listeners wanted to hear. Controversial information was rarely presented to the president, who rarely asked for it. New proposals were quashed, and policy was stymied by terrible infighting, or worse, indifference.” -Ted Widmer, The Washington Post Book World

“[Enriches] the reader’s understanding of the inner workings of this administration at this critical moment.” -Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

“State of Denial is a dogged piece of reporting, rich in anecdote, telling detail, fascinating snippets of conversation and troubling stories heretofore untold. -Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times

"State of Denial is brimming with vivid details about White House meetings, critical phone calls, intelligence reports, and military affairs…impressively detailed and eye-opening.” -Chuck Leddy, The Boston Globe

The Secret Man

admin — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:55:34 +0000

Details:
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (2005)
ISBN -10: 0-7432-8715-0
ISBN -13: 978-0-7432-8715-9

In Washington , D.C. , where little stays secret for long, the identity of Deep Throat — the mysterious source who helped Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein break open the Watergate scandal in 1972 — remained hidden for 33 years. Now, Woodward tells the story of his long, complex relationship with W. Mark Felt, the enigmatic former No. 2 man in the Federal Bureau of Investigation who helped end the presidency of Richard Nixon.

The Secret Man chronicles the story in intimate detail, from Woodward’s first, chance encounter with Felt in the Nixon White House, to their covert, middle-of-the-night meetings in an underground parking garage, to the aftermath of Watergate and decades beyond, until Felt finally stepped forward at age 91 to unmask himself as Deep Throat.

Reviews:

“ The Secret Man is one of the best [of the Watergate books] at illuminating the backstage battle to bring President Nixon’s team to account…Eye-opening.” - The Boston Globe

“The best short discussion of the distinction—between reporter as private eye and the reporter as stenographer—that has ever been published. The chapter
on the protection of sources is a passage one hopes will be taught in schools.” - The New York Times Book Review

“Long live the use of confidential news sources…An inside look at the give-and-take involved in the often-dicey relationships between journalists and their sources.” - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“A filling-in of many of the final blanks left in the most explosive political/journalism
story ever.” - Lincoln Journal Star

“A provocative, even stirring contribution.” - Baltimore Sun

“ The Secret Man is especially poignant and revealing when read in tandem with All the President’s Men …A remarkable saga…A worthwhile coda.” -Steve Weinberg, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“A stirring, sometimes even moving book…A ringing defense of the importance of confidential sources.” -Mark Harris, Entertainment Weekly

“A riveting story of corrupted power and excellent investigative journalism…A fascinating glimpse into a troubled time in our nation’s past.” -Julia Gambill
Ledyard, The Tennessean

“An insider’s glimpse into a slice of history that’s still sending echoes into the political universe.” -George Meyer, Tampa Tribune

Plan Of Attack

admin — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 20:17:19 +0000

Details:
Hardcover: 480 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (2004)
ISBN: 074325547X

Plan
of Attack is the definitive account of how and why President George W.Bush, his war council, and allies launched a preemptive attack to topple Saddam Hussein and occupy Iraq . Based on interviews with 75 key participants and more than three and a half hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush, Plan of Attack is part presidential history charting the decisions made during 16 critical months; part military history revealing precise details and the evolution of the Top Secret war planning under the restricted codeword Polo Step; and part a harrowing spy story as the CIA dispatches a covert paramilitary team into northern Iraq six months before the start of the war.

What emerges are astonishingly intimate portraits: President Bush in war cabinet meetings in the White House Situation Room and the Oval Office, and in private conversation; Dick Cheney, the focused and driven vice president; Colin Powell, the conflicted and cautious secretary of state; Donald Rumsfeld, the controlling war technocrat; George Tenet, the activist CIA director; Tommy Franks, the profane and demanding general; Condoleezza Rice, the ever-present referee and national security adviser; Karl Rove, the hands-on political strategist; other key members of the White House staff and congressional leadership; and foreign leaders ranging from British Prime Minister Blair to Russian President Putin.

