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The Good Spy: The Life and Death of Robert Ames, by Kai Bird
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Review
New York Times BestsellerA Washington Post Notable BookA Christian Science Monitor Top Ten Book, 2014New York Times Book Review Editor's ChoiceEntertainment Weekly's Best Spy Book of 2014A Daily Beast Best Biography of 2014An Apple Top 10 Biography of 2014“A rich nuanced portrait of a man who, in the CIA's term, had a high tolerance for ambiguity...One of the best accounts we have of how espionage really works.”—Mark Mazzetti, The New York Times Book Review“Cool and authoritative…The book’s understated pleasures come from reading a pro writing about a pro. Mr. Bird has a dry style; watching him compose a book is like watching a robin build a nest. Twig is entwined with twig until a sturdy edifice is constructed. No flourishes are required …. Mr. Bird’s style is ideal for his subject.” —Dwight Garner, The New York Times“A well-researched, engagingly presented biography...The Good Spy is a fascinating book that sheds much-needed light on one of the murkier corners of CIA—and Middle Eastern—history.”—Max Boot, Wall Street Journal“Full of great morsels and details… Bird has found in Ames a wonderful new subject…. The Good Spy succeeds on the basis of Bird’s considerable research skills, his interviews with intelligence officials, his access to Ames’s letters home and, above all, his ability to spot and put together an engrossing biography.”–Washington Post“Bird captures the acrid taste of regional politics and offers a perceptive portrayal of the internal workings and interplay of personalities within the CIA at the time…An enthralling read.”–Houston Chronicle “[Bird] spent years researching this terrific biography of one of America’s most important covert operatives. It was worth every minute.”–Seattle Times“Engrossing…This absorbing book suggests that even the best of intentions, and the best of spies, aren’t enough to bridge the chasms in the Middle East.”—Los Angeles Times“Riveting…[Bird] relates fascinating details (drawn from interviews with some 30 retired CIA and Mossad officers) about the culture and practices of the agency, including the life-and-death implications of designating an individual as either a ‘source,’ a ‘recruit’ or an ‘asset.’”–San Francisco Gate“With its pacy narrative, exotic locales and colourful cast of CIA and Mossad agents, Palestinian and Iranian revolutionaries, Lebanese operators and even a winner of the Miss Universe contest, the book has all the ingredients of a first-class thriller. Kai Bird writes well enough to be a novelist, too, but his sentences have the additional virtue of being true.” –Times Literary Supplement“In his riveting, illuminating account of Ames' life and ultimate death in the 1983 embassy bombing in Beirut, Bird pulls back the thick black curtain on the world of clandestine intelligence affairs — a world that turns out to be more blazer-and-pen than cloak-and-dagger, though no less engrossing — to tell the story of one individual's good work in a not-so-good system. A” –Entertainment Weekly“One of the best nonfiction books ever written about the West’s involvement in the Arab world.”—The Spectator (UK)“All of this is engrossing for those fascinated by the machinations of the people and politics of the Middle East…But this book should appeal to a wider audience. It underlines the need for intelligence-gathering by humans as well as by machines, and illustrates the gap between spying and policy.”–The EconomistOne of 2014's best books so far. “A lucid, thorough, fascinating biography.”–TIME.com “It is a reflection of the drama of this patch of history as well as Bird’s skill in rendering it that the book is as compelling a read as most spy novels.”–National Interest“Kai Bird has written a riveting biography… This intriguing book shares many exciting exploits of Ames’ life as a spy, but most captivating was his poignant relationship with Ali Hassan Salameh.” –Jewish Journal (Massachusetts)“Painstakingly researched...In addition to being an admiring biography of a uniquely gifted CIA operative, The Good Spy reminds us of those long-ago days when some sort of resolution was considered even a remote possibility.”–Highbrow Magazine“More exciting than le Carré’s George Smiley or Fleming’s James Bond, Bird recreates the life of CIA superspy Robert Ames… Bird’s meticulous account of Ames’s career amid an ongoing Mideast climate of caution and suspicion is one of the best books on the American intelligence community.” —Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) “A moving biography within a balanced presentation of the complex diplomacy over the Palestinian quest for statehood and Israeli need for security.” —Library Journal (Starred Review) “A poignant tribute to a CIA Middle East operative who helped get the Palestinians and Israelis to talk to each other—and died for it.” —Kirkus Reviews“Kai Bird has produced a compelling and complex narrative that must be read on many levels—including as a detailed account of the immense influence that a truly good man can have on an agency as cynical as the CIA, and as a reminder of a myriad of losses. Robert Ames did not live long enough to get what he most desperately wanted—a real peace in the Middle East. And America's intelligence agencies no longer seem as welcoming to agents with the wisdom, vision and integrity that Ames exemplified.”