Synopses & Reviews
The year is 2002. Weekly newsmagazines dominate the political agenda in New York and Washington. A young journalist named Michael M. Hastings is a twenty-two- year-old intern at
The Magazine, wet behind the ears, the only one in the office whos actually read his coworkers books. He will stop at nothing to turn his internship into a full-time position, and hes figured out just whom to impress: Nishant Patel, the international editor, and Sanders Berman, managing editor, both vying for the job of editor in chief. While Berman and Nishant try to one-up each other pontificating on cable news, A. E. Peoriathe one reporter seemingly doing any workis having a career crisis. Hes just returned from Chad, where, instead of the genocide, he was told by his editors to focus on mobile phone outsourcing, which they think is more relevant. And then, suddenly, the United States invades Iraqand all hell breaks loose. As Hastings loses his naïveté about the journalism game, he must choose where his loyalties liewith the men at
The Magazine who can advance his career or with his friend in the field who is reporting the truth.
The Last Magazine is the debut novel from Michael Hastings, discovered in his files after his untimely death in June 2013. Informed by his own journalistic experiences, it is wickedly funny, sharp, and fast-paced: a great book about print journalisms last glory days, and a compelling first novel from one of Americas most treasured reporters.
Review
andquot;The life of a general is something to see, especially when it's Stanley McChrystal, America's four-star, rock star commander, at the height of his power and panache in Afghanistan. It's a hard story to get, and hard to tell it well, but in the hands of Michael Hastings, it's a world-class job of reporting and a joy to read.andquot;
- Richard Benandnbsp;Cramer, author of What it Takes and DiMaggio
Review
andquot;The most impact-laden story of the year...written by a perfect specimen of the new breed of journalist-commentator.andquot;
- Barrett Brown, Vanity Fair
Review
“An impressive feat of journalism by a Washington outsider who seemed to know more about what was going on in Washington than most insiders did.” -
The New York Times
Review
andquot;
The Operators is a troubling first-person narrative about a bizarre episode in U.S. military history, as well as a trenchant analysis of the disaster in Afghanistan. Hastings andhellip; brings a fresh eye and a brutally authentic voice to America's decade-old misadventure in Afghanistan.andrdquo;
- Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times
Review
andldquo;The Operators seems destined to join the pantheon of the best of GWOT literature, not just for its rock-and-roll details, but for its piercing chronicles of a world gone mad.andrdquo;
- Matt Gallagher, Newsweek/Daily Beast
Review
andldquo;As the situation in Afghanistan grows increasingly muddy, [Hastingandrsquo;s] disciplined adherence to solid journalistic practices and his acute eye for sharp scene setting makes much of the chaos comprehensible. Hastings has definitely taken up the traditional banner of the intrepid war correspondent, but heandrsquo;s simultaneously shot it through with iconoclastic holes; the effect is illuminating on many levels.andrdquo;
- Kirkus Reviews
Review
andldquo;Hastings brilliantly intertwines narrativesandhellip;. Hasting's first-class, engrossing reportage reveals unsettling yet human flaws behind one of recent history's most lionized military figures, and a war which purportedly began as a response to terrorism, but whose aims--in the author's estimation--remain ambiguous.andrdquo; -
Publishers WeeklyReview
andquot;Suburb... the book provides vital insights about the war not available anywhere else... One of the most eye-opening accounts provided yet...from one of the bravest and most intrepid journalists who has covered it.andquot;
- Glennandnbsp;Greenwald, Daily Beast
Review
“Superb…One of the most eye-opening accounts…from one of the bravest and most intrepid journalists.” -Salon.com
Review
“It demands to be read…this is a book of great consequence, not a pop-culture puff piece, which some of its deriders claim it is.
