AK-47: The Weapon that Changed the Face of War

by Larry Kahaner

No single weapon has spread so much raw power to so many people in so little time—and had such a devastating effect—as the AK-47 assault rifle. This book examines the legacy of this world-changing weapon, from its creation as means of fighting the Nazis to its ubiquity today in every kind of conflict, from civil wars in Africa to gang wars in L.A. This is not a 'gun book' per se but a look at how this weapon has changed the world.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, War, Military Fiction, Politics, Military History

272 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

This is my bio. If you're in a hurry, read about me on Wikipedia.
If you've got time, read on. 


I am what some people might call a successful author. I've had published more than 15 non-fiction books under my name, pseudonyms and as a ghost writer. I'm also a journalist and writer.

Several of my books have won awards and made me semi-famous. I've been on NPR, C-SPAN, CNN, USA Today, CBS, Evening News, Fox TV News, Bloomberg Business News, Voice of America, and my articles have been published by the Washington Post, LA Times and others. 

I don't like to brag (well, a little maybe) but  beat out all my cousins for the domain name Kahaner.com and I'm pretty proud of that. 

For many years, I also was a licensed Private Investigator which is very much like being a reporter except you get to show people your cool ID issued by the state government.

After making my living as a non-fiction writer and author for many decades, I've turned to fiction, taking what I've learned about writing real stories to writing fake stories. (No snickers, please) I write a blog (you're already here) and it's designed to help non-fiction writers (like me) to become novelists. It's a different ball game for sure but many of the same habits, thought processes and lessons are transferable.

My first thriller "USA, Inc." has just been published by Bay City Publishers.

Here's the cutline: "If the U.S. were for sale, would you buy it?" Pretty provocative, right? I highly recommend it.

Through the years, many people have asked me what it's like to be a writer. For me, it's been a great job and career. I wouldn't want to do anything else.

Unfortunately, I also tell them what they don't want to hear. It's hard work, and unless you have luck and perseverance, it's difficult to make a living at it.

Talent? Yes, that helps, but good writing can be learned if you're willing to make the effort, have a thick skin about criticism and take it seriously as your life's work.

If you just want to write as a hobby or for fun, that's cool, too, but too many folks tell me how frustrating it is for them, how they'd rather do anything else than write and I always respond: "Maybe you got something there."

Reviews

[S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

nice, tightly-written "history seen through one object" like Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World and Salt: A World History. seems to be assiduously researched and shows how the world is shaped by humble things. Kahane's style is praise-worthy. a 4/5 easy.

9 May 2022, reiterate 4/5. Intriguing history, but not quite magic

[E. Kahn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author uses the Kalashnikov rifle as the starting point for a sociopolitical discourse on everything from globalization to street crime. Unfortunately for him, a book like this requires attention to technical detail to be convincing, and this is sadly lacking. Kahaner is pretty obviously neither a "gun person" nor a mechanical engineer.The book is full of small but significant blunders of the sort you'd expect from someone who perhaps researched the topic but then spewed out two hundred and some pages of text without really understanding it.


C.J. Chivers' "The Gun" is a better, if still far from perfect, treatment.

[Kym Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book that looks into the importance, significance and even fascination that the AK 47 and its variants has in our modern age.

Nicely compiled and not superbly dense this book has some good points, especially early on but I found it to stray towards the end.

I think that this is a good book to be read alongside "American Rifle" by Alexander Rose as both address the politics of service weapon procurement and certainly compliment one another nicely.

In all a good read.

70 %

[Clark · Rating 1 out of 5]

One sentence book summary: The AK-47 is a magically reliable rifle that has killed millions of people in a manner that no other rifle could ever have done.

One word book review: horrible.

Most of the text enumerates the various recent conflicts in which AK style rifles have been used. A surprising amount of detail is offered on these conflicts, which has essentially nothing to do with the AK-47 (or any other rifle) but more to do with a sort of geopolitical review of so-called Third World hot spots. Most of this is 'blamed' on USA covert involvement or misadventure. Another large portion of the text details the development and adoption of the M-16, but this treatment is very uneven and does not fit well at all with other published accounts (generally, it proposes that the Ordinance Department entirely was corrupt and incompetent). Finally, another large section of the text deals with Mikhail Kalashnikov's visits to the USA and his financial situation late in life. That doesn't leave much space to actually focus on the AK-47.

