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Book details

Wild Man

The Life and Times of Daniel Ellsberg

by Tom Wells

Published 2001656 pagesISBN 978-0-3121-7719-5

"The study was a history of America's war in Southeast Asia - and a top-secret record of official deception about a bloody conflict no one felt America could win.". "Henry Kissinger called the leak of what became known as the Pentagon Papers "the most extensive release of classified documents and information ever to occur in this country." The Justice Department tried to stop publication - and failed. Richard Nixon's attempt to punish the man who gave the secrets away also failed - and led the way to Watergate.". "The former Pentagon aide who brought the secret history of Vietnam to the world was the first person in U.S. history to face criminal charges for passing government secrets to a newspaper. His name is Daniel Ellsberg, and this is his life. It is an extraordinary tale of courage and conscience, but also of uncontrolled ambition and personal failure."--BOOK JACKET.

Beyond its central premise, the book can be read through the connected lenses of Nonfiction. Those themes offer useful points of attention as the characters, ideas, or world develop, especially where the book complicates the expectations of its primary category.

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Full BookenDeX details

What the reading experience may hold

A fuller profile for choosing with more confidence—not just another copy of the preview.

Themes to notice

Nonfiction

Use these as starting points rather than limits; the most memorable books often stretch beyond their catalog labels.

Content notes

Catalog signals suggest warfare and conflict. These notes may not be complete; consult a publisher or reader-supplied guide when detailed warnings matter.

These notes are inferred from available catalog information and may not be complete. Check a publisher or reader-supplied guide if you need comprehensive warnings.

Reading experience

Dark tone · Measured pace

Best when you want to settle into a longer reading experience.

Who it may suit

A good fit if…

Readers looking for a substantial, immersive commitment with room for a world or argument to unfold.

At a glance

This book's DNA

A visual estimate based on this edition's categories, description, and length. Select a star to explore the signals.

ToneDark
LuminousDark

This signal is descriptive, not a rating. It helps compare the kind of reading experience this edition may offer.

No plot details

Spoiler-Free Emotional Arc

A broad estimate of the book’s emotional rhythm, shown without story events or outcomes.

Spoiler-free
12345
PeakRelative emotional intensity
Wild ManTom Wells
Powerful5/5

This visualization is an interpretive estimate based on catalog description, categories, tone, pace, and content signals. It does not describe specific scenes.

Before you choose

A quick reading snapshot

Edition facts and catalog signals to help you decide whether this book fits what you want to read next.

Reading lengthA longer, immersive read656 pages in this edition
Publication eraModernFirst published or edition dated 2001
Primary categoryNonfictionExplore similar books below
ISBN-13
978-0-3121-7719-5
Language
English
Edition record
OL9553130M
BookenDeX editorial lens

A more thoughtful way into this book

This guide uses the edition details and category signals above to help you choose deliberately. It does not replace the author's work or a full review.

Good to know

Best when you want to settle into a longer reading experience.

Begin with its place in Nonfiction, then notice where the book resists that label.

Try this reading approach

Read for connection, not completion.

Mark one passage that sharpens the book's central concern and one that complicates it. That tension often reveals more than a quick summary.

Three questions to carry with you

  1. Whose perspective organizes the story, and whose perspective remains outside it?
  2. Which sources or lived experiences carry the author’s central argument?
  3. How does the book change the way you understand its larger subject?

Editorial framework by Wesley Bryan, BookenDeX Founder and Editor.