The Operators seems destined to join the pantheon of the best of GWOT literature, not just for its rock-and-roll details, but for its piercing chronicles of a world gone mad.” -The Daily Beast
Review
“Brings a fresh eye and a brutally authentic voice to America's decade-old misadventure in Afghanistan.”-
Los Angeles Times
Review
Praise for THE OPERATORS by Michael Hastings: andnbsp;andquot;The life of a general is something to see, especially when it's Stanley McChrystal, America's four-star, rock star commander, at the height of his power and panache in Afghanistan. It's a hard story to get, and hard to tell it well, but in the hands of Michael Hastings, it's a world-class job of reporting and a joy to read.andquot;
andmdash;Richard Benandnbsp;Cramer, author of What it Takes and DiMaggioandnbsp;andquot;The most impact-laden story of the year...written by a perfect specimen of the new breed of journalist-commentator.andquot;
andmdash;Barrett Brown, Vanity Fairandnbsp;andquot;An impressive feat of journalism by a Washington outsider who seemed to know more about what was going on in Washington than most insiders did.andquot;
andmdash;Frank Rich, New York Timesandnbsp;andquot;The Operators is a troubling first-person narrative about a bizarre episode in U.S. military history, as well as a trenchant analysis of the disaster in Afghanistan. Hastings andhellip; brings a fresh eye and a brutally authentic voice to America's decade-old misadventure in Afghanistan.andrdquo;
andmdash;Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Timesandnbsp;andldquo;The Operators seems destined to join the pantheon of the best of GWOT literature, not just for its rock-and-roll details, but for its piercing chronicles of a world gone mad.andrdquo;
andmdash;Matt Gallagher, Newsweek/Daily Beastandnbsp;andldquo;As the situation in Afghanistan grows increasingly muddy, [Hastingandrsquo;s] disciplined adherence to solid journalistic practices and his acute eye for sharp scene setting makes much of the chaos comprehensible. Hastings has definitely taken up the traditional banner of the intrepid war correspondent, but heandrsquo;s simultaneously shot it through with iconoclastic holes; the effect is illuminating on many levels.andrdquo;
andmdash;Kirkus Reviewsandnbsp;andldquo;Hastings brilliantly intertwines narrativesandhellip;. Hasting's first-class, engrossing reportage reveals unsettling yet human flaws behind one of recent history's most lionized military figures, and a war which purportedly began as a response to terrorism, but whose aims--in the author's estimation--remain ambiguous.andrdquo;andmdash;Publishers Weeklyandnbsp;andquot;Superb... the book provides vital insights about the war not available anywhere else... One of the most eye-opening accounts provided yet...from one of the bravest and most intrepid journalists who has covered it.andrdquo;andmdash;Glennandnbsp;Greenwald, Daily Beast
Review
andldquo;An impressive feat of journalism by a Washington outsider who seemed to know more about what was going on in Washington than most insiders did.andrdquo; -
The New York Times
Review
andldquo;Superbandhellip;One of the most eye-opening accountsandhellip;from one of the bravest and most intrepid journalists.andrdquo; -Salon.com
Review
andldquo;It demands to be readandhellip;this is a book of great consequence, not a pop-culture puff piece, which some of its deriders claim it is.
