The Brothers by Stephen Kinzer
The Brothers is an engaging, dramatic history of the Dulles brothers who led the age of espionage in America. I read this book for my honors class (HONR 199), and, based on the previous book we were assigned, I was not looking forward to trudging through this monster. I must admit I have been pleasantly surprised. The brothers, Allen and John Foster, were two very different men. Diving into their characters made this nonfiction feel almost like a novel. The political history was interspersed with thrilling gossip. Allen was a man who lived on the edge. He had affairs with many different women, and his sassy wife, Clover, dealt with his infidelity in the most entertaining ways. John Foster had quite the opposite character. He was extremely religious and strictly opposed to anyone different than himself. These two brothers keep things dramatic throughout. Add the mystery of the OSS and the CIA's covert opperations, and you find yourself reading a strangely captivating dual biography. If you're particularly interested in the Cold War or the mysteries of espionage I would recommend picking this up. It's not as scary as it seems!
