Henry Kissinger Popular Books

Henry Kissinger Biography & Facts

Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat, political scientist, geopolitical consultant, and politician who served as the United States secretary of state and national security advisor in the presidential administrations of Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford between 1969 and 1977.Born in Germany, Kissinger came to the United States in 1938 as a Jewish refugee fleeing Nazi persecution. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II, and, after the war, was educated at Harvard University, where he excelled academically. He later became a professor of government at the university and earned an international reputation as an expert on nuclear weapons and foreign policy. He frequently acted as a consultant to government agencies, think tanks, and the presidential campaigns of Nelson Rockefeller and Richard Nixon before being appointed national security advisor. Kissinger pioneered the policy of détente with the Soviet Union, orchestrated an opening of relations with China, engaged in "shuttle diplomacy" in the Middle East to end the Yom Kippur War, and negotiated the Paris Peace Accords, which ended American involvement in the Vietnam War. For his role in negotiating the end of the Vietnam War, he was awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize under controversial circumstances. A practitioner of a pragmatic approach to politics called Realpolitik, he has been widely considered by scholars to have been an effective secretary of state.Kissinger is also associated with controversial U.S. policies, including its bombing of Cambodia, involvement in the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, support for Argentina's military junta in its Dirty War, support for Indonesia in its invasion of East Timor, and support for Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War and Bangladesh genocide. He was accused of war crimes for the civilian death toll of the policies he pursued, his role in facilitating U.S. support for dictatorial regimes, and willful ignorance towards human rights abuses committed by the United States and its allies.After leaving government, Kissinger founded Kissinger Associates, an international geopolitical consulting firm. He authored over a dozen books on diplomatic history and international relations. His advice was sought by American presidents of both political parties. Early life and education Kissinger was born Heinz Alfred Kissinger on May 27, 1923, in Fürth, Bavaria, Germany. He was the son of homemaker Paula (née Stern; 1901–1998), from Leutershausen, and Louis Kissinger (1887–1982), a schoolteacher. He had a younger brother, Walter (1924–2021), who was a businessman. Kissinger's family was German-Jewish. His great-great-grandfather Meyer Löb adopted "Kissinger" as his surname in 1817, taking it from the Bavarian spa town of Bad Kissingen. In his childhood, Kissinger enjoyed playing soccer. He played for the youth team of SpVgg Fürth, which was one of the nation's best clubs at the time.In a 2022 BBC interview, Kissinger vividly recalled being nine years old in 1933 and learning of Adolf Hitler's election as Chancellor of Germany, which proved to be a profound turning point for the Kissinger family. During Nazi rule, Kissinger and his friends were regularly harassed and beaten by Hitler Youth gangs. Kissinger sometimes defied the segregation imposed by Nazi racial laws by sneaking into soccer stadiums to watch matches, often resulting in beatings from security guards. As a result of the Nazis' anti-Semitic laws, Kissinger was unable to gain admittance to the Gymnasium and his father was dismissed from his teaching job.On August 20, 1938, when Kissinger was 15 years old, he and his family fled Germany to avoid further Nazi persecution. The family briefly stopped in London before arriving in New York City on September 5. Kissinger later downplayed the influence his experiences of Nazi persecution had had on his policies, writing that the "Germany of my youth had a great deal of order and very little justice; it was not the sort of place likely to inspire devotion to order in the abstract." Nevertheless, many scholars, including Kissinger's biographer Walter Isaacson, have argued that his experiences influenced the formation of his realist approach to foreign policy.Kissinger spent his high-school years in the German-Jewish community in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. Although Kissinger assimilated quickly into American culture, he never lost his pronounced German accent, due to childhood shyness that made him hesitant to speak. After his first year at George Washington High School, he began attending school at night while working in a shaving brush factory during the day.Following high school, Kissinger studied accounting at the City College of New York, excelling academically as a part-time student while continuing to work. His studies were interrupted in early 1943, when he was drafted into the U.S. Army. U.S. Army Kissinger underwent basic training at Camp Croft in Spartanburg, South Carolina. On June 19, 1943, at the age of 20, while stationed in South Carolina, he became a naturalized U.S. citizen. The army sent him to study engineering at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania under the Army Specialized Training Program, but the program was canceled and Kissinger was reassigned to the 84th Infantry Division. There, he made the acquaintance of Fritz Kraemer, a fellow immigrant from Germany who noted Kissinger's fluency in German and his intellect and arranged for him to be assigned to the division's military intelligence. Kissinger saw combat with the division and volunteered for hazardous intelligence duties during the Battle of the Bulge. On April 10, 1945, he participated in the liberation of the Hannover-Ahlem concentration camp, a subcamp of the Neuengamme concentration camp. At the time, Kissinger wrote in his journal, "I had never seen people degraded to the level that people were in Ahlem. They barely looked human. They were skeletons." After the initial shock, however, Kissinger was relatively silent about his wartime service.During the American advance into Germany, Kissinger, though only a private (the lowest military rank), was put in charge of the administration of the city of Krefeld because of a lack of German speakers on the division's intelligence staff. Within eight days he had established a civilian administration. Kissinger was then reassigned to the Counter Intelligence Corps (CIC), where he became a CIC Special Agent holding the enlisted rank of sergeant. He was given charge of a team in Hanover assigned to tracking down Gestapo officers and other saboteurs, for which he was awarded the Bronze Star. Kissinger drew up a comprehensive list of all known Gestapo employees in the Bergstraße region, and had them rounded up. By the end of July, 12 men had been arrested. In March 1947, Fritz Girke, Hans Hellenbroich, Michael Raaf, and Karl Stattmann were subsequently caught and tried by the Dachau Military Tribun.... Discover the Henry Kissinger popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Henry Kissinger books.

