What do You think about Blow The House Down: A Novel (2007)?
I'm sticking this under 'memoir' even though it's ostensibly fiction, because having heard Baer speak (he lives about 40 miles from here) and read two of his nonfiction books, it's clear this book is only a slight fictional branching from his own experience. I don't know that he believes 9/11 was really precipitated for these reasons - but I bet that he thinks there's a strong possibility it did.Baer's background as a CIA operative infuses his story with details that ring true because they are true; in fact, it's kind of weird to see familiar names of real people (e.g. the main character mentions sending a story off to Danny Pearl) rather than the usual fictionalized versions. He writes well, in a simple and straightforward style that is transparently easy to read (which I applaud). On the other hand, as a story, it's...kind of lacking, I guess. The groundwork is set into place with painstaking slowness, and then it all comes together in a rush of revelation at the end. I enjoyed it, in general. But I would have liked to have seen the craft of a writer at work as well as that of a spy.
—Isis
I wish every American would read this book. While the fictionalized events are thrilling, the facts behind the fiction, are mind-boggling and terrifying! This is an important book which may prompt me to read Mr. Baer's non-fiction, but I may not be able to stomach the contents without some removal from reality as provided by the fiction.I learned from this book that we need to put Mr. Baer in a position of authority in the CIA, or better still, as a special consultant to the President.I'm waiting on a later book entitled, "I Warned You."
—Jo Anne Knight
This book offers the unique perpective of a former CIA operative on the Middle East, 9/11, and terrorism in general. While working for CIA's Directorate of Operations, Bob Baer spent 20 years in places like Beirut, Lebanon; Dushanbe, Tajikistan; and Salah al-Din in Kurdish northern Iraq.George Clooney's character in the film Syriana, Bob Barnes, is loosely based on Robert Baer.Having previously written two non-fiction books, See No Evil: The True Story of a Ground Soldier in the CIA's War on Terrorism and Sleeping With the Devil: How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude, Blow the House Down is his first novel. One can assume that the author was able to get away with saying some things in a fictionalized format that CIA's censors wouldn't have allowed had the book been nonfiction (All manuscripts written by any current or former CIA employee must be reviewed and ok'd by CIA prior to publication).The Author's Note at the end of the novel alone makes this book worth picking up.Interview with Bob Baer @ MotherJones.com:[http://www.motherjones.com/interview/...]
—Rory