Reviews:

“Richly detailed, awesomely sourced…a granular record of the nation’s march to war with Iraq , gleaned from interviews, memos, phone records, and PowerPoint presentation.” -David Cook, The Christian Science Monitor

“How good is this book? Well, if discomfort caused is the measure of greatness achieved, forget the Pulitzer — Mr. Woodward deserves a Nobel…This is the craft of a journalist without peer.” -Robert Sam Anson, New York Observer

“Digs deep…projects a reassuring neutrality…Woodward is manifestly a great reporter — an unparalleled getter of facts.” -Hendrik Hertzberg, The New Yorker

“In Bob Woodward’s new book, Plan of Attack , readers get a privileged insider’s look at the preparations for the war in Iraq . The veteran Washington journalist demonstrates once again that truth is indeed stranger than fiction.” -Susan Larson, The Times-Picayune ( New Orleans )

“A remarkable book, one that fulfills the too often ephemeral promise of what has come to be called investigative journalism…The American people seldom have been given this clear a window on their government’s most sensitive deliberations.” –Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times

“Engrossing…Woodward uses myriad details to chart the Bush administration’s march to war against Iraq . His often harrowing narrative not only illuminates the fateful interplay of personality and policy…but underscores the role that fuzzy intelligence, Pentagon timetables and aggressive ideas about the military and foreign policy had in creating momentum for war.” -Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

“An astonishing book…Here, in abundant detail, is a convincing portrait of a president…Remarkably revealing.” -Robert Scheer, Los Angeles Times Book Review

“A virtuoso of storytelling.” - Financial Times ( London )

“The best and I judge the most accurate picture yet of how the United States got into war with Iraq .” -Bob Schieffer, CBS News Face the Nation

“The prose is irresistible…The conversations between the players grip the reader with their verisimilitude. Worst of all for would-be novelists, this is journalism…Woodward is sui generis.” -Andrew Sullivan, The Sunday Times (London )

“A gripping read.” - The Economist

“Delivers on all counts…Puts reader inside meetings in the White House, the Pentagon, U.S. Central Command in Florida , and the secret base the CIA set up.” -Robert Schlesinger, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Bush At War

admin — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:42:00 +0000

Details:
Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (2002)

Bush at War is the behind-the-scenes story of how President George W. Bush and his top national security advisers, after the initial shock of the September 11 attacks, led the nation to war. Based on interviews with more than a hundred sources and four hours of exclusive interviews with the president, Bush at War reveals Bush’s sweeping, almost grandiose, vision for remaking the world. "I’m not a textbook player, I’m a gut player," the president said.

Woodward’s virtual wiretap into the White House Situation Room reveals a stunning group portrait of an untested president and his advisers: Vice President Dick Cheney, taciturn but hard-line, always pressing for more urgency in Afghanistan and toward Iraq; Secretary of State Colin Powell, the cautious diplomat and loyal soldier, tasked with building an international coalition in an administration prone to unilateralism; Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, the brainy agitator and media star who led the military through Afghanistan; National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, the ever-present troubleshooter who emerges as perhaps the president’s most important adviser. Bush at War also includes a vivid portrait of CIA director George Tenet, ready and eager for covert action against terrorists in Afghanistan and worldwide, and follows a CIA paramilitary team leader on a covert mission inside Afghanistan to pay off assets and buy friends with millions in U.S. currency carried in giant suitcases.

Reviews:

“A great read…Bob Woodward has unearthed important new information on the behind-the-scenes struggles that have led to success — and failure — in President Bush’s War on Terror.” -James Rubin, The New York Observer

“A work of spareness and authority…We are fortunate to have this richly detailed view of our nation’s central policy command.” -Fouad Ajami, The Washington
Post Book World

“Provides readers with a wealth of fly-on-the-wall detail from deliberations within the Cabinet…Illuminating.” -Stan Crock, Business Week

“Bob Woodward has a virtual franchise on inside accounts of administrations. Bush at War is an invaluable look at how Bush and his top aides are thinking and acting now as they decide whether to invade Iraq .” -Frank Davies, The Miami Herald

“Provides a rare chance to understand the leadership style of the man who now sits in the Oval Office.” -David Ignatius, The Washington Post

“ Bush at War is great reading about the greatest issue of the day…[A] treasure trove of priceless detail that brings the story alive.” -John E. Mulligan, Providence Journal-Bulletin

“Extraordinarily gripping…probably the most important book that Woodward has written…not merely the first draft of history but something close to its most significant source.” -Tim Hames, The Times ( London )

“Woodward has produced the best book yet written about the September 11 terrorist attacks on America and how Bush fought back.” -Steve Neal, Chicago Sun-Times

“Human and convincing in its detail.” -Evan Thomas, Newsweek

Maestro

admin — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 19:59:41 +0000

Details:
Hardcover: 270 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster ( 2000)
ISBN: 0743204123

In eight Tuesdays each year, Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan convenes a small committee to set the short-term interest rate that can move through the American and world economies like an electric jolt. As much as any, the committee’s actions determine the economic well-being of every American. The availability of money for business or consumer loans, mortgages, job creation and overall national economic growth flows from those decisions. Perhaps the last Washington secret is how the Federal Reserve and its enigmatic chairman, Alan Greenspan, operate.

