Abyss by Max Hastings - Cuban Missile Crisis: Audible

On the back of Nuclear Folly I was recommended to go and also read the Max Hasting's account of the Cuban Missile Crisis in his "Abyss", to hear as it were a slightly more westernised version of events, although still with his keen critical, investigative journalistic integrity (see below, a longer listen but it was well worth it): 

Again he took no prisoners and was at pains to be far reaching in research as well as being balanced. Another epic listen broken up over several weeks. Why the thought of Russian nuclear missiles 90 miles from the US shore created the stir it did in the US was a main theme, whereas Europeans were well accustomed to it. This was the basic error of Khrushchev's thinking that lead to him to make such a mad adventurous gamble was explained. The tangled escalation of events, twisted tortuously in an insane manner that no fictional book would think worthy of a plausible plot-line. The cast of war-minded American Generals who felt goaded into action and belittled by not invading Cuba. The minor comical character that took world stage that became the latter villain of the piece to my mind was Castro. Just when a safe passage was in sight, navigated by others he tried to vaingloriously grab the tiller and cast teh ship onto the rocks. After listening to it, I am not sure how we made it here, As Kennedy himself stated, he thought there had been a one in three chance of nuclear war. 

A lighter read needed next! 

Nuclear Folly: Audible Audio Book

You read all about it in the history books, the popular press and the papers so you think you know all about the story at least at a superficial level, thinking no more real shocks to come out. Then you settle down with a book like "Nuclear Folly" and then and only then does it dawn on you, how "stupidly comfortable you are in your thinking" - you were lapping it all up and sitting in a "history with the benefit of hindsight" syndrome. Facts drawn out long after the events push a new interpretation and open up "the things that could have been"! (see below, a "good read" rating underestimates the staggering impact of the Soviet perspective on events): 

Most disturbing was the Epilogue that quite rightly pointed out what a dangerous time we are living in, remiss without some of the safeguards that existed in teh Cold War. I intend to follow up this with Max Hasting's Abyss. Need a strong coffee first.

Note: I was parallel streaming two very different books (one over Alexa in the kitchen and one from Audible in the car) hence such a sudden turn around in my reading speed ;)