Audiobook8 hours
The Terrorist Watch: Inside the Desperate Race to Stop the Next Attack
Written by Ronald Kessler
Narrated by Alan Sklar
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
4/5
()
About this audiobook
Although it has been over five years since the 9/11 attacks, Americans still do not have a clear sense of how our government is waging the war on terror. In The Terrorist Watch, bestselling author Ronald Kessler takes listeners behind the scenes to reveal exactly how our leaders, charged with protecting the American people, are stopping terrorists.
In his New York Times bestsellers A Matter of Character: Inside the White House of George W. Bush and Laura Bush: An Intimate Portrait of the First Lady, Kessler gained unprecedented access to the Bush administration. Now he has combined that access with the extraordinary network of contacts he has developed in the intelligence community to provide a headline-making, myth-busting insider account of how the U.S. intelligence agencies-under the leadership of the Bush administration-have completely reinvented themselves to thwart terrorist activity wherever it occurs.
Never before has a reporter gained such entry to the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center, and the other agencies that are doing the real, unheralded work in spotting and capturing terrorists. By bringing listeners inside the key war rooms of the war on terror-from the Oval Office to the Pentagon, and from the CIA to the National Security Agency-Kessler destroys the common myths about our government's handling of the terrorist threat. Filled with news breaks, The Terrorist Watch will take listeners up to the minute by focusing not simply on the immediate aftermath of 9/11 but also on the more recent breakthroughs and successes, such as the thwarting of the 2006 London terrorist plot, as well as the discovery and breakup of terrorist cells in Canada. In The Terrorist Watch, the full story is told for the first time.
In his New York Times bestsellers A Matter of Character: Inside the White House of George W. Bush and Laura Bush: An Intimate Portrait of the First Lady, Kessler gained unprecedented access to the Bush administration. Now he has combined that access with the extraordinary network of contacts he has developed in the intelligence community to provide a headline-making, myth-busting insider account of how the U.S. intelligence agencies-under the leadership of the Bush administration-have completely reinvented themselves to thwart terrorist activity wherever it occurs.
Never before has a reporter gained such entry to the FBI, the National Counterterrorism Center, and the other agencies that are doing the real, unheralded work in spotting and capturing terrorists. By bringing listeners inside the key war rooms of the war on terror-from the Oval Office to the Pentagon, and from the CIA to the National Security Agency-Kessler destroys the common myths about our government's handling of the terrorist threat. Filled with news breaks, The Terrorist Watch will take listeners up to the minute by focusing not simply on the immediate aftermath of 9/11 but also on the more recent breakthroughs and successes, such as the thwarting of the 2006 London terrorist plot, as well as the discovery and breakup of terrorist cells in Canada. In The Terrorist Watch, the full story is told for the first time.
Author
Ronald Kessler
Ronald Kessler is an award-winning journalist and bestselling author of more than twenty books, including Escape from the CIA, Inside Congress, and Inside the Whitehouse. He lives with his wife in Potomac, Maryland.