In Maestro, Bob Woodward takes you inside the Fed and Greenspan’s thinking. We listen to the Fed’s internal debates as the American economy is pushed into a historic 10-year expansion while the world economy lurches from financial crisis to financial crisis. Greenspan plays a sometimes subtle, sometimes blunt behind-the-scenes role. Maestro traces a fascinating intellectual journey as Greenspan, an old-school anti-inflation hawk of the traditional economy, is among the first to realize the potential in the modern, high-productivity new economy. Woodward’s account of the Greenspan years is a remarkable portrait of a man who has become the symbol of American economic preeminence.

Reviews:

“Scrupulous and illuminating….Woodward lucidly explains the axes of intellectual and political disagreement over monetary policy…shedding new light on major conflicts of the Greenspan era.” -The New York Times Book Review

“Fascinating, intimate…the best inside job on the subject yet to appear.” -The Dallas Morning News

“A gripping ride through the oddly fragile and insecure world of big money and the curious mind of Greenspan.” -San Francisco Chronicle

“Admirably accomplishes what it sets out to do: demystify a Washington institution that is dimly understood by most Americans.” -USA Today

“Replete with the sort of fly-on-the-wall reporting for which Woodward is famous. What comes across most clearly is Greenspan’s skill at the political power games that determine who survives in the cutthroat world of Washington.” -BusinessWeek

Shadow

admin — Mon, 21 Apr 2008 01:25:27 +0000

Details:
Hardcover: 608 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster ( 1999)
ISBN: 0684852624

Twenty-five years ago, after Richard Nixon resigned the presidency, Gerald Ford promised a return to normalcy. "My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over," President Ford declared. But it was not. The Watergate scandal, and the remedies against future abuses of power, would have an enduring impact on presidents and the country.

In Shadow, Bob Woodward takes us deep into the administrations of Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Clinton to describe how each discovered that the presidency was forever altered. With special emphasis on the human toll, Woodward shows the consequences of the new ethics laws, and the emboldened Congress and media. Powerful investigations increasingly stripped away the privacy and protections once expected by the nation’s chief executive. Using presidential documents, diaries, prosecutorial records and hundreds of interviews with firsthand witnesses, Woodward chronicles how all five men failed first to understand and then to manage the inquisitorial environment. Shadow is an unsettling narrative of the modern, beleaguered presidency.

Reviews:

“Shadow is a meticulously documented chronicle of self-delusion and self-pity. It is like an illuminated manuscript expanding on an old adage, ‘Honesty is the best policy.’ It is also riveting reading.” -Mary McGrory, The Washington Post

“What drove Kenneth Starr?…As good an answer as any, I think, emerges from Bob Woodward’s new book, Shadow.” -Anthony Lewis, The New York Times

“Presidential candidates should read this book—and consider themselves warned.” -Paula Dwyer, BusinessWeek

“The chapters on the Clinton administration are poignant and painful for mistakes made and many regrets, for reputations lost and epic disillusionment after working at the White House.” -Helen Thomas, United Press International

“Woodward does an excellent job of laying out how each president, starting with Gerald Ford and extending through Bill Clinton, failed to heed the lessons Nixon learned the hard way….The highly readable book tells a bleak cautionary tale of warning signs not heeded.” -Richard Bendette, USA Today

“Investigative journalist Bob Woodward has a new book you should read. And I can think of a couple of guys who absolutely need to read it and take it to heart. They are Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore, leading the 2000 Republican and Democratic White House candidates.” –M. Charles Bakst, The Providence Sunday Journal

“Shadow contains vivid details, might-have-beens, and events hitherto unknown.” -The New Yorker

“If you eat up political gossip, this is a gallon of premium ice cream, a tub of hot fudge and a long spoon…Shadow is a damning indictment of government-by-special-prosecutor.” -Peter Rowe, The San Diego Union-Tribune