Best Seller Henry Kissinger Books of 2024

  • Ein letzter Besuch synopsis, comments

    Ein letzter Besuch

    Helmut Schmidt

    Helmut Schmidt hat nie einen Hehl daraus gemacht, dass er China für eine entscheidende Weltmacht des 21. Jahrhunderts hält. Warum gerade wir Deutschen vor dem Reich der Mitte nicht...

  • The League of Wives synopsis, comments

    The League of Wives

    Heath Hardage Lee

    "With astonishing verve, The League of Wives persisted to speak truth to power to bring their POW/MIA husbands home from Vietnam. And with astonishing verve, Heath Hardage Lee has ...

  • World Order synopsis, comments

    World Order

    Henry Kissinger

    “Dazzling and instructive . . . [a] magisterial new book.” Walter Isaacson, Time"An astute analysis that illuminates many of today's critical international issues." Kirkus Rev...

  • American Sketches synopsis, comments

    American Sketches

    Walter Isaacson

    One of America's most versatile writers, author of bestselling biographies such as Steve Jobs and Benjamin Franklin, has assembled a gallery of portraits of (mostly) Americans that...

  • The Yom Kippur War synopsis, comments

    The Yom Kippur War

    Abraham Rabinovich

    An updated edition that sheds new light on one of the most dramatic reversals of military fortune in modern history.The easing of Israeli military censorship after four decades has...

  • The Trial of Henry Kissinger synopsis, comments

    The Trial of Henry Kissinger

    Christopher Hitchens & Ariel Dorfman

    "If the courts and lawyers of this country will not do their duty, we shall watch as the victims and survivors of this man pursue justice and vindication in their own dignified and...

  • A World of Trouble synopsis, comments

    A World of Trouble

    Patrick Tyler

    A spellbinding narrative account of America in the Middle East that "reads almost like a thriller" (The Economist)The Middle East is the beginning and the end of U.S. foreign polic...

  • Henry Kissinger and American Power synopsis, comments

    Henry Kissinger and American Power

    Thomas A. Schwartz

    [Henry Kissinger and American Power] effectively separates the man from the myths." The Christian Science Monitor | Best books of August 2020The definitive biography of Henry Kis...

  • Master of the Game synopsis, comments

    Master of the Game

    Martin Indyk

    A perceptive and provocative history of Henry Kissinger's diplomatic negotiations in the Middle East that illuminates the unique challenges and barriers Kissinger and his successor...