Unfortunately, the book also is riddled with factual errors. Here are a few of the most obvious.

- The book states that the M-1 Garand was built as a rifle and a carbine (p. 16) for use in World War II--in fact, the M-1 Carbine was an entirely different firearm.
- When describing early German assault rifles the round is described as "thinner" than a rifle round and "thicker" (p. 17) than a pistol round. While the novel use of thinner and thicker is strange, in fact the German round being described was the same "thickness" (caliber) as the Rifle round and both were "thinner" than the 9mm pistol round described.
- The book states that a high cyclic rate of automatic fire offers "greater accuracy to inexperienced shooters" (p. 30).
- The M-14 is roundly and repeatedly criticized as a horrible weapon, inaccurate, prone to malfunction, inordinately heavy, and "vastly inferior to the AK" (p. 36)--in point of fact, it was one of the best battle rifles of its time and today is still used by some Special Forces. According to the book, the M-14 was only adopted because of collusion and bumbling idiocy in the post-WWII Ordinance Department.
- The book states the AK round is more effective than the M-16 round; extensive tests have demonstrated they roughly are equivalent.
- The book repeatedly stresses that AK style rifles are cheap (as cheap as a single chicken, in one reference). Yet the book then states that they range from a low of $400 to a high of $1,400 (p. 68), when purchased in bulk (that's one expensive chicken).
- The M-16 is singled out as a particularly poor rifle that is prone to jamming and widely is regarded by the troops as an abject failure--the book claims the only reason that most USA soldiers don't discard it in favor of battlefield pickup AKs is because they have been ordered not to. In point of fact, the M-16 has repeatedly been demonstrated to have better range, better accuracy, less recoil, better durability, and roughly equivalent dependability to any AK style rifle; and it's much lighter. The book itself demonstrates this--after a lengthy chapter vituperating M-16 performance and praising AK performance at Khe Sanh, comes this: "U.S. forces prevailed, but not before 205 Americans were killed, with hundreds more wounded, and about 8,000 North Vietnamese dead" (p. 139)--obviously, the M-16 must have been holding its own there. Curiously, the M-16 round is also said to explode chest cavities and blow off arms and legs--but even so it still remains somehow inferior to the AK-47 round (though Russia adapted the AK-47 to the AK-74 to mimic the USA round). And its amazing service life rivals that of the AK.
- Per the book, the M-16 was only adopted because of Robert McNamara's fiat decree that it would be, because it was cheaper than the M-14.


Probably the single most frustrating aspect of the book is the constantly repeated contention that the AK style rifle is somehow a magical weapon that can operate in any condition. Numerous putative instances (for example, p. 52) are offered to show that it can fire without malfunctions even when completely encased in mud or sand for prolonged periods of time--kick the bolt free of the rust and it will operate flawlessly... uh huh. This clearly is not the case, but the book shrugs off reality by noting the AK is built with very loose tolerances. Anyone who has ever operated a gun knows that no tolerance can be loose enough to allow automatic fire when the rifle is full of mud. Another constant but ridiculous refrain is that no other weapon can do what the AK style rifle can do. The book does discuss a smattering of AK style rifle models but does not detail them enough to make a distinction--they are all just AKs--and makes no attempt to categorize them. One particularly egregious example of this is "...Chinese-made AK, technically known as the SKS Type 56 (used often by Vietcong during the Vietnam War)..." (p. 147). Of course, the SKS was an entirely different type of rifle. Errors like these, alongside repeated statements that AKs 'spray' and 'spew' bullets lead one to wonder how much technical knowledge the author may actually possess.

There are a slew of excellent books about the AK-47, AK variants, and even Mikhail Kalashnikov. This book is not one of them.

[Ryan · Rating 3 out of 5]

How ironic that American enterprise has never been able to produce a rifle to match the AK-47, a product of Soviet ingenuity. It was frustrating to read about all the greed, arrogance, and behind-the-scenes shenanigans that prevented America from producing a state of the art rifle to legitimately rival the AK-47.

Kahaner at first appeared to be a neutral reporter, but later in the book he revealed his anti-gun sentiments. This kind of pissed me off, as I'd hoped to learn something about this famous gun without being nagged about how it should be banned.

I also think that throughout the book Kahaner gives the AK way too much credit - as if none if these wars would have been possible without this gun. He writes again and again how this conflict and that conflict were "AK fueled." I see what he's saying, but I think he greatly exagerrates the role of the AK. Without this particular gun, these conflicts still would have ocurred, only different weapons would have been used.