“Captivating…Woodward’s revealing book provides the clearest picture to date of how close Clinton came to losing his job — and his marriage — and how isolated the president became as Monica [Lewinsky]’s story unfolded.” -Ann McDaniel, Newsweek

“A thought-provoking and worthwhile book for even a casual student of the modern presidency. It moves quickly, for the most part, and contains a wealth of insight and insider detail.” -Kevin O’Brien, The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

“But the anecdotes…oh, the anecdotes! Shadow is swimming in them… Shadow is an engrossing work. And no one — no one — but Bob Woodward could have written it” -Jay Nordlinger, National Review

The Choice

admin — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 01:19:12 +0000

Details:
Hardcover: 464 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (1996)
ISBN: 0684813084

Based on a massive body of original reporting and documentation and on hundreds of interviews with firsthand sources, The Choice is the behind-the-scenes story of President Bill Clinton and Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole over two years. It is the personal and political story of how the nation’s two top leaders prepared themselves to square off for the 1996 presidential election. The Choice sets the stage with a study of the contenders in action– their decisions, their conversations, their private assessments, their disappointments, their anger and triumphs, their definitions of themselves and their evolving understanding of national purpose.

Included in this wide-ranging political history is exclusive new material on the Republican primary contest; the White House and congressional budget battles; the top secret Bosnia strategy sessions in the White House; the influence of Vice President Albert Gore, Jr., and House Speaker Newt Gingrich; the role of political money; the uses of public opinion polling and advertising; former General Colin Powell’s decision not to run; and the strategies of both campaigns, including Dole’s decision to leave the Senate and his consideration of possible running mates.

Reviews:
“The Choice is a scrupulously objective account of politics as the game is played… a telling portrait of Americans fighting for the right to lead.” -Thomas Powers, The Boston Globe

“Woodward goes further than anyone else in understanding just how far Clinton’s reelection strategy was taken over by New York’s Dick Morris… The book’s second real merit is how deeply Woodward inserted himself into the Dole camp.” -Martin Walker, Newsday

“Mr. Clinton and Mr. Dole emerge from these pages as bizarre political twins; as portrayed by Mr. Woodward, the subjects of The Choice offer little choice at all.” -Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

“Bill Clinton against Bob Dole is an epic struggle for power… The book is not only worth reading, it is entertaining.” -Michael Lewis, The New York Times Book Review

“Woodward once again superbly chronicles the public and private actions of men in power and in pursuit of power.” -Newsweek

“A first-rate piece of reporting….Woodward’s top-notch journalism as instant history is an impressively well-done product.” -The Washington Post

“Woodward is dead-on in his depiction of the chaos, the drama, and the intrigue of an all-out presidential campaign.” -BusinessWeek

“No one can top Woodward’s ‘fly-on-the-wall’ reporting on inside Washington.” -The Washington Times

The Agenda

admin — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 01:16:04 +0000

Details:
Hardcover:352 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (1994)
ISBN: 0671864866

Working behind the scenes for the 18 months following Bill’s election, Bob Woodward has discovered how the Clinton White House really works. In The Agenda, he offers one of the most intimate portraits of a sitting president ever published, taking us not only to the highest level meetings, the hard-fought debates, and most difficult decisions but also to the very heart of this presidency — and of this man.

In a day-by-day, at times minute-by-minute account, President Clinton is shown debating, scolding, pleading, celebrating, and raging in anger and frustration. What emerges also is a group portrait of Clinton’s innermost circle of advisers in action — including his wife Hillary, Vice President Al Gore, Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen and the economic team, the White House staff, and outside political strategists.

Reviews:

“A riveting inside story, based on a remarkable ability to wheedle high officials to tell all.” - Independent

“A blistering book…Books and various publications… routinely purport to take readers ‘inside’ powerful institutions. Woodward delivers on the promise in a way that other journalists almost never do…The turmoil at the White House, together with Clinton ’s penchant for brinkmanship, make the tale exciting.” - Newsweek

“The Washington Post ’s famed sleuth offers a tantalizing voyeuristic glimpse inside the Clinton White House…Delightfully new details, all.” - The Economist

“Written very much from inside sources, the picture [The Agenda] presents of Clinton ’s first year in office is one of chaos and confusion…vivid detail here.” - Spectator

“An authoritative behind-the-scenes look at how things get done inside the Clinton White House….spellbinding political drama” -Robert A. Rankin, The Philadelphia Inquirer

The Commanders

admin — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 01:14:16 +0000

Details:
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (1991)
ISBN: 0671413678

During the first two years of the George H. W. Bush administration, the United States military and its leaders dominated the world’s attention to a degree not seen since the Vietnam War. Bob Woodward tells the behind-the-scenes story of how President Bush and his military high command made their decisions. In this account, we see the top leadership as never before, wrestling with the great questions of military and foreign policy in the closed meeting rooms and private offices of the Pentagon and the White House. This compelling group portrait takes us back to the beginning of the Bush administration, and through two years of conversations and policy choices that twice led the United States to war.