  • Reporter synopsis, comments

    Reporter

    Seymour M. Hersh

    "Reporter is just wonderful. Truly a great life, and what shines out of the book, amid the low cunning and tireless legwork, is Hersh's warmth and humanity. This book is essential ...

  • Lioness synopsis, comments

    Lioness

    Francine Klagsbrun

    “Golda Meirimmigrant, Zionist, feminist, and wartime prime minister of Israelclaimed far more than one woman’s share of history. In Lioness, Francine Klagsbrun superbly captur...

  • When the Center Held synopsis, comments

    When the Center Held

    Donald Rumsfeld

    “A personal look behind the scenes” (Publishers Weekly) of the presidency of Gerald Ford as seen through the eyes of Donald RumsfeldNew York Times bestselling author and Ford’s for...

  • Summary of The Age of AI And Our Human Future By Henry A Kissinger, Eric Schmidt and Daniel Huttenlocher synopsis, comments

    Summary of The Age of AI And Our Human Future By Henry A Kissinger, Eric Schmidt and Daniel Huttenlocher

    Justin Reese

    DISCLAIMERThis is NOT the original Henry A Kissinger's bookThis is a wellDetailedSummary of The Age of AI And Our Human Future By Henry A Kissinger, Eric Schmidt and Daniel Huttenl...

  • West Point History of World War II, Vol. 1 synopsis, comments

    West Point History of World War II, Vol. 1

    The United States Military Academy

    An outstanding new military history of the first half of World War II, featuring a rich array of images, exclusive graphics, superb new maps, and expert analysis commissioned by th...

  • The Fall of Richard Nixon synopsis, comments

    The Fall of Richard Nixon

    Tom Brokaw

    Bestselling author Tom Brokaw brings readers inside the White House press corps in this upclose and personal account of the fall of an American president. In August 1974, after his...

  • The Yom Kippur War synopsis, comments

    The Yom Kippur War

    Walter J. Boyne

    Walter J. Boyne's The Yom Kippur War is a spellbinding chronicle of the international chess game that was played out in October 1973. It is a story of diplomacy and military might ...

  • Destiny and Power synopsis, comments

    Destiny and Power

    Jon Meacham

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  In this brilliant biography, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Jon Meacham chronicles the life of George Herbert Walker Bush.NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BES...

  • On War synopsis, comments

    On War

    Carl Clausewitz & J. Graham

    Writing at the time of Napoleon's greatest campaigns, Prussian soldier and writer Carl von Clausewitz created this landmark treatise on the art of warfare, which presented war as p...

  • To Hanoi and Back synopsis, comments

    To Hanoi and Back

    Wayne Thompson

    After nearly eighteen months of the largely unsuccessful bombing campaign called Operation Rolling Thunder, the US Air Force began to look for ways to overcome technological, geogr...

  • Leadership synopsis, comments

    Leadership

    Henry Kissinger

    An instant New York Times bestsellerHenry Kissinger, consummate diplomat and statesman, examines the strategies of six great twentiethcentury figures and brings to life a unifying ...

  • White House Years synopsis, comments

    White House Years

    Henry Kissinger

    Kissinger’s invaluable and lasting contribution to the history of this crucial time. One of the most important books to come out of the Nixon Administration, the New York Times bes...

  • The Iron Wall synopsis, comments

    The Iron Wall

    Avi Shlaim

    Avi Shlaim's The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World is the outstanding book on Israeli foreign policy, now thoroughly updated with a new preface and chapters on Israel's most rec...

  • A Political History of the World synopsis, comments

    A Political History of the World

    Jonathan Holslag

    A threethousand year history of the world that examines the causes of war and the search for peaceIn three thousand years of history, China has spent at least eleven centuries at w...

  • A Great Place to Have a War synopsis, comments

    A Great Place to Have a War

    Joshua Kurlantzick

    The untold story of how America’s secret war in Laos in the 1960s transformed the CIA from a loose collection of spies into a military operation and a key player in American foreig...

