Given recent events in America, there may be heightened interest in eyewitness reports of certain personages. If so, this is the book for you.
In War, Bob Woodward, of Watergate fame attempts to deliver an insider’s account, based on his privileged access to various politicians and bureaucrats, of the US Government’s handling of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza before pivoting to the lead up the 2024 Presidential Election.
Unfortunately for Woodwood, the greater part War is now old news. US political aficionados may be interested in the purportedly verbatim conversations with a host of the US great and good or not so good but observations by US Generals about how Biden really was still pretty sharp, while good to know, are pretty irrelevant to the situation the world now finds itself in.
Woodwood offers surprisingly little analysis or opinion – and when he does (for example, suggesting Kamala was a shoe in) he is not particularly prescient. The value of this kind of journalism is that it purports to be an accurate record of things said by people who make things happen. As such its approach to historical causation verges on the naïve but it still has its moments of fascination.
What does remain relevant, indeed compelling, are the sections of the book that deal with Donald Trump and the US’s dealings with the Israelis. Trump is a case of what you see is what you get. It’s turtles all the way down. The chapters on Biden and Harris’s interactions with Netanyahu in relation to the unacceptable civilian death and suffering in Gaza will leave you wondering what the point is of being a superpower.
One note of caution – there are no sources noted in this work – it is based on ‘deep background’. There is no way of confirming whether any of it actually happened – but a lot of it has the ring of truth.
Reviewed by Grant Hansen
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Bob Woodward is an associate editor of The Washington Post, where he has worked since 1971. He has shared in two Pulitzer Prizes, first for the coverage of the Watergate scandal with Carl Bernstein, and second as the lead reporter for coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Woodward has written best-selling books on the last ten presidents—Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, George H.W. Bush, Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden—as well as the CIA, the Joint Chiefs, Hollywood and the Supreme Court. His approach is aggressive but fair and nonpartisan reporting.
He has authored or coauthored 21 books, all of which have been national non-fiction bestsellers. Fifteen have been #1 national bestsellers.
Woodward has taught a MasterClass on investigative journalism.
Newsweek magazine has excerpted six of Woodward’s books in headline-making cover stories. 60 Minutes has done pieces on eight of his books; three of his books have been made into movies.
Woodward was born in Illinois and graduated from Yale University in 1965. He served five years as a communications officer in the U.S. Navy before beginning his journalism career at the Montgomery County (Maryland) Sentinel, where he was a reporter for one year before joining the Post.
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