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The Bomber Mafia
- A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
- Narrated by: Malcolm Gladwell
- Length: 5 hrs and 14 mins
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The Bomber Mafia
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Summary
In The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War, Malcolm Gladwell, author of New York Times best sellers including Talking to Strangers and host of the podcast Revisionist History, uses original interviews, archival footage, and his trademark insight to weave together the stories of a Dutch genius and his homemade computer, a band of brothers in Central Alabama, a British psychopath, and pyromaniacal chemists at Harvard. As listeners hear these stories unfurl, Gladwell examines one of the greatest moral challenges in modern American history.
Most military thinkers in the years leading up to World War II saw the airplane as an afterthought. But a small band of idealistic strategists had a different view. This “Bomber Mafia” asked: What if precision bombing could, just by taking out critical choke points - industrial or transportation hubs - cripple the enemy and make war far less lethal?
In Revisionist History, Gladwell reexamines moments from the past and asks whether we got it right the first time. In The Bomber Mafia, he employs all the production techniques that make Revisionist History so engaging, stepping back from the bombing of Tokyo, the deadliest night of the war, and asking, “Was it worth it?” The attack was the brainchild of General Curtis LeMay, whose brutal pragmatism and scorched-earth tactics in Japan cost thousands of civilian lives but may have spared more by averting a planned US invasion.
Things might have gone differently had LeMay’s predecessor, General Haywood Hansell, remained in charge. As a key member of the Bomber Mafia, Hansell’s theories of precision bombing had been foiled by bad weather and human error. When he and Curtis LeMay squared off for a leadership handover in the jungles of Guam, LeMay emerged victorious, leading to the darkest night of World War II.
The Bomber Mafia is a riveting tale of persistence, innovation, and the incalculable wages of war.
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Critic reviews
“The Bomber Mafia is a parable written for the age of technological disruption.” (The Times, London)
"Gladwell is a wonderful storyteller. When he is introducing characters and showing them in conflict, The Bomber Mafia is gripping. I enjoyed this short book thoroughly, and would have been happy if it had been twice as long." (The New York Times)
“An innovative audio book with music, sound effects and archival clips. Gladwell’s easy conversational style works well, and his admiration for the Bomber Mafia shines through.” (The Washington Post)
What listeners say about The Bomber Mafia
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- GW
- 03-05-21
A harrowing tale of an evolving dream
I couldn't stop listening, like a car crash in slow motion. The story is expertly told in the right format as hearing the interviews is wonderful.
My only complaint is how short it is!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Social Work Tutor
- 07-05-21
A captivating book from beginning to end
A captivating book from beginning to end.
I loved Gladwell’s last book, talking to strangers, and felt that this follow-up couldn’t possibly compare, but how wrong I was.
From start to finish, this was a compelling account of a part of history that is often neglected and unexplored. The best new book I have read of 2021 so far.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 30-04-21
Excellent
Engaging, thought provoking, excellent production. Finished in two days. An overlooked piece of history brought to life.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 11-06-21
Great audible presentation
Felt a little disappointed at first here, as the book is short and I do listen to revoluionist history podcast so was already with some of the material.
But the presentation is really next generation audible entertainment, the angles in the narrative and the story telling is brilliant.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Neria Zerlendi
- 31-07-22
Fantastic!
I absolutely loved listening to this book, so much so I actually listened to it twice.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 21-05-24
Fascinating, horrific, yet hugely thought provoking.
Confronting morality and the human condition in a manner that challenges both the aggressive and the high minded with no easy answers. I don't think I'd have got on with LeMay but is my sense of morality too narrow. Maybe but I don't like it!
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- Ken
- 22-05-21
Live action audio book
I adore Gladwell and the addition of interviews and audio really enhances this book!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Christopher Slyper
- 26-08-21
Fascinating historical anecdotes.
Excellent read. The book considers the issue of morality in war and people in history that shaped war, contemporary warfare but also really sets the scene of the experiences that people encountered in combat from the airforce.
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- Rob Parr
- 07-05-21
Fire and fury
A great listen! Humanises leMay, who has the reputation as a Strangelovian-style character, a hawk with no pity. Full of striking images; bombers that had to be defumigated because of the stench caused by 100,000 Tokyo residents being burnt by napalm.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- D. Staicu
- 20-06-21
Malcolm at his best!
Exceedingly good! An impressive amount of historical details not easy to put together when read separately.
A dream that became reality many years later. Good or bad dream?...
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