The Operators seems destined to join the pantheon of the best of GWOT literature, not just for its rock-and-roll details, but for its piercing chronicles of a world gone mad.andrdquo; -The Daily Beast
Review
andldquo;Brings a fresh eye and a brutally authentic voice to America's decade-old misadventure in Afghanistan.andrdquo;-
Los Angeles Times
Review
“Even from the grave Mr. Hastings has demonstrated anew an ability to reframe the debate. The novel….reads as vivid archaeology that reveals much about the present moment… The milieu of the book paints a picture of a treehouse where like minds connive and look for an opening. But far below them, there is the sound of sawing - steady and implacable. The tree will fall….Remarkable.”—David Carr,
The New York Times
“Scathing, funny, rollicking.”—The Barnes and Noble Review
“Frenetic and darkly funny.” - Rolling Stone
“Terrifyingly funny ….entrancing, compelling.” - Shelf Awareness
“The Last Magazine is tender and brutal, worldly and inbred, high-minded and gross, smartly rendered and rough around the edges — and quite often hilarious…The Last Magazine is the funniest, most savage takedown of the American news media since Fear and Loathing: On the Campaign Trail 72, by his hero Hunter S. Thompson.”—James Rosen, The Washington Post
“[The Last Magazine] is fast and funny and humane. When I put it down, it called to be picked up again.” -Dwight Garner, The New York Times
“What makes this novel work—really, I cant think of a better little tome to take to the beach—is that its just so much fun, so wicked, so amusing, and so brilliantly observed. The caricatures of people living and dead (career-wise) are only part of its charm. I havent read a better send-up of hackery since the last time I dove into Evelyn Waughs 1938 classic Scoop.”—Christopher Dickey, The Daily Beast
“As a provocative piece of thinly fictionalized nonfiction, [The Last Magazine] is a posthumous mission accomplished…Hastingss book is a message in a bottle that has belatedly washed up on shore to force us to remember how we landed where we are now.”—Frank Rich, New York Magazine
“That voice. That witty, subversive voice we thought we'd lost, is back for one last romp. Hastings decodes the culture even more incisively in fiction, with wild bursts of imaginative mischief. So damn funny.”—Dave Cullen, New York Times bestselling author of Columbine
“[Hastings] keen eye for the creatures of the New York media universe focuses on the fabricated lifestyles of that world's desperate inhabitants. Here, no one is immune….The suffering amid the insufferable is comic gold, and Hastings had no time for heroes. The world he created is filled with lost boys stamping their feet for validation. This could be the perfect summer bro comedy. Paging Judd Apatow!”—Mark Guarino, Chicago Tribune
“A convincing account of the perils of war - and of the journalistic wars of an institution under siege from New Media…. The Last Magazine remains a loving account of a profession Hastings believed was honorable and tried to honor. Only the guilty have something to fear.” -Paul Wilner, San Francisco Chronicle
“Surely Michael Hastings would have savored the taste of revenge had he lived to see his first novel, The Last Magazine published…The humor throughout is searing….entertaining.”—Sherryl Connelly, New York Daily News
The promise of this remarkable novel will never be fulfilled because it is that saddest of literary phenomena—the brilliant but posthumous first novel. Hastings, former Rolling Stone journalist and author of the memoir I Lost My Love in Baghdad (2008), was killed when his automobile crashed in June 2013. Here, in an apparently completed novel found in Hastings files after his death, the protagonist “Michael Hastings” is an intern at The Magazine, a newsweekly, and author Hastings has keen and considerable insight into the functioning of a Time-like periodical between 2002 and 2005, Iraq to Katrina. War reporter A. E. Peoria, who has been to Iraq (and elsewhere) for the magazine and is equal parts Neil Sheehan and Hunter Thompson, is the novels focus. The scenes of war are graphic and horrifying, and those of sex every bit as graphic and pretty horrifying themselves. Peoria has read his Conrad and Graham Greene, and Hastings, the novelist, reminds one at times of the early Robert Stone. There is an interesting twist, although with its development, the book jumps the tracks a bit. Nonetheless, this is powerful, sharp, often funny, and very compelling reading.
—Booklist
Hastings (The Operators, 2012, etc.) was one hell of a journalist, covering wars and geopolitical strife for venues like Rolling Stone and BuzzFeed. As it turns out, he would have made a fine novelist had he not died in a car accident in 2013. This “secret” novel was resurrected from his files by his widow, Elise Jordan; its a messy, caustic and very funny satire. His protagonist is a young journalist also named Mike Hastings, who has just landed his first job at The Magazine in the dying days of traditional journalism. In wry metacommentary scattered throughout the text, the character Mike—who claims he's the one writing this book—reflects on just what it is he's writing. "Maybe I'm talking genres, and maybe the genre is corporate betrayal," he says. "Including the big decision that the entire media world is so interested in: Who and what is left standing?" Hastings, the author, tells the story of how Mike makes the journey from ambitious young man to cynical hack partially by showing us Mike's new friend A.E. Peoria, a classic old-school journalist who fuels his brilliant war reporting with alcohol and drugs and transvestite hookers. In the crevasse between his sanitary cubicle and Peorias lewd adventures, our hero is also tracking the war of career strategy between his managing editor, Sanders Berman, and the international editor, Nishant Patel, whose favor Mike is carefully currying. Hastings chooses the start of the Iraq War to disrupt Mike's burgeoning career path. "There's war in the backdrop, looming and distant and not real for most of these characters, myself included," Mike says. In a way, the book reflects Hastings' career arc, from unpaid intern at Newsweek to becoming one of the essential war correspondents of his generation. A ribald comedy about doing time in the trenches and the bitter choices that integrity demands.
