Book cover of The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean War

Book description

Up until now, the Korean War has been the black hole of modern American history. The Coldest Winter changes that, giving readers a masterful narrative of the political decisions and miscalculations on both sides. He charts the disastrous path that led to the massive entry of Chinese forces near the…

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Why read it?

2 authors picked The Coldest Winter as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This magisterial work of history by Halberstam – sadly, his final before his death – captures for me the wild swings of fortune that, for me, make the first year of the Korean War unmatched in historical drama.

Halberstam is unsparing in his judgment of the mistakes made by the American high command. I’ve long held Halberstam to be one of our finest journalists/historians, and this book matched my expectations.

From Steve's list on history books about the Korean War.

This is an interesting early description of events occurring during the beginning days of the Korean War.  The author also addressed the prominent battle at Chipyongni three months later.  The book also covers the entrance of the Chinese into the war to support North Koreans. He focuses upon the extremely cold temperatures-- dropping to a minus forty degrees. He also provides a perspective on the reasons and causes of the Korean War.

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