[Bforcier · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fine book if you don't know anything about the AK (like me) or world politics. The author greatly oversimplifies world conflicts which makes me think he did the same thing with the AK but I still learned a lot.

Some people believe that he gives too much credit to the AK for all the worlds deaths and that people would have just used a different gun. What other gun is available? A large reason the Soviets were massacred was because they had cheap bolt action rifles while the German's machine and submachine guns were technologically superior. There's no way the level of killing could be matched without the AK-47 mainly because other weapons aren't available. You can't have mass genocide in many societies without a simple industrial killing machine like the AK, M16, FAL and you're not going to find the M16 in Africa.

[Stefan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this history of the AK-47 to be poorly written and somewhat tedious. For such interesting subject matter, I found Kahaner's book to be quite disappointing.

[Liam · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had read that of the two (relatively) recent historical works on the AK-47, this was the better book. I am a bit annoyed with myself that I lent any credence whatsoever to those reports, because that turned out to be absolutely untrue. C.J. Chivers' The Gun is, though somewhat flawed, at least reasonably competent journalism. This book, on the other hand, is a fairly typical example of the sort of "popular history" foisted on the reading public here in the U.S. by cynical publishing executives who figure (probably correctly) that most people are too stupid and ignorant to notice, and most likely wouldn't care even if they did. It is a lazy-ass, hack paste-up job not really even worth reading, since it is largely not even about the thing itself, but rather about the cultural impact of it (primarily within the U.S., though with a few random quotes from other parts of the world for little or no apparent reason). It covers some of the more ridiculous aspects of the U.S. "gun control debate" circa 1985-2001 fairly well, but who the hell cares?

Not a complete waste of my time, but damned close...

[Edwin Notw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Especially that story of how much damage it can do to Apache helicopters when many AK's are put up against them. that little story was cool.

[Jerry Wall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weapons development since WWII, with emphasis on the Russian AK 47 with sidelines into
Stoner AR 15 (M16) and modern weapons of Israel and Russia.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good history of the why the gun was made

[John Neal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative and legitimately chilling.

[Cody · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting take on the influence of the most popular small arm ever made.

[Steve Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't like this as well as C.J. Chiver's (simply superb) book on the same subject. That said, Kahaner delves into some areas that Chivers did not.

Kahaner spends a good deal of time going over U.S. involvement in Central and South American conflicts over the last forty or fifty years, and how the United States was involved in arms trafficking in those areas. He's rather direct in criticizing the Reagan/Bush I/Bush II administrations for their involvement in allowing arms (specifically the AK) to flow to various rogue states and rebel groups.

Does the author have a political agenda? Perhaps. He also might have been telling it like it is. Liberals will be nodding their heads and conservatives grumbling as they read this. The latter group ought to be reading it for that very reason.

It's an informative book, but not a particularly well written one…it drifts and ambles a bit. I still liked it, and think it compliments Chiver's book even though it takes a clear second place to it. Readers interested in geopolitics (and weaponry) ought to tackle both works. The AK-47 and its variants has killed more people than any other weapon in history, has ravaged countries and aided in the destruction of infrastructure. It's role in history has to be acknowledged. Chivers and Kahaner do a good job of that.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

AK-47 tells the story of the invention and subsequent impact on world security of the Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947, probably the most famous and recognizable assault rifle in the world. Written for general audiences, the book makes no assumption that the reader is familiar with gun technology and carefully explains the differences between different types of weapons, along with explicitly highlighting the design decision that have made the AK-47 ubiquitous. This early history is both fascinating and accessible. Later, Kahaner discusses the ramifications of the weapon in different world regions--including the rise of druglords in Latin America and the appearance of child soldiers in Africa. These sections of the work are a little more uneven as the author's explanations often border on the reductionist.

[Leo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard about this book from while tuning to KPCC. Unsuspectingly, the interview caught my attention. I can't remember how many times an interview with a writer caught my attention and focused to the subject at hand while I was driving, but I gather: it is very little.

Back to the book, I believe I liked the fact that Larry Kahaner made the compelling argument that this little instrument is crucial in 'commoditizing' war: sustaining war in South America and Sub-Saharan Africa, and wrecking havoc on sophisticated war machines (read ch. 1).

Good reads - I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Fast Food Nations.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing tale of how the a small bit of hardware has made such a huge global impact.

