Good book that keeps you up late reading it. So many stories in these pages and a huge cast of people.

Ethan Chorin was present in Benghazi when the US compind was attacked and four American citizens, including Amb Chris Stevens, were killed. A prior member of the US State Department, and a fluent Arabic speaker, he was in Benghazi to help support the Benghazi Medical Center. He is also very familiar with Libyan history and culture.

As the tenth anniversary of the attack is coming up, Mr. Chorin has written a book about the origins of what happened on 9/11/12. He skillfully presents a brief history of Libya from the time the king was overthrown by Gaddafi in the 1950s up until the attack, and lays the groundwork to explain what happened. He then dissects the aftermath - the multiple hearings, the partisanship that tore the country apart, its effect on the 2016 election, and most importantly, it’s chilling effect on American foreign policy. While for the most part neutral, assigning blame to the Obama administration’s failures, and criticizing the multiple hearings that followed, he does take a somewhat anti-Republican tone in parts of the book.

Aside from the author’s understated politics, Benghazi is an excellent history and personal account of the event that still resonates in American politics.

My thanks to Havhette Books and to Netgalley for providing an ARC of this book.