The "Nightingales's Song" is a remarkable story. I know three of the five characters, (McCain, McFarlane, and Webb), and truly admire them all. This book is a great piece of reporting, and is more relevant today than it was when it was first published. Admiral Jim Stavridis, still on the front lines of history, and a wonderful writer as well, said this book is a, "Greek tragedy," and is, "no more about Iran-Contra than 'Moby Dick' is about whaling." David Mamet who recommended this story to me and I both agree.

amazing must read book.

first the writing is simply beautiful, from the choice of words, to hidden humor and subtle points to the really big ideas that make a life ruined by reading well worthwhile.

second, i have no idea what genre this book falls into. it is unique.
it is the well researched story of 5 men's lives, those most effected by the iran contra hearings. from the day they entered the US Naval Academy to the time of the hearings.

the hearings are just a chapter or so at the very end. it is how they got to where they were and even more importantly --who they are and what they had learned during their time in government service that makes the books both a pleasure for the eye and for the mind. it is very good history with a high level analysis of what is good about these men and what is bad and how choosing each path is important, in these cases not only for the men involved but for the country they serviced.

thanks to the author for a very pleasant and rewarding day spent reading...

This book was important when it was published and remains so today. It describes in detail key members of the Reagan administration and other prominent political figures. Some remain active today, e. g. John McCain, James Webb, Oliver North. Most interesting figure, in my opinion, was Admiral Poindexter. He was a brilliant man with a Ph. D. but commanded at sea and was apparently respected and liked by the sailors. In my opinion, it may be unusual for a CalTech PH. D. to be a down-to-earth commander of troops.

Lots of detail; well-researched; very interesting book.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book's insights into these prominent graduates of the U. S. Naval Academy. I gained in-depth information about the subjects which I never saw covered in any other publication.

This was an amazing book when it was written a few years ago, and is now more timely than ever. It follows the careers of five Naval Academy graduates, all of whom gained some measure of fame--Oliver North, Jim Webb (now US Senator from VA) John Poindexter and "Sparky" McFarlane, both of whom served Ronald Reagan, and JOHN MCCAIN, who certainly was a wild man, by any standard, in his younger years. Beautifully written by another Naval Academy graduate who was severely wounded in Vietnam.

Heros of Vietnam... a sad time in U.S. history. An informative read on some of our politicians of today and the past. Insightful.

An old salty Squid once said (purportedly): I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast, For I INTEND TO GO IN HARM'S WAY.
That's all you really need to know about Annapolis, Maryland, 21412. Timberg was there.
Timberg was in Vietnam (briefly... until certain unpleasantness presented itself.) But the book is not about him.
Timberg was (is?) in Washington & knows what propels the permanent government of cowards and thieves. Timberg understands that someone who tells the truth to the many cowards or thieves that from time to time camp out in Washington, is a man who represents a devastating problem.
True enough, the 'people' have sent the politicians to Washington, but the 'people' don't know the half of what they have done, sometimes. The coiffed, the perfumed, the ambitious and the pretty, delicate 'men' who surround themselves with their yes-men and harems will always be with us, much like tiny cock-roaches and the weather, but in the end, better men will bide their time.
Better men watch closely, over time.
Better men encourage their own sons, their flesh and blood, their rough-housing youngsters, who ---just a little while ago--- were toddlers, cub scouts, little leaguers, who only wanted love from their daddy's ...to serve in combat or to serve, possibly, in the NYFD: and run TO the fire, INTO the fire.
Better men know what it is like to put all their chips in & let the hand play out.
Some wait their entire lives to bring the hammer down. Sometimes, the echoes of a lost war do not fade, but gather strength... in thunder and in earthquake. Old soldiers do not always fade away.
In the 1960's some people burned draft cards, some ran away, some hid in 'divinity' or 'business' or 'Law' or 'graduate' school or the 'peace' corps... some took their chances with a high draft number.
Some sprinted to the sound of the guns...INTO the fire ...like their dads and grand-dads. At whom does polite society snicker and chortle with neatly concealed shame? Over whom do artists argue about proper granite memorials? The bereft mothers, daughters and widows cry for whom?
Timberg knows. Perhaps the next chapter opens on January 20, 2009?
Time and tide can tell some exciting tales.
Get this book.
Timberg knows.

