Skip to Main Content (Press Enter) Toggle side nav

Known and Unknown

A Memoir

A Memoir

A Memoir

A Memoir

By Donald Rumsfeld

By Donald Rumsfeld

By Donald Rumsfeld

By Donald Rumsfeld

By Donald Rumsfeld
Read by Donald Rumsfeld

By Donald Rumsfeld
Read by Donald Rumsfeld

By Donald Rumsfeld
Read by Donald Rumsfeld

By Donald Rumsfeld
Read by Donald Rumsfeld

Best Seller
Paperback $22.00

May 29, 2012 | ISBN 9781595230843

Ebook $17.99

Feb 08, 2011 | ISBN 9781101502495

Audiobook Download $40.00

Feb 08, 2011 | 1808 Minutes

Audiobook Download $22.50

Feb 08, 2011 | 830 Minutes

All Formats
+
    Known and Unknown by Donald Rumsfeld
    Paperback $22.00
    May 29, 2012 | ISBN 9781595230843

    Buy from Other Retailers:

    See All Formats (3) +

    Paperback
    –

    • Paperback $22.00

      May 29, 2012 | ISBN 9781595230843

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Ebook
    +

    • Ebook

      Feb 08, 2011 | ISBN 9781101502495

      Buy from Other Retailers:

    Audio (2)
    +

    Buy the Audiobook Download:

    About Known and Unknown

    Few Americans have spent more time near the center of power than Donald Rumsfeld, whose widely commented-on memoir offers many previously undisclosed details about his service with four U.S. presidents. We follow his rise from a middle-class childhood to the Navy to a seat in the U.S. Congress at age thirty, and his experiences there during the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights era. We also get his unique perspective as a cabinet-level member of the Nixon and Ford administrations, as CEO of two Fortune 500 companies, and as a special envoy to the Middle East for President Reagan.
     
    Rumsfeld also addresses the challenges and controversies of his time as Secretary of Defense during the 9/11 attacks by al-Qaida and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He includes candid observations on the differences of views within the Pentagon and with other members of President George W. Bush’s National Security Council.
     
    In a famous press briefing, Rumsfeld once said that “There are also unknown unknowns . . . things we do not know we don’t know.” His book makes us realize just how much we didn’t know.

    About Known and Unknown

    A powerful memoir from the late former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

    With the same directness that defined his career in public service, Rumsfeld’s memoir is filled with previously undisclosed details and insights about the Bush administration, 9/11, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It also features Rumsfeld’s unique and often surprising observations on eight decades of history.

    Rumsfeld addresses the challenges and controversies of his illustrious career, from the unseating of the entrenched House Republican leader in 1965, to helping the Ford administration steer the country away from Watergate and Vietnam, to the war in Iraq, to confronting abuse at Abu Ghraib. Along the way, he offers his plainspoken, first-hand views and often humorous and surprising anecdotes about some of the world’s best-known figures, ranging from Elvis Presley to George W. Bush.

    Both a fascinating narrative and an unprecedented glimpse into history,Known and Unknown captures the legacy of one of the most influential men in public service.

    About Known and Unknown

    A powerful memoir from the late former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

    With the same directness that defined his career in public service, Rumsfeld’s memoir is filled with previously undisclosed details and insights about the Bush administration, 9/11, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It also features Rumsfeld’s unique and often surprising observations on eight decades of history.

    Rumsfeld addresses the challenges and controversies of his illustrious career, from the unseating of the entrenched House Republican leader in 1965, to helping the Ford administration steer the country away from Watergate and Vietnam, to the war in Iraq, to confronting abuse at Abu Ghraib. Along the way, he offers his plainspoken, first-hand views and often humorous and surprising anecdotes about some of the world’s best-known figures, ranging from Elvis Presley to George W. Bush.

    Both a fascinating narrative and an unprecedented glimpse into history,Known and Unknown captures the legacy of one of the most influential men in public service.

