Kissinger, Volume 1

Starred review from August 10, 2015
In the first of a planned two-volume Henry Kissinger biography, Harvard historian Ferguson (Civilization: The West and the Rest) traces Kissinger’s life from his birth in Germany in 1923 through his service in WWII and growing career as a foreign policy expert, culminating in his 1968 appointment as national security advisor to newly elected President Richard Nixon. To readers’ benefit, this is as much a history of post-WWII and Cold War foreign policy as a biography of Kissinger. Jumping off from Kissinger’s high-level involvement in the 1961 Berlin Crisis and his role as an advisor in the early years of the Vietnam War, Ferguson offers a detailed and provocative examination of how foreign policy is developed in the midst of theoretical and political crosscurrents. Kissinger’s views on Vietnam and his involvement in several failed Johnson administration Vietnam peace initiatives provide a deeper dimension to the complexities of American Vietnam policy. Ferguson also takes ample time to describe the Machiavellian jockeying for influence and power among high-end government officials. There is little discussion of Kissinger’s personal life, and readers looking for such detail or psychological speculations will be disappointed. Some may see this complicated, generally admiring view of Kissinger as overly generous, but Ferguson endeavors to provide nuance around Kissinger’s approaches to the challenges of Cold War foreign policy. Agency: Wylie Agency.

September 1, 2015

The purpose of Ferguson's (history, Harvard Univ.; The Great Degeneration) extraordinary biography of Henry Kissinger (b. 1923) is not simply to tell his life story but to convince readers that, in terms of philosophy, Kissinger was an idealist instead of a realist. Ferguson performs both feats in this massive first volume using access to private papers, letters, and many interviews with Kissinger himself. Five subsections cover everything from Kissinger's childhood to his service in World War II to his years as a student at Harvard University, his burgeoning career as a political advisor in the years preceding the Vietnam War, and the moment when Richard Nixon appointed him national security adviser in 1968. Paired with the exploration of Kissinger's philosophy as his life changes, this biography becomes essential as a study of the 20th century. The text has rare footnotes and concludes with over 150 pages of notes, bibliography, and index. VERDICT An unequaled portrait of Kissinger. While this may be a difficult read for the layperson, fans of Ferguson, Kissinger, biographies, history, and political and philosophical thought will rejoice. [See Prepub Alert, 3/30/15.]--Jason L. Steagall, Gateway Technical Coll. Lib., Elkhorn, WI

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