The Best and the Brightest

Why it’s on the list: Halberstam’s account of the brilliant technocrats of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations who led the United States into Vietnam — the classic study of data-driven hubris.

Where I heard about it

• Shortest Way Home — named in the McNamara passage as the work that made the technocrats’ brilliance “seem dark and ironic.”
• @typesfast’s thread — a reply to his question “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” in the thread, June 2025. Full list of replies: What’s the best history book… (tweet).

Connections

• Shortest Way Home — where this book is cited.
• What’s the best history book… (tweet) — recommendation #2: named in this crowd-sourced thread.