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1. Very Quick Read
   Really well-written and enthralling. The story of Ma Bell over several decades is captured comprehensively. Mr. Cool should write a follow-up 35 years later — the industry would be unrecognizable today.

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2. Well written
   I think the title was a bit misleading. After having read the book, I probably wouldn’t have bought it. The author goes into a lot of detail about court proceedings and people involved in them. I’m sure if I had a law degree or was aspiring to get an MBA, I would have enjoyed this book. I’m giving it fours stars because it didn’t quite appeal to me, but I’m willing to recognize it was a well researched book that probably would appeal to someone else.

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3. Great book and timely topic
   This is an excellent read. It’s well written and a very interesting topic and story. I was born after the breakup of AT&T so, aside from hearing that there was a breakup of AT&T, I knew nothing of the incident nor how the phone system was prior to the breakup. I think it’s a valuable read because we’re now dealing with issues with the internet that I believe have many corollaries to this story. It’s helpful to look back and learn from prior lessons so that we can use them to better our decisions today.

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4. relevant today though published in 1986
   With the possible merger of ATT and T Mobile, the 1982 ATT breakup seems to be circular as if revisiting an American telecommunication oligarchy, if not a monopoly. Steve Coll’s engrossing and detailed history of that fabled anti trust litigation and its governmental machinations surely is being poured over by some bureaucrat at the FCC, FTC or Department of Justice. The actors in the 1982 break up outshine their present day counterparts in importance and verve; there will be no John deButts, Charles Brown, Bill Baxter, George Saunders or Judge Harold Green. They and others are vividly portrayed along with the bureaucratic clash of swords in the three branches of government; Judge Green, Congress with Peter Rodino and Tim Wirth and Bill Baxter, the anti-trust head at Justice in Reagan’s first administration. Coll is relatively fair in his assessment of all the players although he seems overly judgmental to Baxter, who though a law professor, not a court room gladiator, held firm and forced the settlement despite the pressure of other powerful forces in the Reagan administration. What impacts the reader at the end of the book is whether in 2011, thirty years after the litigation and settlement, this break up was good for the United States as a country. Coll, with the perspective of only five years after the events (the book was written in 1986), seems to answer that it was. Tim Wu, in his very fine 2010 book, “The Master Switch,” thinks the break up of ATT gave way to an era of technological innovation and progress despite the increase in fees and costs for the average American consumer. The lessons of the break up of this monopoly should be fairly considered in judging the newest merger.

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5. Great historical read on the events surrounding the break up of “ma bell”
   Great history and blow by blow analysis of the motives of the parties in the break up of AT&T in the 1970s and 1980s. It clearly shows the dysfunction that created a lose lose situation for almost everyone. AT&T was surely uncompetitive & stifling innovation but also delivered the best phone service in the world at less than half the price of similar service in Europe or Asia. MCI was surely trying to innovate and compete but also was extremely hypocritical and working both sides of a binary argument. The govt was trying to level the playing field but instead created a Wall St opportunity for many new companies while doubling and tripling the cost of basic phone service in the states for worse service.
   Great read if you love telecom and how things happened and why. It would be interesting for a new edition to be published today with a longer epilogue examining the ramifications good and bad of this action that changed so many industries, people, the govt, and companies.

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6. Well written account of the greatest breakup in history
   This is a well written account of the break-up of the largest corporation of the time. The book does not become entangled in too many details nor characters. It is detailed enough to warrant close attention and a tad long. Yet, the episode was many years in the making.

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7. Excellent service
   Prompt Service.
   Would use again.

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8. And incredible behind the scenes of you on one of the most important events in business history
   Even if you don’t know the telecommunications Industry or the history of the regulation, this is an incredibly interesting book. It goes beyond the events and takes you into the minds of the main players whose efforts ultimately lead to the most important changes In US business history

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