--Kirkus
Synopsis
The inspiration for the upcoming movie War Machine, starring Brad Pitt, Emory Cohen, and Ben Kingsley.
From the author of The Last Magazine, a shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of our military commanders, their high-stake maneuvers, and the politcal firestorm that shook the United States.
In the shadow of the hunt for Bin Laden and the United States involvement in the Middle East, General Stanley McChrystal, the commanding general of international and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was living large. His loyal staff liked to call him a rock star. During a spring 2010 trip, journalist Michael Hastings looked on as McChrystal and his staff let off steam, partying and openly bashing the Obama administration. When Hastings s article appeared in Rolling Stone, it set off a political firestorm: McChrystal was unceremoniously fired.
In The Operators, Hastings picks up where his Rolling Stone coup ended. From patrol missions in the Afghan hinterlands to senior military advisors late-night bull sessions to hotel bars where spies and expensive hookers participate in nation-building, Hastings presents a shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of what he fears is an unwinnable war. Written in prose that is at once eye-opening and other times uncannily conversational, readers of No Easy Day will take to Hastings unyielding first-hand account of the Afghan War and its cast of players."
Synopsis
The inspiration for the upcoming movie War Machine, starring Brad Pitt, Tilda Swinton, and Ben Kingsley (streaming on Netflix on May 26) From the author of The Last Magazine, a shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of our military commanders, their high-stake maneuvers, and the politcal firestorm that shook the United States.
In the shadow of the hunt for Bin Laden and the United States' involvement in the Middle East, General Stanley McChrystal, the commanding general of international and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was living large. His loyal staff liked to call him a "rock star." During a spring 2010 trip, journalist Michael Hastings looked on as McChrystal and his staff let off steam, partying and openly bashing the Obama administration. When Hastings's article appeared in Rolling Stone, it set off a political firestorm: McChrystal was unceremoniously fired.
In The Operators, Hastings picks up where his Rolling Stone coup ended. From patrol missions in the Afghan hinterlands to senior military advisors' late-night bull sessions to hotel bars where spies and expensive hookers participate in nation-building, Hastings presents a shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of what he fears is an unwinnable war. Written in prose that is at once eye-opening and other times uncannily conversational, readers of No Easy Day will take to Hastings' unyielding first-hand account of the Afghan War and its cast of players.
Synopsis
General Stanley McChrystal, the innovative, forward-thinking commanding general of international and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was living large. He was better known to some as Big Stan, M4, Stan, and his loyal staff liked to call him a andquot;rock star.andquot; During a spring 2010 trip across Europe to garner additional allied help for the war effort, McChrystal was accompanied by journalist Michael Hastings of Rolling Stone. For days, Hastings looked on as McChrystal and his staff let off steam, partying and openly bashing the Obama administration for what they saw as a lack of leadership. When Hastings's piece appeared a few months later, it set off a political firestorm: McChrystal was ordered to Washington, where he was fired unceremoniously.
In The Operators, Hastings picks up where his Rolling Stone coup ended. He gives us a shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of our military commanders, their high-stakes maneuvers and often bitter bureaucratic infighting. Hastings takes us on patrol missions in the Afghan hinterlands, to late-night bull sessions of senior military advisors, to hotel bars where spies and expensive hookers participate in nation-building gone awry. And as he weighs the merits and failings of old-school generals and the so-called COINdinistas-the counterintelligence experts-Hastings draws back the curtain on a hellish complexity and, he fears, an unwinnable war.
Synopsis
From the author of The Last Magazine, a shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of our military commanders, their high-stake maneuvers, and the politcal firestorm that shook the United States.