The Commanders is about the decision-makers. Their relationships with one another and their personal perspectives are chronicled in unprecedented detail. This is the human story behind the momentous choices that are defining a new era in international relations dominated by American military might.

Reviews:

“Bob Woodward’s The Commanders is his best work yet…the definitive work, I think, about the Gulf War.” -Larry King

“A lively behind-the-scenes docudrama…Filled with accounts of secret Pentagon meetings, political maneuvers, second guesses and roads not taken. The Commanders is a fascinating, accessible treatment of a story still coming to light.” -Caryn James, The New York Times

“Woodward’s glimpses of a tight White House inner circle…constitute a serious charge against the Bush administration…The Commanders may affect the political prospects of several national figures.” -Mel Small, Detroit Free Press

“Everything you would ever want to know—and maybe were afraid to ask—about the run-ups to these operations is here in complete detail…The accounts of these conversations, together with the frank—and at times scathing—characterizations of the players by other players, are going to cause a storm of a different kind in Washington.” -Clay Blair, The Washington Post Book World

“The Commanders will be a primary source when the real histories of the Gulf War are written.” -Joe Klein, New York Observer

“Woodward gets into the minds of [Washington’s] players to see how our leaders really think.” -San Francisco Chronicle

“As always, world-class reporter Woodward rewards his readers with the thrill of eavesdropping on the power elite…So much for Pentagon-White House communications…We meet here a president who is secretive even with his closest staff, dangerously vindictive…and dazzlingly arbitrary and impulsive” –Robert Sherrill, Miami Herald

“There is a sense of urgency that runs through these pages…Woodward had me burning the midnight oil and rising before dawn. Not by gimmicks or cliff-hanging endings, but pure journalistic reporting.” -Rick Tamble, Nashville Banner

Veil

admin — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 01:11:38 +0000

Details:
Hardcover:543 pages
Publisher:Simon & Schuster (1987)
ISBN: 0671601172

“Everyone always says more than they’re supposed to,” Central Intelligence Agency Director William J. Casey told Bob Woodward in one of their major interviews for this book. Using hundreds of inside sources and secret documents, Woodward has pieced together an unparalleled account of the CIA, its Director, and the United States government.

Casey, the CIA Director from 1981-1987, reflected and helped define the foreign policy aspirations of the Reagan Administration that will come to be seen as defining its era. Maneuvering around Washington power centers, Casey was given a free hand and became probably the most powerful CIA Director in the forty-year history of the agency. He played comfortably and confidently on the world stage, committing his nation and President to new and expanded covert wars and clandestine relationships. Bound together by generation and philosophy, Reagan and Casey became a team that attempted to reshape the world. Woodward’s extensive access includes a hospital visit to Casey on his death bed—so remarkable that it was doubted and seen as controversial for years before Ronald Kessler put the issue to rest in his book, The CIA at War. Kessler cites confirmation from William Donnelly, head of CIA administration, that “Woodward probably found a way to sneak in,” as well as Britt Snider, general counsel to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, whose formal investigation found that Woodward had 43 meetings or phone calls with Casey, including at the director’s home.

Veil is the story of the covert wars that were waged in a secretive atmosphere and became the centerpieces and eventual time bombs of American foreign policy in the 1980’s.