I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast... For I INTEND TO GO IN HARM'S WAY.
That's all you really need to know about Annapolis, Maryland, 21412. Timberg was there. Timberg was in Vietnam (briefly... until certain unpleasantness presented itself.) Timberg was (is?) in Washington & knows what propels the permanent government of cowards and thieves. Timberg understands that someone who tells the truth to one of the many cowards or theives who camps out in Washington, is a devastating problem. True enough, the 'people' have sent the politicians to Washington, but the 'people' don't know the half of what they have done, sometimes. The coiffed, the perfumed, the ambitious and the liars who surround themselves with sychophants and harems will always be with us, much like cock-roaches and the weather, but in the end, better men will bide their time.
Better men watch closely. Better men encourage their own sons, their flesh and blood, their young men, who were ---just a little while ago--- toddlers, who just loved their daddy's ...to serve in combat.
Better men know what it is like to put their chips in & let the string play out. Some wait their entire lives to bring the hammer down. Sometimes, the echoes of a lost war do not fade, but gather strength... in thunder and in earthquake. Timberg knows. Will the next chapter be written on January 20, 2009? Time and tide will tell the tale. Get this book. Timberg knows.

Other reviews have covered the merits and (very) few flaws of a remarkable and still relevant book, leaving only this to be added concerning "The Nightingale's Song": It is outrageous that Amazon's link selects a comment ("political hit-job") so erroneous, admittedly ideologically-motivated and at odds with reader consensus. Amazon might ask itself, how many prospective readers, seeing that, might be turned off without ever going farther? Who of any intellect wants to read a political hit-job (which this book isn't)? Robert Hardin, Panama

compelling, absolutely fascinating. no matter what your political bias is, don't pass this up. It's especially pertinent now, in this election year because it so clearly describes John McCain's rise to power.

A great read! Nonfiction reads like fiction. Few NF writers can do what Timberg does with this story. Only someone who has been there (Annapolis and Vietman) can tell this tale. The highs and lows of "those who went". The reader can feel the bitterness flow through the pages.
These young men believed in America. Two of these men are in Congress today, still working to preserve our precious freedom.
Do not study the sixties or the Vietnam War without this well written book.

A little lower than the angels, we are. This story of five military men with high ideals shows how great aspirations interacted with those about them and the world in which we all live.

The writing here is topnotch and the inside stuff pretty interesting, but in the end, "The Nightingale's Song" is little more than a political hit-job. Poindexter, McFarlane and North are exceptional in their weaknesses and faults; McCain and Webb knights in shining armor. Eleven years after this book came out I doubt that Timberg would even treat McCain as well. If you are of the conservative bent you will find this book tough going.

The writing here is topnotch and the inside stuff pretty interesting, but in the end, "The Nightingale's Song" is little more than a political hit-job. Poindexter, McFarlane and North are exceptional in their weaknesses and faults; McCain and Webb knights in shining armor. Eleven years after this book came out I doubt that Timberg would even treat McCain as well. If you are of the conservative bent you will find this book tough going.

Timberg is a very good writer. He weaves together the lives of his five principals, John McCain, John Poindexter, Bud McFarlane, Ollie North and James Webb. Webb, McCain, and, surprisingly, Poindexter, receive favorable treatment, though flaws are pointed out. McFarlane is treated fairly, but his dissembling and deceit during Iran-Contra clearly bothered the author. North is treated as a bit of a buffoon. Timberg writes carefully and gives both sides of North, but he does not come off well. Then again, how could he?

In my view, Timberg's only truly unfair portrait is of Ronald Reagan, where Timberg follows the standard inside-the-Beltway line of "Reagan was a doofuss who didn't know anything that wasn't in a script." Timberg's Reagan is not the same man who faced down the Russian bear and started the crumbling of the Iron Curtain.

McCain is treated well, but his philandering, opportunism, and stubbornness will make for some interesting times in his presidential campaign. I did not know, for example, that he and his first wife were close to the Reagans. After McCain left his severely crippled wife, she went to work for Nancy Reagan, and, the book leads one to believe, McCain chased every skirt he could find, much to the Reagans' dismay.

Timberg's book stands the test of time. He focuses on the mens' personal foibles and problems and links them convincingly to their time at the Naval Academy and during Vietnam. It is an interesting character study. Enjoy.

Read this for book club. Really enjoyed it. Learned so much about people (McCain, North, Poindexter, etc) and about Vietnam and Iran Contra. Told really well (journalist author).

