The Book of Honor: The Secret Lives and Deaths of CIA Operatives

Great, but not all that great!!!!

This is a pretty good book. It is well thought out. If you want to know about all the men (and one women) who have given up their lives for freedom then this is a MUST READ BOOK! The only problem is that he draws out the stories and you find yourself saying, 'Get to the point'!!!!!

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Scary, but true

This book was hard for me to put down. It is scary what the US government will do to it's people to protect freedom.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Excellent

A truly excellent book which provides a good background on the officers of the Agency.

Time to Tell the Truth

This work initially appealed to me because I know (knew? - he has been incommunicado for over six months now; even his wife and children have had no word from him or anybody else as to his safety or whereabouts) one of these poor suckers. And that is just what they wind up being. The CIA lures them in with briefcases full of cash infused with red, white and blue BS, and then, poof, there goes their personal lives. The effect of the fallout on their families and friends is heartbreaking. While the author obviously gave it his all - just gaining access to his data must have been a gargantuan task - he couldn't possibly have conveyed the true depth of the price anyone even remotely connected with a field operative pays. Sadly, they are just pawns in a chess game for rich men. Why only two stars? The author gets an 'A' for effort, but cannot possibly come close to telling the whole story, which leaves the reader with more questions than annswers after turning that last page.

For the love of ?

Good book that revealed how the CIA evolved fron idealist champion of American policies to bloated goverment agency concerned more with analysis than on site intelligence work that is more dangerous but effective in getting to the source of the problem

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Lacking kick

This was a great topic to write a book about. We need to know who our heroes are. However, reading the book, I felt that a lot of the key information was missing. Although I realize that the author often had to obtain classified information, the book could have been written much better.

Not that Great

This book wasn't that great, it was rather boring and drawn out, and you knew how it was going to turn out. But I really admire Ted Gup for recording these lives, I'm sure it has relieved a great burden off of family members who have had to keep secrets and lie about their family member's life in serving their country.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

What we don't know . . .

A fascinating look into the lives of men and women who were helping our country in ways we could have never imagined. Definitely worth the read.

Tragic, but True

Although you know the outcome of every story is the death of an agent, it makes you want read on. Having read a couple of other books on the CIA,this is by far the best.

Better than any spy novel!

This book is an excellent read about the 'guy next door' who may just happen to work for the CIA. The stories of these people and the world they inhabit are more fascinating and heartwrenching than any work of fiction or movie could be. I was unable to put it down. Do yourself a favor and read this book.

Fascinating Book

As tragic as the stories are in this book, it was very well written. I couldn't put it down. It gives a very personal touch to each of the agents discussed. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the CIA.

The Pride of America

I think that all the below reviews offer different sides of this book. But one thing that can not be denied is that there are Americans who go to great lengths to protect us and our country, and this is a tribute to them.

CIA

This book details of the brave people who worked in the CIA who risked their lives every single day of their CIA career to get valuable information from they enemy. And yet their work goes unheard of. Until now we can have some basic knowledge on how these brave CIA operatives did. They were brave men and they deserve to be recommended. The best way for them to be recommended is by reading this book.

Gup tells it like it is

Recently I've been toying with the notion of sending my resume to the agency but upon reading Ted Gups The Book Of Honor I've now got mixed emotions about doing so. Mr. Gup outlines just how these individuals gave so much of themselves and then gave the ultimate sacrifice only to be honored in the same total secrecy that they served. I understand that this is done under national security reasons and that the agency has got to protect its own, but after reading The Book of Honor you can't help but feel for the families and loved ones who now must live in their own world of secrecy. I think that for the time being I'll post pone my resume to the agency. If you love reading true stories of the goverment and its agencies then this book is a must

Sad, true, superficial, simplistic, blinders kept firmly on

Oh, woe is we, the mean ol' Agency won't tell the whole story or even match many of the stars on the wall with the names of these dead heroes, wonderful good ol red-blooded boys (except the girl) one and all. This theme is repeated again and again and again, ad nauseum. Yes, it's thorough, sorta (we get through all the stars). Then again, we get only tiny glimpses of what most of these heroes actually did to deserve all the whiny honor. Still secret, ya see, after all these years. A competent historian could elaborate on the context of their lives, and deaths, but don't look for it in this book. If you're an uncritical patriotic type, or an ex-Company spook, you will probably give this drivel 5 stars. I'm a Viet vet (MP) who lived next door to a CIA CORDS-Phoenix spook for a year, and I'm not impressed.

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