Scan barcode
alissa417's review
4.0
Packer follows his 2013 National Book Award winning, The Unwinding, with this exhaustive biography of Richard Holbrooke. A complex figure in American foreign policy, Holbrooke sought to be a famed peacemaker, and occasionally succeeded, yet he rarely received the leadership roles he aggressively sought. Packer had incredible access to Holbrooke’s archives and social network; this book will fascinate those entertained by the minutiae of diplomatic deals – and petty grievances. Buy it here and support indie bookstores: https://bookshop.org/a/36/9780307958020
citizen_noir's review
5.0
Behold Richard Holbrooke: bloated, bloviating, self-serving, embarrassing blunderbuss of foreign wars and hotspots, from Vietnam all the way to Afghanistan.
Behold Richard Holbrooke: brilliant, dedicated, relentless ambassador who meticulously crafted the Bosnian peace accords.
OUR MAN, by George Packer, is also brilliant, using Holbrooke as the Quixotic ambassador whose 50 year career so aptly describes the highs and lows of U.S. foreign policy over the same past half century. Packer employs first, second, and third person narrators to tell the story in a way that is amusing, entertaining, and unforgettable. I highly recommend this one.
Behold Richard Holbrooke: brilliant, dedicated, relentless ambassador who meticulously crafted the Bosnian peace accords.
OUR MAN, by George Packer, is also brilliant, using Holbrooke as the Quixotic ambassador whose 50 year career so aptly describes the highs and lows of U.S. foreign policy over the same past half century. Packer employs first, second, and third person narrators to tell the story in a way that is amusing, entertaining, and unforgettable. I highly recommend this one.
mubeenirfan's review
4.0
I came to hear the name Holbrooke when he was appointed the Af-Pak region rep by the US in Obama presidency. To be fair, he wasn't a secretary of state to be remembered much about. And then he died in office of heart disease. I read about him next in Ronan Farrow's book where he recalled him rather fondly and mentioned this book coming out on Holbrooke's life. That's the only reason I picked it up.
First part is a lot about Vietnam, a war we middle aged people all know about but have never drilled deep into. Afghanistan, Iraq, Al Qaeda & lately ISIS are wars enough for us. My actual interest started somewhere in the middle when Holbrooke was appointed as an envoy for Baltic civil war. And the last part is about his time as Af-Pak rep.
It's a detailed account into the life and habits of a person who thought too big of himself and failed to realize what he wanted to be in life. It doesn't mean the story isn't good. It's so well written that you start to sympathize with Holbrooke soon enough though in real life you might never tolerate such a character which says a lot about this book in my opinion. If you like biographies or have an interest in back door politics or the art of statecraft then you will like it else leave this one.
First part is a lot about Vietnam, a war we middle aged people all know about but have never drilled deep into. Afghanistan, Iraq, Al Qaeda & lately ISIS are wars enough for us. My actual interest started somewhere in the middle when Holbrooke was appointed as an envoy for Baltic civil war. And the last part is about his time as Af-Pak rep.
It's a detailed account into the life and habits of a person who thought too big of himself and failed to realize what he wanted to be in life. It doesn't mean the story isn't good. It's so well written that you start to sympathize with Holbrooke soon enough though in real life you might never tolerate such a character which says a lot about this book in my opinion. If you like biographies or have an interest in back door politics or the art of statecraft then you will like it else leave this one.
duepnerd's review
3.0
I learned a ton about the US diplomatic efforts in Vietnam and Afghanistan, but the pacing of story telling was slower than I like.
glennmiller5309's review
5.0
Does the world need a 600-page book on Richard Holbrooke? Does Holbrooke merit a book of that length? In the capable and entertaining hands of George Packer, yes and yes. The best biographies are as much about a given person as they are about the times in which that person lived. Packer delivers on both counts -- Our Man is well-balanced between a detailed description of American foreign policy over the last 60 years and the tragicomic soap opera that was Richard Holbrooke's life. The book is roughly broken into thirds -- the Vietnam era, the Balkan wars of the 1990s, and Afghanistan. Packer writes like a novelist -- he sprinkles clues and foreshadowings throughout for payoff at a later point in the book. Disappointingly, the one teasing clue he included which had no solution were the multiple references to -- and quotes from -- "a younger woman" with whom Holbrooke had an affair. The reader can only guess at the identity.
docjh's review
4.0
Despite overusing first-person narrative (inserting himself into the story), the author has produced a very readable biography of one of the most fascinating US figures of the past 50 years. The book also covers some fascinating historical moments which await more thorough analysis in the future.