Related to The Terrorist Watch
Related audiobooks
Rumsfeld's War: The Untold Story of America's Anti-Terrorist Commander Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClass 11: Inside The CIA's First Post-9/11 Spy Class Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Sons: The Untold Story of the Falcon and the Snowman (40th Anniversary Edition) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAgainst All Enemies: Inside America's War on Terror Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5500 Days: Secrets and Lies in the Terror Wars Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pay Any Price: Greed, Power, and Endless War Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mastermind: The Many Faces of the 9/11 Architect, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dragonslayers: Six Presidents and Their War with the Swamp Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crisis on the Border: An Eyewitness Account of Illegal Aliens, Violent Crime, and Cartels Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLosing Bin Laden: How Bill Clinton's Failures Unleashed Global Terror Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Spin Cycle: Inside the Clinton Propaganda Machine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Countdown bin Laden: The Untold Story of the 247-Day Hunt to Bring the Mastermind of 9/11 to Justice Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Party of One: Stephen Harper and Canada's Radical Makeover Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPlunkitt of Tammany Hall Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRogue Spooks: The Intelligence War on Donald Trump Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Shakedown: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rebellion of Ronald Reagan: A History of the End of the Cold War Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Jesse James: My Father Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWinning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Putin's Gambit: A Novel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSecrets of the Kingdom: The Inside Story of the Secret Saudi-U.S. Connection Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Roger Ailes: Off Camera Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boss Rove: Inside Karl Rove's Secret Kingdom of Power Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Strategic Failure: How President Obama's Drone Warfare, Defense Cuts, and Military Amateurism Have Imperiled America Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBroken But Unbowed Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Cheney: The Untold Story of America's Most Powerful and Controversial Vice President Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Commanders: The Leadership Journeys of George Patton, Bernard Montgomery, and Erwin Rommel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Time to Betray: The Astonishing Double Life of a CIA Agent inside the Revolutionary Guards of Iran Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Politics For You
The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 48 Laws of Power Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Elon Musk Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Overstory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Enough Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leave the World Behind: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5You Can't Joke About That: Why Everything Is Funny, Nothing Is Sacred, and We’re All in This Together Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5While Time Remains: A North Korean Girl's Search for Freedom in America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Out of the Wreckage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Only Plane in the Sky: An Oral History of September 11, 2001 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Behold a Pale Horse Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Razorblade Tears: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Son of Hamas: A Gripping Account of Terror, Betrayal, Political Intrigue, and Unthinkable Choices Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dragonfire: Four Days That (Almost) Changed America Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An American Marriage: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blackout: How Black America Can Make Its Second Escape from the Democrat Plantation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Prince Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Small Mercies: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Undoing Project: A Friendship that Changed Our Minds Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for The Terrorist Watch
Rating: 3.914285714285714 out of 5 stars
4/5
35 ratings24 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Written in a warm chatty style, Letters of a Woman Homesteader paints an interesting picture of homesteading in Wyoming in the early 1900’s. The author, a widow with a young child, takes on the role of housekeeper on a ranch while at the same time files her own claim on land that adjoins this ranch. To prove her claim she plants and grows vegetables and makes some basic improvements on the property. She marries the rancher and all the while continues to write letters to her friend in Denver describing her life.With both humor and insight she describes her day to day activities and that of her neighbours. This isn’t an easy life, they are miles from any town or railroad and have to learn to be self-sufficient in many areas, including medicine. Even going to a neighbours for a dinner party means a long overnight camping trip to get there. Yet even while living such an isolated life, her letters portray her love of life and nature. Her prose is simple and heartfelt, and her descriptions of the natural world that surround her allow the reader to feel part of that world as well.Eleanor Pruitt Stewart was a strong, independent woman, as I imagine most women who homesteaded had to be. When there wasn’t a minister available for a funeral service, she went ahead and conducted the services for her new-born son herself. But beyond having this core of steel, she was a woman who found the place she was meant to be. “I love the flicker of an open fire, the smell of the pines, the pure, sweet air, and I went to sleep thinking how blest I was to be able to enjoy the things I love most.” An enjoyable read.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5An excellent audiobook -- adventurous and touching.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5While not a novel as such, this is an interesting publication of a series of letters written by a homestead woman around 1909 in Wyoming. The letters were written to a former female employer and, apparently good friend, and chronicles her life during a short period of time and the struggles and optimism and her love of nature. No replies are recorded and the letters are written in a semi-diary format. The value of this book lies in the attitude of the writer, her self-sufficiency and her descriptions of a wide-open country life.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A very descriptive look at life in Wyoming during the early 1900s. I believe it took a remarkable woman to do what she did. Very entertaining book and I hope to get a hard copy for my mom. I think she would enjoy it as well.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I really enjoyed reading her letters and wish there had been more!
