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Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Judith Miller (Author)

4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (93 customer reviews)

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Product Details

Audio CD
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Abridged edition (Nov 1 2001)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743524675
ISBN-13: 978-0743524674
Product Dimensions: 15.4 x 13 x 2.6 cm
Shipping Weight: 222 g

Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (93 customer reviews)

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Product Description

From Amazon

Three reporters from The New York Times survey the recent history of biological weapons and sound an alarm about the coming threat of the "poor man's hydrogen bomb." Germs begins ominously enough, recounting the chilling attack by the followers of the Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh in 1984 on the Dalles, Oregon--no one died, but nearly 1,000 were infected with a strain of salmonella that the cult had legally obtained, then cultured and distributed.

While the U.S. maintained an active "bugs and gas" program in the '50s and early '60s, bio-weapons were effectively pulled off this country's agenda in 1972 when countries around the world, led by the United States, forswore development of such weapons at the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention. The issue reemerged in the early '90s thanks to Saddam Hussein and revelations of the clandestine and massive buildup of bio-weapons in remote corners of the Soviet Union. The book's description of the Soviet program is horrific. At its peak the program employed thousands of scientists, developing bioengineered pathogens as well as producing hundreds of tons of plague, anthrax, and smallpox annually. The authors conclude that while a biological attack against the United States is not necessarily inevitable, the danger of bio-weapons is too real to be ignored. Well-researched and documented, this book will not disappoint readers looking for a reliable and sober resource on the topic. --Harry C. Edwards --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Methodically researched and cogently argued by three New York Times reporters (one of whom received an anthrax-tainted letter recently), this survey of the modern history of biological weapons is a worthy, albeit frightening, exercise in investigative journalism. The book details the evolution of biowarfare (beginning about 60 years ago)from the U.S. to Iraq and the Soviet Union, vividly portraying these weapons in all their power and nightmarish possibilities. Guyer brings a dry but authoritative and appropriate journalistic tone to his reading. His is the steady, baritone voice of a network news anchor, and it works well conveying weighty information about major international events and politics. Thankfully, despite the topic's sensationalist possibilities, this production stays true to the sober, reasoned style of the text and steers clear of punctuating the reading with ominous or melodramatic musical flourishes. There's plenty in the facts themselves to convey unease, and while it might not be the lightest listening, there is no doubt that this is a high-quality production of a balanced and informative look at a growing global threat. Based on the S&S hardcover.

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First Sentence
IT was noon on Sunday, September 9, 1984. Read the first page

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Customer Reviews

93 Reviews

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Average Customer Review

4.1 out of 5 stars (93 customer reviews)

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1.0 out of 5 stars File under fiction, Jun 1 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War (Paperback)

As others have noted, the editors of the New York Times have discovered that one of the authors of this book was manipulated by Ahmed Chalabi's false claims that Iraq had WMD.
Ahmed Chalabi and the Iraq war lobby used New York Times reporter Judith Miller to make the case for invading Iraq.
Infomation in this book has been discredited.

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1.0 out of 5 stars Miller's Motive For Bad Reporting, May 27 2004

RuthAlice "ruthalice" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War (Paperback)

This book came out at the same time that Judith Miller was doing the incredibly bad reporting for the NYTimes that lead the US into the Iraq War. Much of her reporting on WMD spurred interest in her book and increased its sales. I wonder how much her incredibly bad reporting that the Times has now repudiated as false and misleading can be credited to unconscious credulousness centered on the knowledge that more WMD fear would increase her book sales?

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1.0 out of 5 stars This Book Has Been Discredited, May 27 2004

Sean Flynt (Gardendale, AL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War (Hardcover)

Even a week ago I would have said this is book is probably the best popular introduction to the subject. Now that the New York Times has effectively called into question every word published on the subject by its reporter, Judith Miller, I feel I should warn folks to read the book with the NYT's admitted failures in mind. It's not clear how this scandal relates to the information in the book not associated with Iraq's bio-chem weapons programs, but those sections at least are thoroughly tainted by the evolving story of how Iran/Chalabi/White House/DoD collaborated to manipulate public/government opinion by feeding Miller disinformation.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Scary to say the least
As a molecular biologist, I was shocked at what was discussed in this book. Descriptions of potential weapons, or weapons that were being worked on when the Soviet Union fell sent... Read more

Published on April 26 2004 by A. Lee Lang

Published on April 26 2004 by Julie

4.0 out of 5 stars From Oregon to the Soviet Union, bioterror can happen
Since September 11 and the Anthrax letters people have become more aware of the threat of biological weapons. Read more