Synopses & Reviews
The authoritative account of Americas most controversial war since Vietnam, a conflict in which “shock and awe” were not confined to the battlefield It was a war like no other the United States had ever fought. It began with the bombing of Saddam Husseins bunker and ended with statues of the Iraqi dictator being toppled in downtown Baghdad, and it marked a turning point in Americas relations with its enemies, its allies, and its sense of itself. Yet most Americans experienced the war as impressionistic and often confusing—the story of one battle here, one unit there, a report from one city, then another, without the larger context we so urgently needed. Each reporter had his “slice” of the war, it seemed, but no one had the whole story or the broad view.
A Time of Our Choosing fills that gap brilliantly, drawing on the unparalleled resources and reportage of The New York Times. Todd S. Purdum, one of the papers most gifted storytellers, traces the war in Iraq from the first rumblings after 9/11, to the diplomatic recriminations at the United Nations, to the battles themselves and their aftermath. He deftly rolls out the whole canvas before our eyes, showing how the individual “slices” fit together into a single, gripping drama.
Purdum also explores the complex legacy of Americas near-unilateral action. Since the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush has vowed that the United States would confront its enemies “at a time of our choosing,” and Purdum shows in vivid terms what this choice has meant for our now transformed world.
Review
"With the fates of Saddam, bin Laden and the nations of Iraq and Afghanistan still uncertain, Purdum wrapped this compelling work in August, but not before asking tough questions about what 'victory' means." Publishers Weekly
Review
"A Time of Our Choosing is an indispensable guide to understanding the causes, conduct and consequences of the war in Iraq. Purdum has deftly woven his sources and his own reporting into a seamless narrative that reads as a coherent book, rather than as a collection of dispatches....A balanced work of journalism rather than a partisan polemic, A Time of Our Choosing can be read with profit by those on all sides of the debate about Iraq." The New York Times
Synopsis
Drawing on the unparalleled resources and reportage of "The New York Times," one of the paper's most gifted storytellers traces the war in Iraq from the first rumblings after 9/11, to the diplomatic recriminations at the United Nations, to the battles themselves and their aftermath.
Synopsis
"An indispensable guide to understanding the causes, conduct and consequences of the war in Iraq . . . A Time of Our Choosing can be read with profit by those on all sides of the debate." -The New York Times Book Review
A Time of Our Choosing is the authoritative and dramatic account of the war in Iraq, America's most controversial war since Vietnam, drawing on the unparalleled resources and reportage of The New York Times. Todd S. Purdum, one of the paper's most gifted writers, deftly rolls out the whole canvas before our eyes, weaving together a single, gripping tale. Purdum traces the story of the war from the first rumblings after 9/11 to the diplomatic tussles at the United Nations, to the battles themselves and the violence that lasted well beyond the cessation of formal hostilities. And in a new afterword he recounts the high drama of the capture of Saddam Hussein and pursues the persistent questions regarding weapons of mass destruction, flawed intelligence, and preemptive war. President George W. Bush has vowed that the United States would attack its enemies at "a time of our choosing," and Purdum shows in vivid terms what this choice has meant for our now transformed world.
About the Author
Todd S. Purdum is a correspondent in the Washington bureau of
The New York Times. He has worked for the
Times for more than twenty years, and is a former diplomatic correspondent, White House correspondent, and Los Angeles bureau chief. A graduate of Princeton University, he lives with his family in Washington, D.C.