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Undaunted: My Fight Against America’s Enemies, At Home and Abroad

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This might be called Brennan’s Book of Regrets from the dozen or so times he confesses the sins of his misjudgments and mistakes in this revelatory autobiography. He calls it a memoir: however, it contains substantial details of Brennan’s formative years, growing up in New Jersey, and the intimate details of his family including the stresses of his career.

Among Donald Trump’s most outspoken critics, Brennan offers a defense for his position in some of the most controversial topics and explanations for his decisions while serving in the White House or as Director of the CIA under the Obama Administration. In total, Brennan served the government through six administrations, more than three and a half decades in the intelligence arena. Regardless of party affiliation or preference, the country owes a debt of gratitude to those who have dedicated their entire lives to public service. Now, although a private citizen, Brennan is a human vault of secrets, a prolific fountain of knowledge about foreign governments, particularly in the Middle East.

What to put in and what to leave out? Therein lies the rub. As with all material submitted for publication by anyone who has worked at the CIA, the Agency has the final say about content. In this case, Brennan was denied access to his own notes taken while serving as CIA Director, a handicap that may account for the fact he gives the tragedy at Benghazi only three paragraphs before shifting to the Syrian civil war. As opposed to spending more than twenty-five pages in the quagmire of how a CIA Classified document-The Panetta File- ended up in the possession of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

Among the most captivating portions of this book give a play-by-play insider’s perspective on the successful hunt for Osama Bin Laden. On the lighter side, Brennan makes himself an easy target to his critics by laying bare his own vulnerabilities. It would be interesting to read more from Brennan now that the 2020 Presidential Election is over.


Reviewed By:

Author John O. Brennan
Star Count /5
Format Hard
Page Count 464 pages
Publisher Celadon Books
Publish Date 2020-Oct-06
ISBN 9781250241771
Bookshop.org Buy this Book
Issue January 2021
Category Current Events & Politics
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