{"id":15333,"date":"2025-04-09T09:46:11","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T08:46:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=15333"},"modified":"2025-04-09T09:46:42","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T08:46:42","slug":"war-by-bob-woodward","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=15333","title":{"rendered":"“War” by Bob Woodward"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

OFF THE SHELF<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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“War” by Bob Woodward<\/span><\/strong><\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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IBob Woodward\u2019s War is a deep dive into the first Trump administration\u2019s approach to national security and military strategy. An award-winning investigative journalist, Woodward\u2019s meticulous reporting provides an insider\u2019s perspective, relying on extensive interviews and documentation.<\/p>\n

Despite being a political and military-focused book (an unusual category for our book club), we found it surprisingly accessible and engaging. Woodward\u2019s narrative style makes complex topics easy to follow, even for those unfamiliar with military affairs. War not only delves into the military and national security decisions of Trump\u2019s first administration but also offers a broader comparison of Trump\u2019s presidency with that of Joe Biden. His portrayal of key figures, from Trump to generals like James Mattis and Mark Milley, adds a human dimension to the high-stakes decision-making.<\/p>\n

The book primarily focuses on the later years of Trump’s administration, particularly the unorthodox approach in his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, military decisions, and national security issues, while also touching on the transition to Biden’s leadership. It provides critical insights into the leadership style, decision-making processes, and policy approaches of Trump\u2019s first term\u2014elements that could shape his return to office. For example, War details the resistance Trump faced from generals, advisors, and even his own staff. This explains why Trump in his second administration is determined to surround himself with loyalists rather than career officials who challenge his decisions. Even though it falls outside our usual genre, War was an eye-opening and easy read. Woodward\u2019s storytelling keeps the complex political and military manoeuvres engaging, and his comparisons between Trump and Biden provide ample discussion points. Whether one agrees with all of Woodward\u2019s conclusions or not, War is a thought-provoking and well-documented look at previous history. Overall, we appreciated the book\u2019s clarity and insight, and it sparked some great discussions about leadership, strategy, and the current challenges of modern warfare. While not our usual pick, War proved to be an easy yet thought provoking read. We rated the book 9\/10<\/p>\n

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\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

OFF THE SHELF “War” by Bob Woodward IBob Woodward\u2019s War is a deep dive into the first Trump administration\u2019s approach to national security and military strategy. An award-winning investigative journalist, Woodward\u2019s meticulous reporting provides an insider\u2019s perspective, relying on extensive interviews and documentation. Despite being a political and military-focused book (an unusual category for our book club), we found it […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[421,347],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6cWjO-3Zj","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":13198,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=13198","url_meta":{"origin":15333,"position":0},"title":"OFF THE SHELF","author":"Alan Williams","date":"3rd July 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"OFF THE SHELF \u00a0 Hadji Murat by Leo Tolstoy This is the last book that Tolstoy wrote before his death, and it was posthumously printed. 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Catherine and Rob Allen are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Off The Shelf"","block_context":{"text":"Off The Shelf","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=347"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7499,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=7499","url_meta":{"origin":15333,"position":4},"title":"“Birdcage Walk” by Helen Dunmore","author":"Alan Williams","date":"1st May 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore \u00a0 Not to be beaten by the lockdown we held our meeting via Zoom. This month\u2019s book Birdcage Walk by Helen Dunmore was set in Bristol during the time of the French Revolution. Lizzie Fawkes was brought up by her idealistic widowed mother with whom\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Off The Shelf"","block_context":{"text":"Off The Shelf","link":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?cat=347"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":6210,"url":"http:\/\/wenvoe.org.uk\/?p=6210","url_meta":{"origin":15333,"position":5},"title":"The Cuckoo\u2019s Calling","author":"Alan Williams","date":"30th July 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Cuckoo\u2019s Calling This month\u2019s book was Robert Galbraith\u2019s \u2018The Cuckoo\u2019s Calling\u2019. This is the first of the Strike detective series written under a pseudonym by J.K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter series. Rowling\u2019s identity was leaked before the televised series of her third book was launched. 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