Don't Shoot, We're Republicans: The True Story of the FBI Agent Who Did Things His Way [Paperback]

Jack Owens (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2009

The image of the FBI Special Agent, since the days of J. Edgar Hoover, has been carefully crafted as being polite, clean shaven young men and pleasantly smiling women whose hallmarks are polite words and good manners. Author Jack Owens goes behind that facade and shares the human side of the FBI. With a breezy sweep of the 30 years of his life as a Special Agent, Owens, with his remarkable wit, introduces the reader to a new type of FBI Agent- one who could appreciate the irony and humor of life and laughed and "cussed," yes "cussed", as he met those ironies and idiosyncrasies in the field in Alabama. Owens' shares his unique perspective with the reader from his early days as an FBI trainee through chasing spies, terrorists and assorted "bad guys," putting down a prison riot and setting up roadblocks for desperadoes where, occasionally, he encountered some good people too.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Writer and former FBI special agent Owens recounts 30 years as a G-man in this funny, thought-provoking memoir. Fresh out of law school, Owens signed on with J. Edgar Hoover's all-white, all-male bureau in 1969. Presenting his work as a series of telling anecdotes, Owens often finds the comedy in his job (the standard punchline involves surprisingly easy-to-find fugitives) as well as the thrills, such as a stint with the FBI SWAT team, putting down a 1987 Atlanta prison riot started in part by Cuban inmates formerly held in Castro's prisons (a '94 riot followed in Alabama). Along with the tedium, ironies and tragedies of his decades in the field, Owens also details his work on one of the most shocking cases in U.S. criminal history, the Atlanta child murders in the early '80s. With a vet's cogent perspective, Owens produces a compelling and well-rounded retrospective of a life in criminal enforcement.
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About the Author

An FBI Agent for 30 years in Alabama, Jack Owens is a published author. His work has appeared in [i]Atlantic Monthly[/i] and [i]Alabama Heritage[/i].Being media savvy, Owens has developed a reputation for sharp witted humor. On CBS' "Big Brother 4" he was on for 36 consecutive episodes and was voted most popular on the show.

Product Details

• Paperback: 278 pages
• Publisher: History Publishing Company, LLC; 1 edition (August 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1933909676
• ISBN-13: 978-1933909677
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #162,364 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fast paced and fun, September 17, 2009

By 

Jesse E. Petree (Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Don't Shoot, We're Republicans: The True Story of the FBI Agent Who Did Things His Way (Paperback)

This book is fun to read. I purchased it because I was a fan of Jack Owens when he was on Big Brother 4. Big Brother's Co-Executive Producer, Don Wollman, even writes a recommendation on the back cover, and questions whether or not a man who would dress up as a giant strawberry on national T.V (like Jack did on BB4) can be believed :)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sherlock Holmes meets George Carlin., September 4, 2009

By 

Warren R. Grayson "Constant Reader" (Birmingham, AL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Don't Shoot, We're Republicans: The True Story of the FBI Agent Who Did Things His Way (Paperback)

If you think FBI agents are all suits, guns and seriousness then this memoir will quickly remind you that FBI agents are people too! In this frequently hysterical chronicle of Special Agent Jack Owens 30 years with the FBI he recounts some very exciting stories of behind-the-scenes law enforcement shenanigans. It is not without its somber moments which serve to remind us that FBI agents put their lives on the line every day. Thank you Jack for keeping America safe! A fantastic, funny and exciting book - I highly recommend it!

5.0 out of 5 stars A solid and enthusiastically recommended addition to any personal memoir collection, November 13, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Shoot, We're Republicans: The True Story of the FBI Agent Who Did Things His Way (Paperback)

An FBI Agent deals with the crimes far too wild for local law enforcement to handle. "Don't Shoot! We're Republicans!" tells the story of Jack Owns and his career as an FBI Agent. A story filled with unique and original anecdotes of his career dealing with various degrees of malice, killers, and absurdity, his story is unlike no other and will charm many a reader and perhaps inspire many to careers in law enforcement. "Don't Shoot! We're Republicans!" is a solid and enthusiastically recommended addition to any personal memoir collection.