Directorate SDirectorate S
Score Modern
What it's about
Steve Coll tells the story of America's war in Afghanistan after 2001, and the CIA's secret dealings with Pakistan's intelligence service, whose 'Directorate S' was secretly supporting the Taliban the Americans were fighting. He shows how the United States failed to understand, or stop, the double game.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Critics Circle Award. It's a deeply reported sequel to Coll's Pulitzer-winning Ghost Wars.
You'll love it if you liked
The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
No Good Men Among the Living
Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIAGood to know
It's long and dense with names and acronyms.
By the numbers
- Readers82 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics54 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller18 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz7 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
On our reserve shelf: it doesn't have enough readers yet for us to rank it alongside the Must-Read 50 pool. We check again every month, and it can still turn up in your 50 once you've read most of our ranked books.
Why it made the list
Reads as
True story
More by Steve Coll
If you like this, read next
Between the World and Me
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
Educated: A Memoir
All the Light We Cannot See
The Book Thief
AmericanahExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Directorate S worth reading?
It won the National Book Critics Circle Award. Its Must-Read Score is 78.4 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Directorate S about?
Steve Coll tells the story of America's war in Afghanistan after 2001, and the CIA's secret dealings with Pakistan's intelligence service, whose 'Directorate S' was secretly supporting the Taliban the Americans were fighting. He shows how the United States failed to understand, or stop, the double game.
How long does it take to read Directorate S?
About 20 hours (784 pages), or about 6 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Directorate S won?
NBCC Award (Nonfiction) winner (2018).
What should I read after Directorate S?
If you liked it, try The Looming Tower: Al Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 by Lawrence Wright, No Good Men Among the Living by Anand Gopal or Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner.