Engaging, detailed, and thoughtful. While it read like a novel, it was history from declassified documents and audio, plus interviews. I throughly enjoyed reading up on events, locations, and the technology involved as the story progressed from JFK’s military years through the Cuban Missile Crisis. Highly recommend it!

This book is awesome and it takes you from the brink and back of Armageddon! U-2 pilots were a special breed and so were their families. Thank God JFK was so calm , cool and composed or we may not be around today. There are a lot of new details in this book about the Cuban missile crisis or Caribbean Crisis as some in Russia call it and they are breathtaking.

Anyone lived during the Cuban Missile Crisis? While I knew some things about the incident I didn’t know the extent of how close the United States and Russia came to a nuclear war during that time until I read this book! While the book starts kind of slow in the beginning it does pick up and is riveting and will have readers’ full attention.The book explores the incident largely through the stories of the angle of the U2 pilots. U2 is the top spy plane of the era, able to operate from 60,000 to 7...

I completed my read of the kindle sample of this book today. Am including this as "to read" since it gives new insight on the Cuban missile crisis. Via exploring the characters of two U-2 pilots (Rudy Anderson, shot down over Cuba, and Chuck Maultsby, off course over Russia) and President Kennedy, the story intertwines how these persons came to be connected in events that almost launched WWIII. The narrative is well-written and personal to really give you a feel for the characters and events as

A pleasant surprise of a much-covered topic with the emphasis on the U-2 pilots who did the reconnaissance in Cuba. There were a number of mini-crises that could have escalated the confrontation over the Soviet missiles into an all out nuclear war. Fortunately JFK kept a cool head and deterred military men such as LeMay from taking more aggressive actions that certainly would have resulted in catastrophe. Very enjoyable, fast-paced, informative work.

The author takes you through the turmoil that JFK was dealing with during the thirteen days we now call the Cuban missile crisis. You are shown by documents and recordings just how stressful everything was for the President. He was not only dealing with Cuba but he also had other worries going on as well. This was after the Bay of Pigs which did not go as planned. He was having to deal with Vietnam at times, and just when he thought he had time for himself something else would come up. Here you...

Another book with a really interesting topic that gets lost in the details.

This book is great! Well written story of U2 development and the pilots experiences. Builds up to Cuban crisis and the U2 role and impacts. Terrific insights to Kennedy and Military as they debated and managed the crisis. Ever more thankful that nuclear war was averted after reading about the mishaps and near misses. Everyone should learn about and thank Vasili Arkhipov!

One of the scariest books I have ever read. I knew we were close to nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis but I didn't know how close we really were. It is really scary at how many of the generals and advisors wanted war. And especially Curtis Lemay, who even after Khrushchev said he would remove the missiles, told Kennedy he was lying and that we should bomb and invade Cuba immediately.JFK, because he had been involved in war, stood up to his advisors and the generals and did everything h...

This was one of the most riveting books I've read in a while. The author's short, succinct chapters make this book easy to follow. The author does a great job of humanizing the players and the incredible burden they carried during the crisis.

Exceptional history of the Cuban Missile Crisis! Here is my review in the Providence Journal:http://www.providencejournal.com/ente...And here is my interview with the authors in Military History Magazine:http://www.historynet.com/casey-sherm...

Really enjoyed, is 3:30 in the morning and has kept me from sleep for the necessity to finish. Now if that isn't a endorsement for a novel I am not sure there is a more compelling desire, is sleep is something very dear to my heart, lol.Thanks you for all that entilailed the writing of this book, very much enjoyed.

A fascinating book. Even though I knew the salient aspects of the story, this book brought new depth. The biggest of those is how "on the edge" both the U2 plane and pilots were. I also did not know that many of the conversations for this event inside the White House were taped! Seemingly, the authors intent was to convey the importance of Leadership and it reliance on the character of real people - not institutions. I believe they succeeded.

I was 12 years old during the Cuban missile crisis but I remember the tension in the adults very clearly. This account of those days told in this book brought the adult me face to face with the the reality of how fragile things were.

Amazing. I knew very little going in and benefited greatly from this well-written book. I thought the Cuban missile crisis was the narrow avoidance of global Armageddon from one instance, but really it was from like 4 or 5 all happening simultaneously. Thank the world Kennedy and Khrushchev had the courage and the restraint to work it out.

Mid October, 1962: A True telling of the thirteen days the world teetered on the edge of atomic armageddon.Behind the scenes in Washington DC, and the U2 cockpits, each of the thirteen days plays out more tense than the previous day.Incredible account of the bravery of U2 pilots flying secret missions, and the story of two superpower, world leaders that literally saved the world from atomic destruction. Fortunately for all of us, Premiere Khrushchev, and President Kennedy had tasted the bitterne...

This is a review of the audio book. I’m making that distinction up front because my issues with the book are audiobook narration specific.The book was a good overview of the U-2, its role in the Cuban Missile Crisis and, more specifically, the pilots that flew those missions. It provided ample context regarding the buildup and actual execution of the missions and the impact the flights had on decisions made by the President and his cabinet. It was a bit fantastical at times, especially regarding...

A interesting book on the Cuban Missile Crisis and the two U-2 pilots who flew over Cuba for reconnaissance missions of Soviet missile sites.

Above & Beyond: The Cuban Missile Crisis through the eyes of the U-2 PilotsAbove & Beyond focuses on the U-2 Pilots as well as through the eyes of the political figures involved in this tense retelling of the crisis. Much information, which will be new to many readers like myself, will be fascinated by this account.

A powerful book about the Cuban missile crisis that includes accounts about U-2 pilots, various commanders, members of ExComm (the advisors closest to the US President) and President Kennedy and Premier Khrushchev. It takes the reader to many states from Florida to Alaska, over Cuba and across part of the Soviet Union. Mostly it gives the reader insight into the thoughts and conversations of our American heroes and leaders when America and the Soviet Union were on the brink of nuclear war. Due t...