I have so many thoughts about this book.First of all, the author's motive for writing this book isn't cleverly hidden and I wish I had been aware of it before reading. Gup seems to think that the CIA's culture of secrecy needs to be overturned and there is no reason to keep the names of fallen Agency members secret years after they've died. Regardless of whether he's right or wrong, I got kind of sick of his opinions by the end because I wasn't expecting them. The stories themselves aren't nearly as graphic as I feared. No tales of capture and torture in the South American jungle. Interestingly enough, very few tales of the Middle East as this book was published in early 2001 and focuses mostly on Cold War-era politics. Gup went into a lot of backstory about each person, including their time before joining the Agency and their family's response to their death. It seems as if this whole book is written as a tribute for the families of those Agency members that died, and published as a way for them to properly process their grief. Again, this isn't a bad thing- it just wasn't what I expected. Overall, if you're looking for a book that serves as a loose history of the CIA, this would be a good read. It gives a comprehensive description of the various places and events that the CIA got involved in and their results. If you're looking for a non-partisan human interest piece- this is not it.
I took a class on the CIA and Secrecy with Ted Gup at CWRU several years ago. We read excerpts of this book for class, but it wasn't until recently that I read through the whole thing. I was blessed to have the unique experience of getting his insight in person for a whole semester, including a class trip to Washington DC, however I still wish I would have read it in its entirety during that time frame. His deep passion and desire to honor the men and women that gave their lives for our country is memorable both in person and through his work. I look forward to reading his other books.
I received this book on recommendation from a professor who had read a fair amount Cold War literature. It appears to be well researched, but it is hard to determine how accurate the stories are - so I will hold out the fifth star until anyone can confirm the accuracy of the information. I would recommend it highly, and believe only Coll's Ghost Wars does a better job of bringing to life the various characters and ramifications of US policy in from the 1970's through 1990's. The stories are all short and bite sized, which makes the book move pretty quickly.
—Magila
This is my first book on the history of the CIA. It was special reading about it through the lives of those who have been honored for giving their lives in service to their country and to the CIA. The author is a good writer, but sometimes interjects his opinion about the CIA's need for secrecy. (But then again, he is the author and has every right to inject his opinion.) I enjoyed the book. Learned a lot. And was surprised by some of the lives portrayed. Recommend it to anyone interested in the subject.
—Bruce
Gup researched the men behind the symbols. He delves into the history of CIA case officers who were killed in the line of duty and who are represented on the Wall of Honor at CIA HQ. Gup tells the stories of a number of officers, some of whom are now publicly recognized and some who to this day are still denied the public honor by the Agency. An interesting read, but not engaging enough to keep from putting the book down. I enjoyed the stories and reading about the sacrifice, but some of them become long-winded without engaging the reader.
—Nate
