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The Shadow of War

A Novel of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

"Michael re-creates the conversations between President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, as they work to prevent a catastrophe...This stunning and memorable performance is not to be missed."AudioFile on The Shadow of War (Earphones Award Winner)
From the bestselling author comes the story of rising conflict between the super-powers that gripped the world, a global war that almost happened: The Cuban Missile Crisis.
In 1961, the new president John F. Kennedy, inherited an ill-conceived, poorly executed invasion of Cuba that failed miserably and set in motion the events that put the U.S. and the Soviet Union on a collision course that nearly started a war that would have enveloped much of the world.
Extensively researched and vividly imagined, The Shadow of War brings to life the many threads that lead to the building crisis between the Soviet Union and the United States in 1962.
Told from a multitude of perspectives and voices, from the Russian engineer attempting the near impossible task of building the missile launch facilities in Cuba, to the U.S. Navy commanders who ships are sent to "quarantine" Cuba, to the Soviet Premier, Nikita Khrushchev, desperately trying to maintain a challenging balancing act between the conflicting demands of various powerful forces, to the brothers Kennedy (Bobby and JFK) who can't allow Russia to land nuclear missiles in Cuba, or to appear weak in confronting Khrushchev, but keenly understand how close they are dancing to the edge of war.
Shaara brings to life all the action and actors, famous and little known, that embodied a war that almost happened, the Cuban Missile Crisis.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

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    • Publisher's Weekly

      March 25, 2024
      Shaara (The Old Lion) dramatizes the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis in his lackluster latest. The story draws on the perspectives of various members of the Kennedy administration; Soviet premier Nikita Khrushchev and his advisers; and fictional English professor Joseph Russo, a Kennedy supporter living in a pro-Nixon Florida community. As the Kennedy White House grapples with the complex fallout of the failed Bay of Pigs invasion, an emboldened Khrushchev begins shipping nuclear weapons to Cuba. Attorney general Robert Kennedy, under the direction of his brother in chief, scrambles to come up with a path forward that won’t lead to mutually assured destruction, and the cabinet weighs a land invasion, a naval blockade, and diplomacy. These Oval Office scenes alternate with ones featuring Khrushchev, who considers potential countermoves and deals with the hardliners in his party who push for a strong response to the U.S. blockade. Meanwhile, the Russo family learns of the threat through television broadcasts and duck-and-cover drills at school. Exposition-heavy dialogue lessens the suspense, and too little attention is paid to the Russos. This pales in comparison to other fictional treatments of earthshaking geopolitical events, such as Robert Harris’s Munich.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      This audiobook about a terrifying event in American history is expertly narrated by Paul Michael. In October 1962, Nikita Khrushchev attempted to install nuclear missiles in secret in Cuba by camouflaging them on ordinary supply ships. Michael re-creates the conversations between President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, as they work to prevent a catastrophe. Listeners who remember the principals' voices will hear the authenticity and richness of Michael's performance as he brings them to life. His presentation is equally vivid as he captures the sly affability of Khrushchev and the various neighbors in a Florida neighborhood, one a liberal professor and the other who is building a bomb shelter. This stunning and memorable performance is not to be missed. E.E.S. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

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  • English

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