Charlie Wilson's War

The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History

By: George Crile

Narrated by: Christopher Lane

Charlie Wilson’s War is the untold story of the last battle of the Cold War and how it fueled the rise of militant Islam. Charlie Wilson, a maverick congressman from east Texas, conspired with a rogue CIA operative to launch the biggest, meanest, and most successful covert operation in the Agency’s history.

In the early 1980s, after a Houston socialite turned Wilson’s attention to the ragged Afghan freedom fighters who continued to fight the Soviet invaders despite overwhelming odds, the congressman became passionate about their cause and procured hundreds of millions of dollars to support the mujahideen. The arms were secretly procured and distributed with the help of an out-of-favor CIA operative, Gust Avrokotos, whose working-class Greek-American background made him an anomaly among the Ivy League world of American spies. Avrakotos handpicked a staff of CIA outcasts to run his operation and, with their help, continually stretched the Agency’s rules to the breaking point.

Moving from the back rooms of the Capitol, to secret chambers at Langley, to arms-dealers conventions, to the Khyber Pass, Charlie Wilson’s War is a detailed and brilliantly reported account of the inside workings of the CIA.

©2003 George Crile (P)2004 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

• 2004 Audie Award Winner, Unabridged Nonfiction

"Crile, a 60 Minutes producer, offers an absorbing, thoroughly detailed look at the largest and most successful CIA operation in U.S. history: the arming of the Mujahideen in Afghanistan." (Booklist)
"An engaging, well-written, newsworthy study of practical politics and its sometimes unlikely players." (Kirkus Reviews)

“Narrator Christopher Lane affects an even tone and pace, allowing the events of the story to carry the listener to the extraordinary highs and sickening lows of the flawed but heroic Wilson. Thankfully, Lane takes it easy on the accents and shines brightest when allowing a tinge of cynicism in his delivery." ( AudioFile)

“Put the Tom Clancy clones back on the shelf; this covert-ops chronicle is practically impossible to put down.” ( Publishers Weekly)

Awesome Book!

I read this last summer before it came out on audio; loved it because it sucks you right in, like a good book should! I have gone on to read other books about that period.

Everything IS a conspiracy!

Typically, I avoid political books, non-fiction or fiction. But, before I saw the anticipated movie, I wanted to listen to this book. It is well read. It reads like an intriguing novel and I kept reminding myself that this is supposed to be real-life. Every once in a while, the footnotes help keep this in perspective. I loved this book. The character development of each of the key players made them real with nuances of good and bad, of strengths and weaknesses. Then, the author tied each of the characters into their relationships with Charlie Wilson and what their impact was on him and his dream effort. The surprising fact coming out of this book is the fact that there is an extreme amount of money and goals that happens without Americans ever knowing what is going on. I lived through the extensive media coverage of the "crimes" of Oliver North. Just imagine what the media could have done with what Charlie Wilson did had they known. So, in my mind, I believe that one should be skeptical of the news media, that conspiracies happen all the time in the "background" of the government, and there must be a lot of "fall guys" to purge the real issues from the public. Bottom line - even for people who don't like politics or political novels or books - this is THE book to read. It's more lively than history, especially since we lived these days. It is every bit as colorful as a full featured epic. Oh, yes, someone thought that it would make a good movie, too.

Excellent Book

Totally captivating. This was one that I couldn't put down...or turn off. Excellent story and fantastically read. Superb character development contributed greatly to the context of the story. Worth listening to again and again.

amazing & scary

This is both one of the most amazing and scary books I have ever read. It is great reading if it were fiction. That it purports to be true is jaw dropping. All that stuff you learned in high school government class about checks and balances in the federal government; throw it out the window. If this book is half true our government is totally out of control. It is a great story, just do not forget to think about what it means. This is a must listen.

Among The Best Books You'll Ever Read

This is one of the most extraordinary books I've ever read.

From its horrifying opening scene -- which illustrates the utter brutality of the Mujahideen (with whom America allied itself in order to beat the Russians)... To its "everyman" Congressman... who somehow manages to become the almost sole sponsor of America's largest covert war... author George Crile paints a portrait which reads almost like a novel in the richness of its characters.

By the end of of this masterpiece, you just can't make up your mind whether Representative Charlie Wilson is a hero, or a loveable scoundrel.

The book's closing scene... from the porch of Wilson's condo, overlooking the Pentagon -- is just as unsettling as its opening. ... And it leaves you wondering... Did Charlie Wilson -- and his CIA associates -- save us from the Commies... or did they unwittingly set us down a path to an even more horrifying conflict?

It also poses the question, how on earth can a single Congressman -- from an obscure district in Texas -- set this country down such a momentous path with no one in America really noticing?

Even now -- 3 years after I finished this fabulous book -- I'm not quite sure of the answers.

Very Interesting reading

Unique ideas, connections and interpretation of facts..Overall I loved it...

What a great story!

I really loved this book. And Charlie Wilson and Gust Avrakotos are my kinda guys. If you've seen the movie, well, it is lame compared to the book.

A great, improbable story filled with fascinating characters. Well written. The narrator was fabulous.

One thing that struck me about Charlie Wilson-he was an authentic man. No BS. What you saw was what you got. I think politicians would do themselves and their constituents a service by looking at Charlie. He had his downsides and his issues, but that's what made him human. He didn't hide it. Everyone knew, and that's why he kept getting elected to Congress from his Bible Belt district in East Texas. People trusted Charlie Wilson and when you read this book, you will see why.

And Gust Avrakotos was a great man, too. We need more Gusts in government today.

These guys and the other characters make this book such a great read. I wish it never ended!

Nothing better than a great story, impeccably portrayed by the author and performed well by the narrator.

After reading and listening to this book, I just wanted to have dinner with these two guys! That would be one heck of an entertaining evening. Sadly, they're gone, but happily this book tells their tale.

Awesome.

Great book!

Very detailed look behind the curtains of how a secret government war is conducted.
This is essential reading for anyone that wants to understand America's relations with the middle East.

Fantastic

Would you listen to Charlie Wilson's War again? Why?

Probably. It's a great story. Just not sure if I want to spare the 20hr again. It was ceretainly worth the effort the first time around.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No way... Listened to it over a couple of weeks.

Any additional comments?

I found it was good to be listening this after Legacy of Ashes (NYT does CIA, what do you expect).... That book being a bit of a CIA beat down but also well worth a listen. Was good to hear some other sides of the story.

Rollicking!

George Crile glosses over the role played by the Reagan administration in the funding and encouragement of the Afghan "muj" in telling the story of Charlie Wilson's part in it, but that's a small quibble. The characters of Wilson, Joanne Herring and most impressive of all, Gust Avrakatos, leap out and grab your attention, affection and make this audiobook worth the three or so listenings I've made of it so far.

I have recommended this audio book to many people who are either military or political history buffs, and to those who just want to know why an audiobook might be worth the bother. The narration by Christopher Lane is terrific, using enough humor and vocal inflection to make the characters recognizable at once without sounding like a puppet show.

This is the book!