Reviews:

“Veil lays bare, in a way that no reportage has done before, the power struggle between contending factions—both inside and outside the CIA—for control over the nation’s foreign intelligence apparatus…” -The Washington Times

“Bob Woodward, the master chronicler of Washington’s deepest secrets, has produced an investigative record of the CIA’s turbulent years under the late William Casey…Veil plows more ground than a dozen tractors in Iowa.” -U.S. News & World Report

“To read Veil is to be astonished at the access Woodward achieved…The reader is invited to understand Casey. The author dared open himself to Casey’s charm, to Casey’s rationale….” –New York Daily News

“Veil is a masterful, behind-the-scenes narrative of political intrigues at the highest levels of the federal intelligence bureaucracy…It is investigative high gossip and a damn good read.” -The Village Voice

“No matter whether they love or hate the book, intelligence professionals can’t ignore Veil—its wealth of detail about U.S. spying activities is unprecedented.” -The Christian Science Monitor

“A skillful journalist has penetrated our intelligence agencies…This is the William Casey I knew well: bluff, wide-ranging, impatient, daring, purposeful, enthusiastic, patriotic, secretive, cunning, deceptive.” -William Safire, The New York Times

“In Veil, Casey emerges as a passionate anti-communist and wily strategic thinker, albeit with the cloak-and-dagger mind-set he developed as spymaster for the OSS during World War II… Woodward paints a rich portrait of the hands-on director determined to affect policy…Much of what [Casey] might have said — and some of what he might never have admitted — has been uncovered by Watergate reporter Bob Woodward.” -David Alpern, Newsweek

“Reading Veil is something like watching the Iran-contra hearings on TV. If you were hooked on them, as I was, you’ll gobble up Veil, as I did.” -Robert Wilson, USA Today

“A revealing and important book…Casey emerges in these pages as an American original, a feisty, profane, pugnacious, dogmatic old man, determined to bull his way past the Congress, the press, the secretary of state, the ‘bean-counters’ in his own agency, and any other obstacles to his brand of big-stick jingoism…Woodward remains one of the best reporters of his generation, a man who knows how to play the subtle access game as well as anyone, and who emerges not only with his integrity intact, but with one hell of a story.” -J. Anthony Lukas, The Washington Post Book World

“Woodward has provided a valuable primer on what can happen when an overzealous CIA director decided to make policy….The value is in Woodward’s ability to capture details of how Casey blended intelligence with ideology.” -The Plain Dealer (Cleveland)

Wired

admin — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:09:26 +0000

Details:
Hardcover: 461 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (1985)
ISBN: 0671473204

John Belushi was found dead of a drug overdose March 5, 1982, in a seedy hotel bungalow off Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Belushi’s death was the beginning of a trail that led Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward on an investigation that examines the dark side of American show business. From on-the-record interviews with 217 people, including Belushi’s widow, his former partner Dan Aykroyd, Belushi’s movie directors including Jack Nicholson and Steven Spielberg, actors Chevy Chase, Robin Williams and Carrie Fisher, the movie executives, the agents, Belushi’s drug dealers, and those who live in the show business underground, the author has written a close portrait of a great American comic talent, and of his struggle to succeed and to survive that ended in tragedy.

Using diaries, accountants’ records, phone bills, travel records, medical records and interviews with firsthand witnesses, Woodward had followed Belushi’s life from childhood in a small town outside Chicago to his meteoric career that started at the famous Chicago comedy troupe Second City, proceeded to New York’s National Lampoon organization, then went on to the wildy popular NBC television show “Saturday Night Live,” the greatly successful movie Animal House, a #1 Blues Brothers hit album, more films and then plans for films that this gifted actor did not live to make.

Reviews:

“Wired is the most smashing drug book ever written…A cautionary tale for our time…Astonishing.” -Liz Smith, New York Daily News

“A fact-studded life story…Belushi wanted it all and it all was too much…chilling.” -Washington Post Book World

“Woodward follows Belushi from one circle of hell to the next…Harrowing… Compelling.” -The Village Voice

“Woodward…shows us how much tolerance is accorded the excesses of celebrity simply because is means box-office power…unlike most biographies of show business celebrities, Woodward’s doesn’t spare us many squalid details about how unspeakably Belushi could behave, and what monstrous effects his huge drug intake had on him…”
-Los Angeles Times

“Endless rounds of drug blowouts, frazzled work sessions, and show-biz parties… Belushi had a kind of reckless, rock-’n’-roll comedic sensibility…a volatile combination of Lou Costello and Vlad the Impaler.” -Time

“Fascinating, in a perverse, National Enquirer kind of way.” -The Philadelphia Inquirer

The Bretheren

admin — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 01:06:35 +0000

Details:
Hardcover: 467 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (1979)
ISBN: 0671241109

In Washington on most Friday afternoons, nine men gather together in a private room to decide some of the nation’s most important disputes. This weekly conference of the Justices of the United States Supreme Court is probably the most important regular meeting in the country — and the most secret.