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Some of it was interesting. I like historical books but I guess I don't really care for books made up just of letters. I found it harder to follow and real slow. I think if it was written in story form I would have enjoyed it more.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This is an interesting read showing an upbeat look at life as a woman homesteader. The book is a series of letters from Mrs. Stewart to a friend back east.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thoroughly enjoyable tale told in letters. A plucky widow moves west with her infant. With humor, wit and optimism she writes of her riveting life. Hard work doesn't daunt her.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What a delightful book! Elinore Pruitt Rupert Stewart was a prolific writer of letters. After her husband died, leaving her with a young infant, she decided to head west and see as much of the world as possible.After a bout of flu she was advised that she should travel out to Wyoming as she was supposed to fare better there. On a whim she contacted a man who was advertising for a housekeeper. She moved from Denver to Wyoming, near the Bad Land hills.This book is a collection of letters which she wrote to a dear friend and former employer in Denver. Over the course of the letters on learns bits and pieces about her life...a few secrets even. If you've never read this type of book or if you just think you might not be interested, I would still encourage you to broaden your reading horizons and read this little gem. At only 112 pages it is certainly a page-turner. I couldn't wait to see what Elinore and her gang might be upt to next. The best part is that she is quite the humorist. Not only does she find humor in many things, she is also able to convey humor through her writing. What a talent! How pleased must have been those people to whom she wrote letters! I can only imagine what a pleasure it must have been to know her. With such a bright and giving spirit, those around her must truly have been blessed. She, too, was blessed. Moving to Wyoming brought her to a land that was much less inhabited than where she had previously lived. She had to learn new ways. She also learned independence as she was also on a quest to prove her own homestead! In the course of doing that she also made many life-long friends and found that she did not have to be always so fiercely independent because she was surrounded by people who loved her and cared for her.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Elinore Pruitt Stewart was a strong pioneer woman, an adventurer, a loving mother, a hard worker, an imaginative problem solver and a great letter writer. She describes homesteading in Wyoming at the beginning of the 20th century in letters full of joy, love of the land, self assurance, community spirit and optimism. She thought any woman who tired of dreary, repetitive hard work in town should and could be a homesteader. She thought the work was no harder and the rewards far greater. She appeared to be a woman with no self doubt an an inspiration to us all.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Did you ever wonder what life might be like on the early 20th century frontier for a woman and her daughter? In this series of letters written to persons back home, we find the story of a woman who was tough enough to make it. In some of the letters she details how she settled her claim which provides valuable information for persons researching pioneer settlers. Her life is truly remarkable and inspirational.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I thoroughly enjoyed Elinore's letters and her optimitstic view of a possible brutal time. She continually challenged herself and shared her achievements in a most delightful way. I too appreciated her clear view and appreciation of the natural beauty around her and her affection for her husband.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5”To me, homesteading is the solution of all poverty’s problems, but I realize that temperament has much to do with success in any undertaking, and persons afraid of coyotes and work and loneliness had better let ranching alone. At the same time, any woman who can stand her own company, can see the beauty of the sunset, loves growing things and is willing to put in as much time at careful labor as she does over the washtub, will certainly succeed; will have independence, plenty to eat all the time, and a home of her own in the end.”Elinor Pruitt takes her future into her own hands and heads to Wyoming with her young daughter. While proving up her own homestead, she keeps house and cooks for the bachelor at the next homestead, in this way making an income meantime. Her letters back home to her friend are full of the beauties of her surroundings, and accounts of encounters with neighbors, Mormons, wild creatures, and weather. The saved letters cover her years in Wyoming from 1909-1913. I would love to have letters such as these in my family history. They are full of emotion and fact and held me rapt for the duration of the book. ”Did you ever eat pork and beans heated in a frying-pan on a camp-fire for breakfast? Then if you have not, there is one delight left you. But you must be away out in Wyoming, with the morning sun just gilding the distant peaks, and your pork and beans must be out of a can, heated in a disreputable old frying-pan, served with coffee boiled in a battered old pail and drunk from a tomato-can. ”
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book is a collection of letters from a woman who leaves the east to homestead and be a housekeeper for a Scottish man in Wyoming to her former employer., and are a delight to read. The author reveals herself to be an intrepid woman to which nothing is too big a problem to surmount. She grabs life with both hands & enjoys the ride.At first I doubted that this was actually a work of non-fiction, but upon researching the author after I finished the book, I found that, indeed, she was a real person. I would compare her to the fictional Amelia Peabody of the famous mystery series. She is a woman of heart and pluck.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Loved this! Stewart's letters are delightful. Betsy-Tacy is always my frame of reference for the early teens, and I kept thinking about how while Elinore was mowing the meadow or helping someone deliver a baby, Betsy was trying to get a bath in a German hostel. Stewart is indomitable, plucky, and amusing as all get-out. Her life is interesting, her voice unique.
