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How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq
 
 
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How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq (Hardcover)

~ (Author), John Bruning (Author)
Key Phrases: senior interrogator, interrogation booth, Abu Gamal, Abu Raja, Abu Haydar (more...)
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)

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Frequently Bought Together

How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq + The Interrogators: Task Force 500 and America's Secret War Against Al Qaeda + Fear Up Harsh: An Army Interrogator's Dark Journey Through Iraq
Price For All Three: $47.21

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  • This item: How to Break a Terrorist: The U.S. Interrogators Who Used Brains, Not Brutality, to Take Down the Deadliest Man in Iraq by Matthew Alexander

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  • The Interrogators: Task Force 500 and America's Secret War Against Al Qaeda by Chris Mackey

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  • Fear Up Harsh: An Army Interrogator's Dark Journey Through Iraq by Tony Lagouranis

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Alexander, a pseudonymous air force officer, and writer Bruning (House to House), collaborate to tell the stranger-than-fiction story of the intelligence operation that located and ultimately killed Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq. An Air Force investigator turned interrogator, Alexander was trained in the post–Abu Ghraib interrogation techniques that replace fear and control with respect, rapport, hope, cunning and deception. He arrived in Iraq in March 2006, a month after al-Qaeda bombed the Golden Dome Mosque in Samarra in an effort to incite sectarian violence, and Zarqawi became the most wanted man in Iraq and the primary focus of U.S. intelligence efforts. Using the new methods, Alexander interrogated five captured al-Qaeda members and tracked down Zarqawi's personal spiritual adviser, who unwittingly led U.S. Special Forces to Zarqawi's hideout; this vindicated Alexander's methods and eliminated the key terrorist leader. Alexander provides a front-row seat to the intelligence war inside the Global War on Terrorism in a riveting, fast-paced account that reads like a first-rate thriller. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.


Review

Alexander, a pseudonymous air force officer, and writer Bruning (House to House), collaborate to tell the stranger-than-fiction "story of the intelligence operation that located and ultimately killed Abu Musab Al Zarqawi," the head of al-Qaeda in Iraq. An "Air Force investigator turned interrogator," Alexander was trained in the post-Abu Ghraib interrogation techniques that replace "fear and control" with "respect, rapport, hope, cunning and deception." He arrived in Iraq in March 2006, a month after al-Qaeda bombed the Golden Dome Mosque in Samarra in an effort to incite sectarian violence, and Zarqawi became "the most wanted man in Iraq" and the primary focus of U.S. intelligence efforts. Using the new methods, Alexander interrogated five captured al-Qaeda members and tracked down Zarqawi's personal spiritual adviser, who unwittingly led U.S. Special Forces to Zarqawi's hideout; this vindicated Alexander's methods and eliminated the key terrorist leader. Alexander provides a front-row seat to the intelligence war inside the "Global War on Terrorism" in a riveting, fast-paced account that reads like a first-rate thriller. --Publisher's Weekly, August 11, 2008

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Free Press (December 2, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1416573151
  • ISBN-13: 978-1416573159
  • Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #195,032 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

More About the Author

Matthew Alexander
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Customer Reviews

37 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.3 out of 5 stars (37 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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41 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Not For Everyone..., December 2, 2008
By J. Bailey (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Some people don't see eye to eye with the Bush Administration. Some do. That's okay. We're still America. We can disagree amicably.

The author presents a story involving how psychology was used to obtain better data more rapidly than through the use of brutality. I see that as a positive thing.

People die in war. Many times the innocent suffer far out of proportion to the gulty. There is no way to eliminate "collateral damage" as long as there are wars.

And there is no way for free peoples to avoid war without just surrendering to anyone who demands it.

I liked the stories in the book. No, I'm not offering any spoilers here; but I was fascinated by the ways the captured terrorists were manipulated into willingly revealing data that they might never have given up under torture.

We all hate war; but this book shows that we can win and still be the good guys...
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25 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Couldn't Put it Down, December 2, 2008
It's non-fiction that reads with taut suspense...a hard dose of truth. A game within a game with the highest of stakes: American lives.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and literally could not put it down.

If you enjoy reading mystery, intrigue, military warfare, special ops, good vs evil, covert ops, psychological ops, and good old fashioned tactics, you will love this book and keep it displayed on your bookshelf long after you've read it.

An awesome read.


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16 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A catalyst for change, December 5, 2008
This is a very, very important book. It rekindles my belief in the integrity of America, it's moral values and my support for our brave men and women in the US military. This book should and will hopefully be the catalyst which changes the way we do things in Iraq, Afghanistan and all future military operations.

How to Break a Terrorist is a riveting story that teaches us that we, The United States, can win the war against terrorism; not by using brutality and coercion but by living up to the ideals which make our country great.

Once you begin reading How to Break a Terrorist, you will be drawn into the secret world of interrogation. You WILL NOT want to put the book down. Despite knowing the ending - you will be on the edge of your seat the entire journey.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Not groundbreaking
The psychological techniques used to build rapport with the prisoners in the situations described in this account were successful because the subjects were not 100% committed to... Read more
Published 2 months ago by G. Hook

5.0 out of 5 stars I too... couldn't put it down!
It sounds like a bit of a cliche to say I couldn't put it down but that was literally the case. As I got further into the book I found myself staying up on work nights to finish... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Brian

3.0 out of 5 stars Very interesting topic
I bought this book with very high expectations. I had read reviews that indicated Matthew Alexander was very critical of many of the harsher techniques the US has been... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Itsumishi

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!
Matthew Alexander makes the case by example that coercive interrogation is neither effective nor reliable. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Lars P. Hanson

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books I've read in years
I can't recommend this book enough to any American. With our government caught up in the justification of waterboarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques this book is... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Adam Boorstein

1.0 out of 5 stars How to write total fiction that only a 8-year-old would believe
This book was utter [...]. If you can make it to about the 40th page in, you will be treated to a wondrous tale of a detainee so stupid he falls for the "OMG, someone is bombing... Read more
Published 5 months ago by budo1

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating read
This is a fascinating must-read for anyone who is interested in the war on terror. I was handed this book by a friend and I assumed it was going to be a typical anti-war screed... Read more
Published 5 months ago by DWD

3.0 out of 5 stars Hard To Believe
This book was a bit hard to believe. These people being interrogated live in a tough society under a dictator that was further torn apart by war and we are supposed to believe... Read more
Published 6 months ago by D. R. Neff

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for Interrogators before Deployment
I read this book four months ago, before I came to Iraq. I am currently interrogating detainees for the Army in a facility here in Iraq. Read more
Published 6 months ago by F.D.

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful and entertaining
How to Break a Terrorist is an insightful and entertaining account of the U.S. intelligence operation that was instrumental in the killing of Abu Musab Al Zarqawi, the head of... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Viola Chen

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