The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat [Audiobook, Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Bob Woodward (Author), Boyd Gaines (Reader)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Now that the Watergate scandal source, Deep Throat, has decided to step forward (or at least Mark Felt's family has), this audiobook serves as the final chapter of the saga Woodward and Carl Bernstein began with All the President's Men. Boyd Gaines has a tough job as reader. Retelling a tale that was so memorably and, as it turns out, accurately portrayed by Robert Redford and Hal Holbrook on film is a daunting task. But Gaines rises to the occasion with aplomb. His rendition of Woodward is authoritative yet humble and delivered with a confident crispness. His take on Felt's voice is also strong, and it is interesting to hear Felt's digression into the less complimentary mannerisms of old age. Gaines's version of the older, forgetful Felt sounds a bit like his Richard Nixon, with a pinch of John Wayne thrown in the mix. Overall, The Secret Man is a historically informative and enjoyable listening experience that also speaks to the current issue of journalism and the protection of sources.
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From AudioFile

There's plenty of fascinating Deep Throat trivia in this audiobook--for example, at one point, Nixon sends a congratulatory bottle of champagne to ex-FBI agent Mark Felt, unaware that he is the man who brought down the presidency. But what keeps the listener riveted to this story is not the unmasking of an informer--it's the transformation of two men in a father-son-style relationship. Boyd Gaines's narration is particularly sensitive to this element, adding poignancy to Felt's deterioration and Woodward's reflections on his own aging. If ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN was a book about youth and the quest for truth, then Woodward's new book is, as he bills it, the antithesis-a story about aging and the quest for meaning. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged edition (July 6, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743551990
• ISBN-13: 978-0743551991
• Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 5.2 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #453,232 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

In the last 36 years, Woodward has authored or coauthored 15 books, all of which have been national non-fiction bestsellers. Eleven have been #1 national bestsellers -- more than any contemporary non-fiction author.

Photos, a Q&A, and additional materials are available at Woodward's website, www.bobwoodward.com

His most recent book, Obama's Wars, is being published by Simon & Schuster on September 27, 2010.

Since 1971 Bob Woodward has worked for The Washington Post, where he is currently an associate editor. He and Carl Bernstein were the main reporters on the Watergate scandal for which the Post won the Pulitzer Prize in 1973. Woodward was the lead reporter for the Post's articles on the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks that won the National Affairs Pulitzer Prize in 2002.

In 2004, Bob Schieffer of CBS News said, "Woodward has established himself as the best reporter of our time. He may be the best reporter of all time."

In a lengthy 2008 book review, Jill Abramson, the managing editor of The New York Times, said that Woodward's four books on President Bush "may be the best record we will ever get of the events they cover . . . . They stand as the fullest story yet of the Bush presidency and the war that is likely to be its most important legacy."

Woodward was born March 26, 1943 in Illinois. He graduated from Yale University in 1965 and served five years as a communications officer in the United States Navy before beginning his journalism career at the Montgomery County (Maryland) Sentinel, where he was a reporter for one year before joining the Post.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent writing, dull reading, February 18, 2006

By 

Rajiv K. Agrawala (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Secret Man: The Story of Watergate's Deep Throat (Audio CD)

I began reading Bob Woodward a couple years ago with "Bush at War", and last fall read "All the President's Men". I very much enjoyed the impartial, objective view presented in these works, and especially enjoyed the insight into the process of journalism. When I decided to begin listening to audiobooks in my daily commute, found "The Secret Man".

The book is essentially a retelling of "All the President's Men" (and perhaps "The Final Days", which I have not yet read) but with more direct focus on Woodward, Mark Felt (now known as informant "Deep Throat"), and their long-term relationship which began even before the Watergate scandal. It gives a much deeper insight into the character and motivation of Felt, the frustration and interference he encountered from the Nixon administration (beginning with the ITT/Dita Beard investigation, which Woodward describes as "a dress rehearsal for Watergate"), and the effect that Felt's role as Deep Throat may have played in his later years.

While I very much enjoyed the authorship of Woodward, I disliked the narration by Boyd Gaines. His delivery is dry, slow and deliberate, almost monotone, which very little intonation. I often found myself inadvertantly "tuning out" for a few seconds or almost a minute, which caused me to have to rewind in order to pick up on important points. This was in stark contrast to "My Life" by Bill Clinton, whose narration I found very engaging, or Tom Wolfe's "A man in Full", narrated by David Ogden Stiers, whose vivid narration makes each word and character come alive before me.

In short, regarding "The Secret Man" - Get the text version, but pass on the audiobook (or indeed, ANY audiobook narrated by Boyd Gaines, including "State of War" by James Risen).