Books About Secret Wars (35 books)

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I grew up with the stories of my grandfather’s heroism as an airman in World War II. He jumped out of a burning B-17 bomber over Germany and was captured by the Nazis, who sent him to Stalag 17 prison camp. Grandpa Ed survived over two years in prison and a march across the Alps to return home and raise his family. His service was celebrated at every Memorial Day parade. His son’s experience was a different story: He disappeared during the CIA-led "Secret War" in Laos in 1972.

History is full of wars that don’t make it into American history books. Here are reads that bring “forgotten” wars to life.

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1	A Great Place To Have A War: America in Laos and the Birth of a Military CIA by Joshua Kurlantzick 3.90 avg rating — 794 ratings score: 192, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America by Annie Jacobsen (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 10,698 ratings score: 186, and 2 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee: Native America from 1890 to the Present by David Treuer (Goodreads Author) 4.24 avg rating — 6,785 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	A Brotherhood of Spies: The U-2 and the CIA's Secret War by Monte Reel 4.25 avg rating — 418 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Empire's Workshop: Latin America, the United States, and the Rise of the New Imperialism by Greg Grandin (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 1,421 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Lebensborn Alliance, Book II by Joyce Yvette Davis (Goodreads Author) 4.29 avg rating — 7 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage by Sherry Sontag 4.24 avg rating — 11,550 ratings score: 100, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	The Story of a Brief Marriage by Anuk Arudpragasam (Goodreads Author) 3.81 avg rating — 3,278 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Buried Secrets: Truth and Human Rights in Guatemala by Victoria Sanford (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 168 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Kissinger's Shadow: The Long Reach of America's Most Controversial Statesman by Greg Grandin (Goodreads Author) 4.03 avg rating — 927 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Checkmate in Berlin: The Cold War Showdown That Shaped the Modern World by Giles Milton 4.43 avg rating — 1,678 ratings score: 99, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	The Shadow King by Maaza Mengiste 3.65 avg rating — 15,225 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan, 2001-2016 by Steve Coll 4.21 avg rating — 4,600 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Dirty Wars: The World Is a Battlefield by Jeremy Scahill 4.08 avg rating — 5,165 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben Macintyre 4.04 avg rating — 24,192 ratings score: 98, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	In the Shadow of the Banyan by Vaddey Ratner (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 22,264 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Blind Spot: The Secret History of American Counterterrorism by Timothy Naftali 3.80 avg rating — 85 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies by Ben Macintyre 3.99 avg rating — 14,228 ratings score: 97, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The War of the End of the World by Mario Vargas Llosa 4.25 avg rating — 13,071 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	Intelligence Wars: American Secret History from Hitler to Al-Qaeda by Thomas Powers 3.67 avg rating — 126 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	One Man Against the World: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon by Tim Weiner (Goodreads Author) 4.04 avg rating — 1,805 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell 4.15 avg rating — 63,633 ratings score: 96, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Area 51: An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base by Annie Jacobsen (Goodreads Author) 3.86 avg rating — 11,398 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Forgotten Ally: China's World War II, 1937-1945 by Rana Mitter 4.13 avg rating — 2,338 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	D-Day Girls: The Spies Who Armed the Resistance, Sabotaged the Nazis, and Helped Win World War II by Sarah Rose (Goodreads Author) 3.77 avg rating — 6,644 ratings score: 95, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	The War Lovers: Roosevelt, Lodge, Hearst, and the Rush to Empire, 1898 by Evan Thomas 3.82 avg rating — 1,636 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	Madame Fourcade's Secret War: The Daring Young Woman Who Led France's Largest Spy Network Against Hitler by Lynne Olson (Goodreads Author) 4.22 avg rating — 8,861 ratings score: 94, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Veil: The Secret Wars of the CIA 1981-1987 by Bob Woodward 3.70 avg rating — 1,213 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and War by James D. Bradley 3.61 avg rating — 4,158 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	Charlie Wilson's War by George Crile 4.01 avg rating — 9,813 ratings score: 93, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War by Fred Kaplan (Goodreads Author) 3.90 avg rating — 3,223 ratings score: 92, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Our Man in Charleston: Britain's Secret Agent in the Civil War South by Christopher Dickey 3.97 avg rating — 1,207 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001 by Steve Coll 4.32 avg rating — 19,354 ratings score: 91, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Predator: The Secret Origins of the Drone Revolution by Richard Whittle (Goodreads Author) 4.12 avg rating — 366 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Drift by Rachel Maddow (Goodreads Author) 4.07 avg rating — 21,168 ratings score: 90, and 1 person voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars