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21 reviews for:
Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda
Douglas Laux, Ralph Pezzullo
3.51 AVERAGE
21 reviews for:
Left of Boom: How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda
Douglas Laux, Ralph Pezzullo
3.51 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
Glad I read this. Talented intelligent young man. Very much a know-it-all, but I can forgive him that. Doug, I'm thankful for your service and hope that what you all are doing for the rest of us didn't ruin the rest of your life. I still don't understand it all over there, but this at least gave me a bit of a POV.
Interesting perspective on Afghanistan from this former CIA officer. This book is more memoir than nonfiction, but that doesn't mean it's not a good read by any stretch. Read this if you liked Redeployment. Doug is a pretty messed up guy, and I wish this book was a bit more insightful about those personal demons and what drove him to join the agency, but I couldn't put it down, and I gained new insight.
This is not my typical read or a book I ever thought I’d enjoy, but I actually found it pretty interesting. I know it’s a memoir of a CIA agent but the long redacted sections seemed redundant. I get it contains classified information but I wish the author just left out the sometimes entire page worth of blacked out writing. Other than that this was a pretty good read!
Many reviews seem to hate on the author for including details of his messy attempts at a social life. I actually quite appreciated them. His descriptions of the toll taken by his constant extended absences, inability to acknowledge what he actually did, and the sheer stresses of the job both on himself and those around him offered a glimpse into a rarely described aspect of the profession (if one that had been interpreted through the lens of a bro).
The book as a whole is good, though not great. I understand the redactions (and always appreciated the ones transparent to anyone who's watched even an hour of CNN), but they definitely interfered with what was otherwise reasonably well-flowing prose. The descriptions were engaging and I appreciated the chance to learn about how case officers work (not even an attempt to invoke Bond and Bourne).
Overall, four out of five. It's engaging and informative, but you can't help but feel as though he's trying to seek cool at points, and, whether they had purpose or not, the t factions were quite distracting.
The book as a whole is good, though not great. I understand the redactions (and always appreciated the ones transparent to anyone who's watched even an hour of CNN), but they definitely interfered with what was otherwise reasonably well-flowing prose. The descriptions were engaging and I appreciated the chance to learn about how case officers work (not even an attempt to invoke Bond and Bourne).
Overall, four out of five. It's engaging and informative, but you can't help but feel as though he's trying to seek cool at points, and, whether they had purpose or not, the t factions were quite distracting.
Fascinating read about a young CIA agent and his initial enthusiasm and eventual disillusionment with the CIA. As a freshmen attending college on 9/11, Laux is inspired to change his path and pursue a career in the CIA. His enthusiasm is tempered by the red tape and risk averse attitude exhibited by the CIA. I finished the book and wondered how many good agents the CIA loses and how this handcuffs the CIA.
3.5/5
I enjoyed reading it and all, but where were the takeaways? I don't think this book quite knew what it wanted to be, because it seemed like a weird mashup of travelogue, dating recollection, critique of the CIA, and "I'm such an idiot badass look at me". But none of that put together made for a complete book. It was missing something, and a key something.
I enjoyed reading it and all, but where were the takeaways? I don't think this book quite knew what it wanted to be, because it seemed like a weird mashup of travelogue, dating recollection, critique of the CIA, and "I'm such an idiot badass look at me". But none of that put together made for a complete book. It was missing something, and a key something.
This had the potential to be an interesting book. Sadly the asinine redactions (a portion you could piece together from other information supplied in the book and elsewhere) made it annoying to read.
What a load of self-centered narcissistic dreck.
I expected from the title that this would be about someone who actually went undercover into the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Not an informant handler who never went close to undercover. And by the telling was some one who just was able to come in and turn things around. I have trouble believing he was the first operative in Afghanistan who spoke fluent Pashtun (despite that he had been trained in a completely different dialect and had to relearn on the job). That he was the first and only one to suggest that the danger in Afghanistan was the Taliban and not Al-Qadea?
From the descriptions I felt more like he was a small town High School Quarterback who lived off of his self-perceived glory. That he was God's gift to everything - women, the CIA, the world. His girlfriend is mad at him, but the minute he takes off his shirt and she sees his fabulous abs she has to have sex with him right then and there? Give me a break.
And the attitude he claims he had with superior officers... dropping out of communication for two months and just going off on vacation jaunts without checking in at all, and he's not disciplined for it... I don't buy it.
sorry, no.
The only reason I give this book a 2 instead of a 1 is because I liked the reader. He's the only thing that kept me listening to the book.
I expected from the title that this would be about someone who actually went undercover into the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Not an informant handler who never went close to undercover. And by the telling was some one who just was able to come in and turn things around. I have trouble believing he was the first operative in Afghanistan who spoke fluent Pashtun (despite that he had been trained in a completely different dialect and had to relearn on the job). That he was the first and only one to suggest that the danger in Afghanistan was the Taliban and not Al-Qadea?
From the descriptions I felt more like he was a small town High School Quarterback who lived off of his self-perceived glory. That he was God's gift to everything - women, the CIA, the world. His girlfriend is mad at him, but the minute he takes off his shirt and she sees his fabulous abs she has to have sex with him right then and there? Give me a break.
And the attitude he claims he had with superior officers... dropping out of communication for two months and just going off on vacation jaunts without checking in at all, and he's not disciplined for it... I don't buy it.
sorry, no.
The only reason I give this book a 2 instead of a 1 is because I liked the reader. He's the only thing that kept me listening to the book.