KISSINGER

Rating:
Summary: Christ or Anti-Christ
Review: This is a very good book. I'm sure the author was not trying to do so, but after reading it, it's uncanny how Kissinger so exactly fits the biblical description of the anti-christ.

Rating:
Summary: A Decent Biography
Review: Walter Isaacson simply set out to chronicle and highlight to the life and times of Henry Kissinger. What resulted was one of the most comprehensive, insightful, and nonpartisan biographies of the field. Isaacson draws extensively from Kissinger's own memoirs, Years of Upheaval, White House Years, and Years of Renewal, as well as other works written by Kissinger. However, Isaacson also uses other secondary sources written by authors sympathetic and unsympathetic to the former Secretary of State. Yet Isaacson doesn't narrow his focus to any particular period of time in Kissinger's life or career. He details Kissinger's experiences as a university student at Harvard, as a professor there, then as a prominent government figure, then into a full blown public position as National Security Advisor and then Secretary of State. Isaacson does not shy away from controversial topics in or facets of Kissinger's life. He mentions Kissinger's standing as a jet-setter, courting the heads of state and traveling the world, solving, or working to solve, major world problems such as the Vietnam war, the Yom Kippur War, problems with the Soviet Union, and many more. Part of what makes Isaacson's biography a work of quality is his attention to the lesser known events in which Kissinger was a major player. It is up to the reader to judge whether or not Kissinger is biased, manipulative, or any of the other range of qualities, positive or negative, on which Isaacson sheds light. Isaacson, although judgmental at times, simply provides enough material or direction for any reader to make such a choice. It is more than likely that Kissinger is a polarizing figure of such magnitude that any author or biographer simply cannot resist the temptation to judge. Isaacson's work remains, in spite of any judging, a must-have resource for any reader set on inquiring into Kissinger's life and career. It is a very thorough introductory survey of Kissinger despite any shortcomings.