The narrator was good. The letters, terrific!
Highly recommended for all the BT folks. - Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I loved this book. The letter-writer must have been a wonderful woman. I would have loved to have known her.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a series of letters written by Elinore to her friend back east. I think there are letters missing because there were big gaps. That being said, it was a better than average book. What I found interesting is that even though married, she had her own claim and worked it with no help from her husband who also had his own claim. Elinore was good friends with Zebulon Pike and traveled extensively, which really wasn't normal for that date and time. The writer had some connection with the Mormons but I was unable to ascertain what that was. 3 1/2 stars 144 pages
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This was a series of letters written by Elinore to her friend back east. I think there are letters missing because there were big gaps. That being said, it was a better than average book. What I found interesting is that even though married, she had her own claim and worked it with no help from her husband who also had his own claim. Elinore was good friends with Zebulon Pike and traveled extensively, which really wasn't normal for that date and time. The writer had some connection with the Mormons but I was unable to ascertain what that was. 3 1/2 stars 144 pages
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A timeless collection of vignettes about life on the frontier at the turn of the century.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Literally sick from the hard work and poor living conditions in Denver, widowed Elinore took her ~4 year old daughter and settled in the wilds of Wyoming. Although the territory was largely unpeopled and filled with physical hardship, Elinore loved it. She wrote amusing letters filled with anecdotes to her friends back home; this is a collection of some of them. Her descriptions of the beautiful landscapes and odd people she encounters are wonderfully wrought. Altogether, it's rather like a sarcastic, grown-up version of the Little House books.
*note: Elinore was a Southerner writing in 1909-1913, and she unapologetically uses the n-word throughout the book. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What a great collection of letters! Stewart has such a warm tone and such a way with description (amidst all her self-deprecation that she has no skill with language). I get the sense that there is much she isn't saying, but it isn't terribly hard to draw lines in between the missives to her former employer.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Letters of a Woman Homesteader is just that, letters written by a young widow who left Denver in 1909 with her two year old daughter to try and make a better life. She had been working as a "daily domestic" and moved to Wyoming to become the live-in housekeeper for a Scottish cattleman. She decides to try homesteading and claims the plot next to her employeer's land. The letters chronicle her life in Wyoming through 1913. It's a heart-warming story of early 20th century life in the west.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This book was interesting enough to keep me reading until the end, but in the long run it was disappointing. I was hoping for more detailed descriptions of foiled terrorist plots,but those that were discussed were shallow. Although the FBI and CIA get a bum wrap on occasion, this book was almost a PR piece. I did find interesting Kessler's examples about how papers will bury positive things and showcase failures.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Full of insider details about the search for terrorists this book is also a right-leaning rant about the problems with the pesky Constitution and NYTimes. While most of the FBI and CIA agents are patriotic, duty-bound individuals who should have their successes noted the author feels compelled to continually rant about those who would disagree with George Bush or his ilk.