—Seymour Hersh, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Price of Power, The Dark Side of Camelot, and Chain of Command“Kai Bird has delivered two miracles—the best day-by-day account of a secret intelligence career in the CIA, and the best book about the murderous intelligence war between Israel and her enemies with America smack in the middle. For years Robert Ames—The Good Spy—tried to nudge both sides toward peace until he picked the wrong day to visit the U.S. Embassy in Beirut and was killed by a car bomb. Bird has written a powerful and revealing story that leaves the reader with a troubling question—how did America get trapped in this war it can do nothing to end?”—Thomas Powers, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Intelligence Wars and The Man Who Kept the Secrets: Richard Helms and the CIA “The Good Spy gives us the CIA up close and personal—the intricate dance of recruiting ‘assets,’ the bureaucratic maneuverings, the family compromises. But because Ames was a Mideast specialist his biography also becomes a knowing history of that region's political failures and relentless descent into violence. Well reported, even-handed, compelling reading -- one of the best books ever written about the CIA.”—Joseph Kanon, New York Times bestselling author of Los Alamos and The Good German"Beautifully written and researched, The Good Spy is the best book I've ever read on espionage. It perfectly captures the CIA at its best. What's more, it's a book you can't put down, right to its tragic end. I need to add this: while Bob Ames's career and mine crossed paths over the years, it's Kai Bird who has finally put the story together for me. Reading this, I wondered at times if Kai somehow pulled off a black bag operation to get into the Agency archives."—Robert Baer, former CIA operative and New York Times bestselling author of See No Evil “Kai Bird has unearthed an astonishing amount of detail about Robert Ames, the CIA, and U.S. spy operations in the Middle East. His book could not be more timely in showing us the perils and advantages of clandestine actions in the name of national security. The Good Spy gives new meaning to the adage that truth can be stranger than fiction.”—Robert Dallek, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917-1963 "If John le Carré were a nonfiction specialist, he surely would feel the lure of writing the story that is at the heart of The Good Spy. Kai Bird works the seam between history and espionage. He has produced an arresting book—one that is knowing, and masterful in its rendition of a time when the United States cast a huge shadow across the Arab world. Robert Ames, the spy in Kai Bird's title, is a figure of unusual poignancy because his guile and innocence run side by side.”—Fouad Ajami, Senior Fellow at The Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and author of The Syrian RebellionFrom the Hardcover edition.
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About the Author
KAI BIRD is the coauthor or author of four previous books: American Prometheus, Crossing Mandelbaum Gate, The Chairman, and The Color of Truth. He is the recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Writing Fellowship.
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Product details
Paperback: 448 pages
Publisher: Broadway Books; Reprint edition (May 26, 2015)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307889769
ISBN-13: 978-0307889768
Product Dimensions:
5.2 x 1.2 x 7.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:
4.3 out of 5 stars
313 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#232,096 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Amazing story of an intelligence officer who worked with had worked in the Middle East trying to bring together two groups of people who have been fighting since the 1930's. Part of the reason why I like this book is that it is a wonderful thriller that shows the ins and outs of the intelligence community and the hard work that they do, especially when pressured by outside forces (President, Congress, etc...) But I also like that this biography didn't just give a timeline of what happened in Mr. Ames life in a linear format. This combined the history of the region and the conflict with how Mr. Ames fit into the process that was going on during the time. Of course, there needed to be some biographical information involved, but this wasn't just about him and ended when he died. The story flowed too that made the reading enjoyable and not hard to read. Good book, great story.
