Review of kissinger biography

A young Walter Isaacson in 1992 published a wonderful biography of Henry Kissinger, which I read this week.

Kissinger biographer

If Mr. Kissinger expected this book to be another hymn of praise, of which there are already several, he must be desperately disappointed.

Walter isaacson kissinger review

Customers find the book insightful and detailed, providing a rare example of a well-researched biography.

One friendly biographer described the well-known Kissinger persona: “particularly his abrasiveness, self-centeredness, and excessive ambition.”.

It’s a sweeping history of Kissinger’s life and his consequential years in public service. Despite its level of detail, Isaacson writes lucidly with the skills of a journalist, so there’s good forward momentum over the course of the 800+ pages even for a hobbyist like me.

You walk away with a deep view into both the man and the era he shaped. Highly recommended.

In conclusion, Kissinger: A Biography is a masterful work that provides an in-depth exploration of the life and career of Henry Kissinger.

(The Richard Holbrooke biography is another compelling look at a statesman who shaped our current foreign policy.)

I came to this biography after spending time in Cambodia and Vietnam, where Kissinger’s legacy looms large.

His decisions with regards to both countries play a central role in the biography. My other personal interest here is Chile, where I lived more than a decade ago — another country where Kissinger exercised arguably problematic moral judgment.

The biography is balanced,