George F. Kennan: An American Life

Summary

Gaddis traces the long life of the diplomat and historian who shaped American Cold War policy through his doctrine of containment toward the Soviet Union. Drawing on decades of interviews and Kennan's private diaries, the book follows a brilliant, prickly thinker who often felt out of step with the country he served. It stands as a deeply researched study of how one person's ideas guided a superpower across the twentieth century.