Public Libraries of Suffolk County, New York

Undaunted, my fight against America's enemies, at home and abroad, John O. Brennan

eng

autobiography

no index present

non fiction

Undaunted

large print

John O. Brennan

my fight against America's enemies, at home and abroad

"Friday, January 6, 2017: On that day, as always, John Brennans alarm clock was set to go off at 4:15 a.m. But nothing else about that day would be routine. That day marked his first and only security briefing with President-elect Donald Trump. And it was also the day John Brennan said his final farewell to Owen Brennan, his father, the man who had taught him the lessons of goodness, integrity, and honor that had shaped the course of an unparalleled career serving his country from within the intelligence community. In this brutally honest memoir, Brennan, the son of an Irish immigrant who settled in New Jersey, describes the life that took him from being a young CIA recruit enamored with the mystique of spy work, secretly defiant enough to drive a motorcycle and sport a diamond earring, and invigorated by his travels in the Middle East to being the most powerful individual in American intelligence. He details his experiences with very different presidents and what its been like to bear responsibility for some of the nations most crucial and polarizing national security decisions. He pulls back the curtain on the inner workings of the Agency, describing the selfless, patriotic, and invisible work of the women and men involved in national security. He also examines the insularity, arrogance, and myopia that have, at times, undermined its reputation in the eyes of the American people and of members of other branches of government. Through topics ranging from George W. Bushs intervention in Iraq to his thoughts on the CIAs controversial use of enhanced interrogation techniques to his eye-opening account of the planning of the raid that resulted in Bin Ladins death to his realization that Russia had interfered with the 2016 election, Brennan brings the reader behind the scenes of some of the most crucial moments in recent U.S. history. He also candidly discusses the times he has failed to live up to his own high standards and the very public fallouts that have resulted. With its behind-the-scenes look at how major U.S. national security policies and actions unfolded during his long and distinguished careerespecially during his eight years in the Obama administrationJohn Brennans memoir is a work of history with strong implications for the future of America and our countrys relationships with other world powers." --publisher's website

Friday, January 6, 2017 -- Jersey boy -- Coming of age -- Discovering the Middle East -- "So, you are interested in joining the CIA?" -- Out of operations -- John of Arabia -- Analyze this -- Countering terror -- Briefing the "first customers" -- Saudi Arabia redux -- Back at Langley during stormy times -- Falling short -- The challenge of a government "start-up" -- A new TAC(K) -- Joining the Obama team -- Working in the West Wing -- Taking life to save a life -- The "pacer" of Abbottabad -- Factoring in fourth-order effects -- Second shot at the best job in government -- Stirring the CIA pot -- A tortured Senate report -- Oh, the people I've met -- Dealing with Russian intrigue -- What the hell just happened? -- Undaunted