The book travels from the original Kalashnikov's conception thru the hands of the Russians ,the vietamise, the Sudanese, Koreans Chinese, and into those the religious warriors fo the jihad and tali ban and Osama Bin Laden to the LA thugs of Compton. Its an amazing book which will definitely stay with me for a long time.

think its very important in understanding many of the conflicts of the world today lie with in the power provide by this gun

[Derrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this book was very fascinating. It was well-researched and I liked how the chapters were separated into different regions of the world and how the AK has influenced culture in those regions. The author shows how a seemingly insignificant weapon in military terms has had an enormous impact socially and culturally in war torn areas such as Africa, The Middle East, and Latin America. The AK has done more damage than most have realized; it will be hard to tear from the grips of many developing nations.

[Christopher Rex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not the best-written book in the world, and certainly not all-encompassing, but a great insight into perhaps the most influential (and best) small-arm ever made. Virtually indestructible, fascinatingly simple and profoundly deadly, the AK is the weapon of choice for armies, rebels, terrorists, drug traffickers and others. Travel from the USSR to the Middle East to Vietnam to Africa and begin to understand why nuclear proliferation pales in comparison to small-arms (especially the AK) in terms of threats to global peace and stability.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this is a very condensed history of the world of military firearms from 1947 to the time of this book, it was a really good one. It covered the conditions under which the AK was created and then followed it on its road to global notoriety. It also gave an idea of what life was like for Kalashnikov himself, comparing his experience to that of the creator of the US M16. As is inevitable when history is condensed, the scope of one weapon's impact is staggering. Add to that the politics that surrounded it and the result is astonishing. It was a real eye-opener, that's for sure.

[Neill Tumulac · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone interested in the way the world is shaped today, one must read this book in order to understand how it is that weapons function within our society. Although in America, the most famous use of this weapon is within a video game, in other countries, this weapon is dogmatic. No matter where you go, anywhere there is war, you will find, the AK-47. I recommend with this learning about the Soviet-Afghan War, and along with this, other areas of history where Soviet Influence has found it's ways into the corner of every home.

[Tania]

After throwing off the illegal drugs social history, I swore to myself I was done with nonfiction, but apparently I was wrong.

Check it: "For all of the billions of dollars spent by the United States military on space-age weapons and technology, the AK still remains the most devastating weapon on the planet. Its banana-shaped magazine gives this gun a familiar silhouette that makes it a symbol of third world rebellion and power."

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

A meandering look at post WW2 history as affected by the AK-47 through Vietnam, Afghanistan, Africa, Central America, South America, and Iraq. Not overly technical, but does contain a small biography of Kalashinkov, the inventor of the AK, and his attempts to cash in after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Better than I thought it was going to be though not overly deep.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly well-written story that includes the somewhat melancholy story of the Kalashnikov's inventor (as in Mr., or Comrade, Kalashnikov), the relatively recent history of child soldiers in West Africa, U.S. gun ban politics and many other instances of how the AK didn't just change war--it changed the world.

You may not be a gun person, but if you read one gun book this year, read this one.

[Gan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I came across many factual errors. It is written from a left of center point of view. Author is not a "gun guy". Target audience seems to be liberal, anti gun crowd who never even saw a real AK let alone shoot one. The book demonizes the tool, not the user. Author reiterates typical debunked left wing gun control drivel. Author promotes fear of an inanimate object. I want my money back.

[Nightmare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Extremely good book. It talks about the AK-47's history and how it changed the face war I would give this 10 stars if I could but all in all it's a very good book for weapon fanatics.



-Nightmare

[Jim · Rating 2 out of 5]

How could he not include decent illustrations and photos? This book is much padded, with descriptions of wars in which the weapon played a part. The best bits are the ones that tell the story of the M16 and its adoption.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Never thought I'd read a book about guns, but this makes you think...and makes you depressed about about how to solve the world's problems when any crazy or desperate with a gun has power way out of porportion to thier natural influence.

[Dwayne]

Overall a great book, but I was hoping for more cultural and societal aspects of the gun's impact on the world. The book got a little technical, which was fine since I have a little understanding of guns, but I think less detail would have been better.

[Deetya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting book. It has many small errors regarding the subject of the book. However, what "saves" the book is the history that is mentioned when talking about the subject. It is almost better as a history book than as "gun" book. Almost.