In the shadow of the hunt for Bin Laden and the United Statesand#8217; involvement in the Middle East, General Stanley McChrystal, the commanding general of international and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was living large. His loyal staff liked to call him a and#147;rock star.and#8221; During a spring 2010 trip, journalist Michael Hastings looked on as McChrystal and his staff let off steam, partying and openly bashing the Obama administration. When Hastingsand#8217;s article appeared in Rolling Stone, it set off a political firestorm: McChrystal was unceremoniously fired.
In The Operators, Hastings picks up where his Rolling Stone coup ended. From patrol missions in the Afghan hinterlands to senior military advisorsand#8217; late-night bull sessions to hotel bars where spies and expensive hookers participate in nation-building, Hastings presents a shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of what he fears is an unwinnable war.and#160; Written in prose that is at once eye-opening and other times uncannily conversational, readers of No Easy Day will take to Hastingsand#8217; unyielding first-hand account of the Afghan War and its cast of players.and#160; and#160;
Synopsis
General Stanley McChrystal, the innovative, forward-thinking commanding general of international and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was living large. He was better known to some as Big Stan, M4, Stan, and his loyal staff liked to call him a andquot;rock star.andquot; During a spring 2010 trip across Europe to garner additional allied help for the war effort, McChrystal was accompanied by journalist Michael Hastings of Rolling Stone. For days, Hastings looked on as McChrystal and his staff let off steam, partying and openly bashing the Obama administration for what they saw as a lack of leadership. When Hastings's piece appeared a few months later, it set off a political firestorm: McChrystal was ordered to Washington, where he was fired unceremoniously.
In The Operators, Hastings picks up where his Rolling Stone coup ended. He gives us a shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of our military commanders, their high-stakes maneuvers and often bitter bureaucratic infighting. Hastings takes us on patrol missions in the Afghan hinterlands, to late-night bull sessions of senior military advisors, to hotel bars where spies and expensive hookers participate in nation-building gone awry. And as he weighs the merits and failings of old-school generals and the so-called COINdinistas-the counterintelligence experts-Hastings draws back the curtain on a hellish complexity and, he fears, an unwinnable war.
Synopsis
A shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of our military commanders, their high-stake maneuvers, and the politcal firestorm that shook the United States. and#160;and#160;
In the shadow of the hunt for Bin Laden and the United Statesandrsquo; involvement in the Middle East, General Stanley McChrystal, the commanding general of international and U.S. forces in Afghanistan, was living large. His loyal staff liked to call him a andldquo;rock star.andrdquo; During a spring 2010 trip, journalist Michael Hastings looked on as McChrystal and his staff let off steam, partying and openly bashing the Obama administration. When Hastingsandrsquo;s article appeared in Rolling Stone, it set off a political firestorm: McChrystal was unceremoniously fired.
In The Operators, Hastings picks up where his Rolling Stone coup ended. From patrol missions in the Afghan hinterlands to senior military advisorsandrsquo; late-night bull sessions to hotel bars where spies and expensive hookers participate in nation-building, Hastings presents a shocking behind-the-scenes portrait of what he fears is an unwinnable war.and#160; Written in prose that is at once eye-opening and other times uncannily conversational, readers of No Easy Day will take to Hastingsandrsquo; unyielding first-hand account of the Afghan War and its cast of players.and#160; and#160;
About the Author
Michael Hastings is a contributing editor at Rolling Stone. He regularly covers politics and international affairs for the magazine, including the wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya. In 2011, he received the George Polk Award in journalism for his Rolling Stone story andquot;The Runaway General.andquot; His work has appeared in Newsweek, GQ, Men's Journal, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times, Slate, Salon, Foreign Policy, The Daily Beast, and The Huffington Post. In 2010, Hastings was named one of The Huffington Post's Game Changers of the year. His GQ story andquot;Obama's Warandquot; was selected for Best American Political Writing 2009. The author also of I Lost My Love in Baghdad: A Modern War Story, Hastings lives in Vermont.