  • On China synopsis, comments

    On China

    Henry Kissinger

    “Fascinating, shrewd . . . The book deftly traces the rhythms and patterns of Chinese history.” Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times“No one can lay claim to so much influence on th...

  • Making History synopsis, comments

    Making History

    Richard Cohen

    A “supremely entertaining” (The New Yorker) exploration of who gets to record the world’s historyfrom Julius Caesar to William Shakespeare to Ken Burnsand how their biases influenc...

  • Henry Kissinger synopsis, comments

    Henry Kissinger

    Abraham R. Wagner

    Henry Kissinger: Pragmatic Statesman in Hostile Times explores the influence of statesman Henry Kissinger in American foreign relations and national security during 1969 to 1977.He...

  • Kissinger on Kissinger synopsis, comments

    Kissinger on Kissinger

    Winston Lord & Henry Kissinger

    In a series of riveting interviews, America's senior statesman discusses the challenges of directing foreign policy during times of great global tension.As National Security Adviso...

  • Friends and Enemies synopsis, comments

    Friends and Enemies

    Barbara Amiel

    Shockingly honest, richly detailed, and pulling no punches, Friends and Enemies traverses the highs and lows of Barbara Amiel's storied life in journalism and high societ...

  • Kissinger synopsis, comments

    Kissinger

    Walter Isaacson

    The definitive biography of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and how his ideas still resonate in the world today from the bestselling author of Leonardo da Vinci and Steve Jobs.B...

  • Henry Kissinger synopsis, comments

    Henry Kissinger

    Harvey Starr

    Henry Kissinger conducted American foreign policy with a distinctive assurance and panache that gave dramatic force to his tenure as secretary of state. His was the shaping hand in...

  • Richard Nixon synopsis, comments

    Richard Nixon

    John A. Farrell

    PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST  From a prizewinning biographer comes the defining portrait of a man who led America in a time of turmoil and left us a darker age. We live today, John...

  • No Peace, No Honor synopsis, comments

    No Peace, No Honor

    Larry Berman

    In this shocking exposé on the betrayal of South Vietnam, premier historian Larry Berman uses neverbeforeseen North Vietnamese documents to create a sweeping indictment against Pre...

  • Bibi synopsis, comments

    Bibi

    Benjamin Netanyahu

    In Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu’s “compelling” (The Economist) and “fascinating” (The Wall Street Journal) New York Times bestselling autobiography, the prime minister of Israel tells...

  • Ibn Saud synopsis, comments

    Ibn Saud

    Barbara Bray & Michael Darlow

    Ibn Saud grew to manhood living the harsh traditional life of the desert nomad, a life that had changed little since the days of Abraham. Equipped with immense physical courage, he...

  • Eighteen Days in October synopsis, comments

    Eighteen Days in October

    Uri Kaufman

    "Pacy and enthralling." Financial Times"Tells the story brilliantly." Senator Joseph I. Lieberman"Stimulating and insightful...will no doubt find a permanent place on the ArabIsrae...

  • Henry Kissinger The Complete Memoirs synopsis, comments

    Henry Kissinger The Complete Memoirs

    Henry Kissinger

    This ebook box set includes the complete memoirs of Henry Kissinger, detailing his life and work.White House Years: One of the most important books to come out of the Nixon Adminis...

  • An Enormous Crime synopsis, comments

    An Enormous Crime

    Bill Hendon & Elizabeth A. Stewart

    THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERAn Enormous Crime is nothing less than shocking. Based on thousands of pages of public and previously classified documents, it makes an utterly convinc...

  • Crisis synopsis, comments

    Crisis

    Henry Kissinger

    By drawing upon hitherto unpublished transcripts of his telephone conversations during the Yom Kippur War (1973) and the last days of the Vietnam War (1975), Henry Kissinger reveal...

  • Nixon Volume III synopsis, comments

    Nixon Volume III

    Stephen E. Ambrose

    In Nixon: Ruin and Recovery, 19731990, Stephen E. Ambrose completes his acclaimed biography of the man many historians call the most fascinating politician in American history: Ric...