The Reluctant Spy: My Secret Life in the CIA's War on Terror [Kindle Edition]

John Kiriakou (Author), Michael Ruby (Author)

Book Description

Long before the waterboarding controversy exploded in the media, one CIA agent had already gone public. In a groundbreaking 2007 interview with ABC News, John Kiriakou called waterboarding torture—but admitted that it probably worked. This book, at once a confessional, an adventure story, and a chronicle of Kiriakou’s life in the CIA, stands as an important, eloquent piece of testimony from a committed American patriot.

In February 2002 Kiriakou was the head of counterterrorism in Pakistan. Under his command, in a spectacular raid coordinated with Pakistani agents and the CIA’s best intelligence analyst, Kiriakou’s field officers took down the infamous terrorist Abu Zubaydah. For days, Kiriakou became the wounded terrorist’s personal “bodyguard.” In circumstances stranger than fiction, as al-Qaeda agents scoured the streets for their captured leader, the best trauma surgeon in America was flown to Pakistan to make sure that Zubaydah did not die.

In The Reluctant Spy, Kiriakou takes us into the fight against an enemy fueled by fanaticism. He chillingly describes what it was like inside the CIA headquarters on the morning of 9/11, the agency leaders who stepped up and those who protected their careers. And in what may be the book’s most shocking revelation, he describes how the White House made plans to invade Iraq a full year before the CIA knew about it—or could attempt to stop it.
 
Chronicling both mind-boggling mistakes and heroic acts of individual courage, The Reluctant Spy is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand the inner workings of the U.S. intelligence apparatus, the truth behind the torture debate, and the incredible dedication of ordinary men and women doing one of the most extraordinary jobs on earth.
 


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Retired CIA agent Kiriakou tells an engrossing story and delivers some strong opinions. Kiriakou earned a degree in Middle Eastern studies, but jobs in this field were scarce in 1988, so he listened when a favorite professor suggested applying to the CIA. As an analyst at the Iraqi-Kuwaiti desk, he oversaw intelligence during Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. By the late '90s, yearning for action, Kiriakou transferred from analysis to operations. There followed a stormy tour in terrorist-ridden Greece and the peak of his career after 9/11 as chief of counterterrorism in Pakistan, where he led a raid that captured an al-Qaeda chief. Except for a hair-raising account of the Bush administration's enthusiasm for torture, the account winds down in its final third when the author returns to the U.S., resigning in 2004. While readers may skim details of his unhappy first marriage, they will enjoy a mostly admiring portrait of the CIA but with telling critiques of its bureaucracy and of Congress's meddling in CIA affairs. 8 pages of b&w photos. (Mar.)
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Review

"The true life story of a US spy on the frontlines of the war on terror, and what that meant for both his personal and professional life. The Reluctant Spy is a gripping page turner that reads better than fiction. A great read about the murky world of American espionage."—Peter Bergen author of Holy War, Inc. and Inside the Secret World of Osama bin Laden


"Kiriakou cracks open the CIA’s vault, revealing an unusually human inside account of what goes on inside. A vivid picture of the tradeoffs facing America in the post 9/11 world."—Jane Mayer, staff writer, The New Yorker Magazine and author of The Dark Side: How the War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals



From the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 353 KB
• Print Length: 226 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0553807374
• Publisher: Bantam; 1 edition (March 16, 2010)
• Sold by: Random House Digital, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0036S4BMG
• Text-to-Speech: Not enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Not Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #130,958 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #89 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Specific Topics > Intelligence & Espionage
  • #94 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction > Politics & Social Sciences > Politics & Government > Specific Topics > Terrorism

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 38 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars An Unvarnished Accout April 9, 2010

By Ondine

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I fancy myself of connoisseur of espionage books, and I've read them all going back 30 years. "The Reluctant Spy: My Secret Life in the CIA's War on Terror" stands out as one of the great ones. This is for a couple of reasons. First, most books in this genre simply bash the CIA and offer no solutions. This doesn't do that. It's a pro-CIA book, but it doesn't shy away from the fact that the organization has some serious problems and it offers solutions. Second, it gives an unvarnished account of one operations officer's struggles as he balances his work and family lives. It's not easy, and the reader gets a true understanding of what a CIA officer goes through.

Substantively, the book is full of newsworthy revelations. First, it tells the complete story of the Abu Zubaydah takedown, a story that's never been told before. Second, it gives unprecedented background on the invasion of Iraq, the CIA's role in that invasion, and the fact that the decision to invade was made a full year before the first bomb fell. Finally, there is an explosive chapter that details a raid on the Taliban Embassy in Peshawar, Pakistan, where documents were found that showed a link between that embassy and telephone numbers across the United States. There were 168 calls from the Embassy to these numbers in the weeks before the September 11 attacks; they ended September 10 and started again on September 16. But the FBI never traced the numbers and the documents were simply put into storage. Chilling.

In the end, the author tells a compelling story, both personal and professional. I highly recommend this book for anybody interested in intelligence or thinking of a job in the intelligence community.

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars John Kiriakou Shares His Passion Without Reluctance April 27, 2010

By C. A. Webb TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

This is definitely a book I will be talking about for quite some time. THE RELUCTANT SPY tells not only a man's journey of over a dozen years in the CIA, but the effects such a choice had on his overall life.

The book does discuss the overall war on terror, but it also shows that such a war is not just fought in one location. In many ways we are at war in this country by the decisions we make, what we put first in our lives and the consequences such decisions evokes. John made a choice to put his work ahead of almost everything---even at times his family. Such a decision didn't come without cost, but at the end of the day, I don't think he would have changed anything.

Many people will focus on the issue of enhanced interrogations in the book, but that is only a small part of the bigger picture that we are given by the author. Our lives changed after September 11,2001--- for the good and the bad. Decisions were made by people who were entrusted by us to lead, and I think that one of the big lessons I took away from the book was it's hard to second-guess the motives of those we have given such a charge. John didn't agree with everything that was done, but he knew where his loyalty was. It was more than just a job. It was an opportunity to make a difference.

I had the privilege of interviewing the author, and one thing that struck me was that he loved what he did. He loved being in a position to help regardless of what it might cost him. He loved his job. We should all be so fortunate.

16 of 22 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read about a true "citizen spy" April 9, 2010

By book enthusiast

Format:Hardcover

I purchased this book with some skepticism, wondering if it would be a novel about a larger-than-life James Bond character. Indeed, it is not. The Reluctant Spy is a page-turner and the author comes across as just a normal guy who sacrificed everything for his country. The book also features unique insights into the closed bureaucracy of the intelligence community. I highly recommend this book. You'll learn something and come to appreciate how many "normal" Americans have their lives on the line for our country.

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