After holbrookes death in 2010, a group of his friends wanted someone to write. Richard holbrooke and the end of the american century 9780307958020. Ironically enough, holbrooke s family later gave packer, the author of the new yorker article that holbrooke believed had fatally damaged him inside the administration, exclusive access to. The canonization of richard holbrooke the new republic. Richard holbrooke and the end of the american century by george packer is published by jonathan cape. His role was dismissed in holbrookes book with a single line. To end a war was one of the books recommended in a list. The hustling, sweating, flawed greatness of richard. I love his laugh, he wrote after hearing him for the first time as a yazoo lobbyist. Jan 01, 1998 richard holbrookes account of his efforts to bring peace to the balkansto end a waris a candid, detailed, and thoughtful study of the practical challenges diplomats helped by soldiers and backedup by policymakers face in the postcold war world.
According to radovan karadzic and muhamed sacirbey. The new york times ranked the book as one of the eleven best books of the year in 1998. He cheated frequently over his three marriages and propositioned his best friends wife. Richard charles albert holbrooke april 24, 1941 december, 2010 was an american. If you could read one book to comprehend americans foreign policy and its. Richard holbrooke was a jerk and a talented diplomat. The hustling, sweating, flawed greatness of richard holbrooke the legendary diplomat was a deeply imperfect specimen of the human condition. The access to richard holbrookes papers and to the uncensored memories of his wives and mistresses, as well as george packers own racy writing, makes this a fascinating and compulsive read. Richard holbrooke and the end of the american century george. His wifes recent book on life after richard holbrooke and her love of paris may well be on my future reading list as i too love paris and happen to be working here just now, i feel she had a bigger. Six months that changed the world 1 by margaret macmillan, richard holbrooke isbn.
The book has all the qualities of a nonfiction novel. When president clinton sent richard holbrooke to bosnia as americas c. Long well known among journalists and in diplomatic. Packer himself features as a closebreathing narrator on the margins, relating the fate of the main character, holbrooke, who is a kind of. I am in love with his character, positively in love, he wrote at the end of marshalls life. The man who made the supreme court basic books, 2018 associate justice joseph story loved john marshall. This isnt a book youre supposed to dip into piecemeal, searching for information. In george packers biography of richard holbrooke, we learn about our man and. Holbrooke was insinuatingly critical in to end a war, his book on the bosnia venture is a good time for him to cultivate new york. Richard holbrookes decline and fall, as told in hillary. The legendary ambassador and special envoy to afghanistan and pakistan had collapsed in washington. He was the only person to have held the position of assistant. Yet at his most statesmanlike moments, he could be.
The agony and the ecstasy of richard holbrooke the new york. A junior foreign service official in vietnam who came to. Richard holbrooke and the end of the american century. Kati marton is the author of seven books, most recently enemies of the people.