At this moment in time it's good to go back to the early days of the Middle East crisis. It also makes it more complicated when you get to see the so called human side of what makes for a good spy. There is no objective truth. The people who spend their lives wallowing in this dark arena have no perfect handle on any more than slivers of several barely partial truths, and Bird brings them all to life and death. He makes the most of the little we can know. It's a book to read slowly, unlike the novels that cover the same territory. The bottom line is, Trust no one, but hope that good journalism like this can keep our heads slightly above water. This is not a stylish book, but it is really well written and never clunky or hackneyed.
This is a well researched book and presents detailed information about an influential and successful modern American spy. This book is not for the casual reader. The cast of characters is many and their movements around the Middle East complicated. Robert Ames, the good spy, died in one of the first major terrorists attacks against the US. I am of the believe that we did not learn enough from this terrible incident as several other attacks occurred prior to the big one on 9-11. Of course, it is extremely difficult to provide 100% security for surprise suicide killers, yet our giant government seemed slow to react or to recognize the capacity for horrific mass murder. One wonders, after these attacks and the intelligence about terrorism, why were American airlines flying around with the doors to the cockpit unlocked in the year 2001 when the airlines Israel had long stopped this practice? While Ames is a skilled CIA agent, he seemed to me to belong more in the Department of State as a diplomat. Again, this book is not for the casual reader but for those who like heavy duty history and are serious about understanding the Middle East.
I definitely enjoyed this book. I found it intriguing. I wish more "secret" info could have been given; I mean at times we know Ames is having meetings and other clandestine operations but few details are given other than the fact the meeting occurred.Sadly it is affirmed through this book that the media reports what an administration wants the public to know, while in actuality something opposite the report is occurring. In some sense I understand it, but in another sense, you wish we could get truth! Thankfully there are books like the Bible that give us truth.
Not the Ames that betrayed his country. This is an important work in the sense that it brings the importance of human intelligence (humint) into focus, especially in an area where infiltrating groups that are hostile to America is incredibly difficult because they are so often made up of family members and long time friends. Ames was murdered in the suicide bombing of the American Embassy in Beirut in April of 1983. The United States and Israel both blame Hezbollah. Hezbollah denies any responsibility while taking credit fro the destruction of the Marine Barracks in Beirut a mere six months later. While researching my master's thesis I found it impossible to prove or disprove and came to the conclusion that it was most likely Syrian backed PFLP (People's Front for the Liberation of Palestine), however that is really nothing more than an educated guess.
The story of Robert Ames life as chronicled in this book left me with some unfortunate conclusions. Firstly, the relationship between Israel and their neighbors and the Arab world as a whole has only become worse. Suicide bombers are not a new phenomenon with the rise of ISIS but have been part of history in the Middle East for some time. Spies on the ground have a better feel for our allies and adversaries than their bosses in Washington who may have objectives that are not based on reality. The bombing of the American embassy in Beirut and the siege of the Libyan embassy have dangerous similarities. They both should have been better fortified and protected. There is a strange naïveté we have about this. Lastly, the U.S. needs more "spies", liaisons or agents on the ground connecting, befriending or trying to understand local politics and their bosses in Washington should not second guess their conclusions or expect them to conform to all the rule books at home when needs on the ground are different.An eye opening book. It gave me some understanding of the radicalization of the Middle East.
I lived the period in beirut and my parents personally knew "The red Prince". All I can say that the details in the book are very accurate.Very sad what happened to the American Embassy in 1983 where too many good american people died while trying to do good for the Middle East.The Red Prince was a very good guy, as my parents said to me, and he protected them from harm on different occasions. He got blown up at a place where used to be a 2 times daily passage for me. I could have been on that road in that specific hour.Highly recommended. Enjoy
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