    About Known and Unknown

    A powerful memoir from the late former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld

    With the same directness that defined his career in public service, Rumsfeld’s memoir is filled with previously undisclosed details and insights about the Bush administration, 9/11, and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It also features Rumsfeld’s unique and often surprising observations on eight decades of history.

    Rumsfeld addresses the challenges and controversies of his illustrious career, from the unseating of the entrenched House Republican leader in 1965, to helping the Ford administration steer the country away from Watergate and Vietnam, to the war in Iraq, to confronting abuse at Abu Ghraib. Along the way, he offers his plainspoken, first-hand views and often humorous and surprising anecdotes about some of the world’s best-known figures, ranging from Elvis Presley to George W. Bush.

    Both a fascinating narrative and an unprecedented glimpse into history,Known and Unknown captures the legacy of one of the most influential men in public service.

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    Read An Excerpt

    About Donald Rumsfeld

    Donald Rumsfeld was the 13th and 21st US Secretary of Defense. He currently chairs the Rumsfeld Foundation, which supports leadership and public service at home, and the growth of free political and free economic systems abroad. The Rumsfeld Foundation funds… More about Donald Rumsfeld

    About Donald Rumsfeld

    Donald Rumsfeld was the 13th and 21st US Secretary of Defense. He currently chairs the Rumsfeld Foundation, which supports leadership and public service at home, and the growth of free political and free economic systems abroad. The Rumsfeld Foundation funds… More about Donald Rumsfeld

    About Donald Rumsfeld

    Donald Rumsfeld was the 13th and 21st US Secretary of Defense. He currently chairs the Rumsfeld Foundation, which supports leadership and public service at home, and the growth of free political and free economic systems abroad. The Rumsfeld Foundation funds… More about Donald Rumsfeld

    About Donald Rumsfeld

    Donald Rumsfeld was the 13th and 21st US Secretary of Defense. He currently chairs the Rumsfeld Foundation, which supports leadership and public service at home, and the growth of free political and free economic systems abroad. The Rumsfeld Foundation funds… More about Donald Rumsfeld

    Product Details

    Category: Biography & Memoir

    Paperback | $22.00
    Published by Sentinel
    May 29, 2012 | 880 Pages | 6 x 9 | ISBN 9781595230843

    Category: Biography & Memoir

    Ebook | $17.99
    Published by Sentinel
    Feb 08, 2011 | 832 Pages | ISBN 9781101502495

    Category: Biography & Memoir | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $40.00
    Published by Penguin Audio
    Feb 08, 2011 | 1808 Minutes | ISBN 9781101484487

    Category: Biography & Memoir | Audiobooks

    Audiobook Download | $22.50
    Published by Penguin Audio
    Feb 08, 2011 | 830 Minutes | ISBN 9781101484470

    Praise

    “A serious stab at telling the history of a consequential period in America through the eyes of one of its most consequential players.”
    —PETER BAKER, The New York Times
     
    “I don’t care whether you’re . . . a liberal or a conservative or something else: If you’re interested in this period of history, the book is a total feast.”
    —JAY NORDLINGER, National Review
     
    “A meaty, well-written book that will be a primary source for historians . . . This power memoir deserves to be read with the care that went into writing it.”
    —CHRISTOPHER BUCKLEY, BusinessWeek

    Looking for More Great Reads?
    21 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read
    Get the latest updates from Donald Rumsfeld
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    And go from well-read to best read with book recs, deals and more in your inbox every week.
    By clicking SIGN UP, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Penguin Random House’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
    Dismiss
    Thanks!
    Something awesome is on its way.
    Back to Top

    Visit other sites in the Penguin Random House Network

    Raise kids who love to read

    Brightly

    Raise kids who love to read
    Today's Top Books

    Today's Top Books

    Want to know what people are actually reading right now?
    An online magazine for today’s home cook

    TASTE

    An online magazine for today’s home cook