The Brethren is the first detailed behind-the-scenes account of the Supreme Court in action. Bob Woodward and Scott Armstrong have pierced its secrecy to give us an unprecedented view of the Chief and Associate Justices — maneuvering, arguing, politicking, compromising, and making the decisions that affect every major area of American life. The Brethren is a spellbinding account of the Court’s landmark decisions of the past two decades — on the death penalty, the busing of school children, the release of Nixon’s tapes, abortion, obscenity — and a remarkable portrait of the men who made the decisions.

Reviews:

“Superb…Without question the most penetrating and intimate study of the inner workings of the Supreme Court ever to appear in print.” -John Barkham Reviews

“Fascinating. The pace is swift, with details that rivet the attention.” -Washington Post Book World

“A provocative book about a hallowed institution, the U.S. Supreme Court…It is the most comprehensive story ever written of the most important court in the world. For this reason alone it is required reading.” -Business Week

“It is to the credit of Woodward and Armstrong that they were willing — and able — to shatter this conspiracy of silence. It is certainly in the highest tradition of investigative journalism to expose the realities of institutions that affect our lives as greatly as the Supreme Court does.” -Saturday Review

“Explosive . . . the most controversial book on the Supreme Court yet written” -Los Angeles Times

“One hell of a reporting achievement” - Nat Hentoff, Village Voice

The Final Days

admin — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 01:02:44 +0000

Details:
Hardcover: 476 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (1976)
ISBN:0671222988

The Final Days is a portrait of what went on behind the scenes during the gravest crisis in the history of the American presidency. In an enthralling narrative that flashes from one private discussion to the next, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein chronicle the previously unknown events leading to the resignation of President Richard M. Nixon. This is a story you have not read in the newspapers.

The authors accomplish what no other reporters have: they take us inside the rooms where Nixon’s tapes were made and edited; where the President, his lawyers and staff committed themselves to increasingly desperate tactics to save the Nixon presidency; where the jealousies and rivalries of the President’s men were revealed; where Nixon and his family debated the choices before them. Here is the moment-by-moment account of Richard Nixon’s last days in public office — brought vividly alive with the same novelistic detail and dialogue that made All the President’s Men a number one national bestseller.

Reviews:

“A suspense thriller that grabs you on page one, keeps you reading until your eyes are bugging out, makes you feel regretful when you see the pages dwindling and realize the end of the book is near.” - The Pittsburgh Press

“Unprecedented…Mr. Nixon emerges as a tragic figure weathering a catastrophic ordeal…and weathering it with considerable courage and dignity.” - The New York Times

“An extraordinary work of reportage on the epic political story of our time.” - Newsweek

“ The Final Days provides the same fast-driving, singleminded reading excitement found in novels like The Godfather and Deliverance .” - The
Chicago Tribune

“ The Final Days should be read soberly by the American people as a warning that they must chose their Presidents carefully. The book also gives substance to the stories we tried to tell while Nixon was still in office, stories so incredible that few people believed us.” -Jack Anderson, The New York Post

“Fascinating, macabre, mordant, melancholy, frightening. – Los Angeles Times

“An extraordinary account…One can’t emphasize too vigorously that to have read the excerpts that have appeared is not to have read The Final Days at all.” - The National Observer

All The President’s Men

admin — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:15:13 +0000

Details:
Hardcover: 349 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (1974)
ISBN: 671-21781-X

In the most devastating political detective story of the century, two Washington Post reporters, whose brilliant, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigation smashed
the Watergate scandal wide open, tell the behind-the-scenes drama the way it really happened.

Beginning with the story of a simple burglary at Democratic headquarters and then continuing with headline after headline, Bernstein and Woodward kept the tale of conspiracy and the trail of dirty tricks coming — delivering the stunning revelations and pieces in the Watergate puzzle that brought about Nixon’s scandalous downfall. Their explosive reports won a Pulitzer Prize for The Washington Post and toppled the President.

Reviews:

“A fast-moving mystery, a whodunit written with ease…A remarkable book.” -The New York Times

“Fascinating, stimulating…One of the greatest detective stories ever told.” -The Denver Post

“Exhilarating and candid…trip-hammer reportage.” -Publishers Weekly

“Much more than a ‘hot book.’ It is splendid reading…of enormous value…A very human story.” -The New Republic