Robert Timberg's book covering the lives of five men and how they reacted to their shared experience at the Naval Academy, in Vietnam, and during the 1980s serving or supporting the Reagan Administration is an outstanding example of capturing a certain aspect of American life since the end of the Vietnam War.

The subjects, John Poindexter, Robert McFarlane, John McCain, Jim Webb and Oliver North, all have their own personal strengths and weaknesses they demonstrate in various stressful situations, either combat or in testimony before Congress. However, they illustrate an often overlooked aspect inherent in some Americans: they were equally prepared to serve their country by putting their lives in harm's way (McCain, North, McFarlane, Webb), and could also become disillusioned with the actual administration of American power and might (Webb). They could also become seduced or blinded by American power's limits (North, Poindexter, McFarlane).

North comes out of Timberg's treatment looking the worst. At turns a liar and an incompetent, he had little in the way of a moral compass. Poindexter was the genius at both science and management, but the intellectual feeb when it came to deciding between right and wrong. MaFarlane aspired to gain acceptance by both the Ivory tower and the Marine Corps, and was crushed under the weight of it all. Webb, the constant warrior, never backed down to a challenge. McCain was the high flying fighter pilot put Hell at the Hanoi Hilton and able to come out to serve his country in uniform and in Congress. (Reading his opposition in Congress to the military presence in Lebanon in 1983 against his current policy in Iraq is an illuminating activity.)

The one complaint I have with this book is that, due to the nature of the subject matter Timberg is forced to jump around his timeline from chapter to chapter, and it can occasionally be confusing as to when the events he is describing are taking place. But this is a minor quibble.

Newly relevant today since a few of these names are fresh in recent events of the past few years, I highly recommend this book.

Robert Timberg's book covering the lives of five men and how they reacted to their shared experience at the Naval Academy, in Vietnam, and during the 1980s serving or supporting the Reagan Administration is an outstanding example of capturing a certain aspect of American life since the end of the Vietnam War.

The subjects, John Poindexter, Robert McFarlane, John McCain, Jim Webb and Oliver North, all have their own personal strengths and weaknesses they demonstrate in various stressful situations, either combat or in testimony before Congress. However, they illustrate an often overlooked aspect inherent in some Americans: they were equally prepared to serve their country by putting their lives in harm's way (McCain, North, McFarlane, Webb), and could also become disillusioned with the actual administration of American power and might (Webb). They could also become seduced or blinded by American power's limits (North, Poindexter, McFarlane).

North comes out of Timberg's treatment looking the worst. At turns a liar and an incompetent, he had little in the way of a moral compass. Poindexter was the genius at both science and management, but the intellectual feeb when it came to deciding between right and wrong. MaFarlane aspired to gain acceptance by both the Ivory tower and the Marine Corps, and was crushed under the weight of it all. Webb, the constant warrior, never backed down to a challenge (and I am happy to say that I had the privilege to vote for him on 7 Nov 2006). McCain was the high flying fighter pilot put Hell at the Hanoi Hilton and able to come out to serve his country in uniform and in Congress. (Reading his opposition in Congress to the military presence in Lebanon in 1983 against his current policy in Iraq is an illuminating activity.)

The one complaint I have with this book is that, due to the nature of the subject matter Timberg is forced to jump around his timeline from chapter to chapter, and it can occasionally be confusing as to when the events he is describing are taking place. But this is a minor quibble.

Newly relevant today since a few of these names are fresh in recent events of the past few years, I highly recommend this book.

This book follows the Naval Academy experiences and careers of John McCain, James Webb, Oliver North, Robert McFarlane, and John Poindexter culminating in the Iran Contra scandal of the 1980's. With McCain and Webb currently in the forefront of American politics, the book gives insight into their personalities and character. Of the five principals, only Oliver North is presented negatively. This is an excellent read for those interested in the politics of the Reagan administration and the influence of the Vietnam War on the thinking of these five men.

Robert Timberg, a Marine by way of Annapolis, tells the incredible story of how the Naval Academy, the Vietnam War, and service in the Marines and the Navy, led five fellow Annapolis graduates to heights and depths usually found only in fiction. Highly recommended even if you have no specific interest in the Iran-Contra scandal. This insightful book says a lot about what it means to be an American, and what it sometimes costs to be a patriot. A rare book that is both literary art and rigorous historical analysis.