This book is an essential addition to any library for anyone interested in knowing the facts of the Cold War. It's breathless in it's rapid-fire espousing of the facts and events that cover the emergence of America as THE true global power of the past seventy five years. This isn't the book to solely own if you want to understand the "whys" and "hows" America adopted rabid religiosity, rampant capitalism, got sucked into Vietnam and became the crucible for cultural change across the globe but it is the bedrock of an understanding not just America of today but also the wider world in which we live. LaFeber pumps out facts at a pace that at times is hard to keep up with but that's because this is indeed a fascinating time of world history. Get the book and hold on for dear life...then be inspired to read other historians to get the complete picture, if you dare; it isn't always pretty reading.