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Imperial Life in the Emerald City
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
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Publisher's summary
While qualified Americans willing to serve in Iraq are screened for their views on Roe v. Wade, the country is put into the hands of inexperienced 20-somethings chosen for their Republican Party loyalty. Ignoring what Iraqis say they want or need, the team pursues irrelevant neoconservative solutions and pie-in-the-sky policies instead of rebuilding looted buildings and restoring electricity. Their almost comic initiatives anger the locals and fuel the insurgency.
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Overall
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When Emma Sky, an intrepid young British woman, volunteered to help rebuild Iraq after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, she had little idea what she was letting herself in for: a tour that would last over a decade, longer than that of any senior military or political official. As the only adviser to the Coalition Provisional Authority in Kirkuk and the closest confidante to US General Odierno, Sky was valued for her controversial voice and outsider's point of view.
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Inspiring memoir; irritating narration
- By Amazon Customer on 09-17-16
By: Emma Sky
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Sleeping with the Devil
- How Washington Sold Our Soul for Saudi Crude
- By: Robert Baer
- Narrated by: Robert O'Keefe
- Length: 5 hrs and 59 mins
- Abridged
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Former CIA operative Robert Baer examines the dangers behind America's collaboration with Saudi Arabia. Nominally based on a "harmony of interests" - the Saudis sold their oil to the American government very inexpensively - what we offered in exchange has damaged our position in the Middle East and left our country vulnerable to economic and terrorist threats. Baer goes behind the scenes to show how the US willingly overlooked the corruption of the Saudi royal family, its financing of violent Islamic fundamentalist groups, and its bribery of American officials.
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Ouch. The truth hurts.
- By Kevin Christy on 07-28-03
By: Robert Baer
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State of Denial
- Bush at War, Part III
- By: Bob Woodward
- Narrated by: Boyd Gaines
- Length: 7 hrs and 14 mins
- Abridged
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Bob Woodward examines how the Bush administration avoided telling the truth about Iraq to the public, to the Congress, and often to themselves in State of Denial. Woodward's third book on President Bush is a sweeping narrative from the first days George W. Bush thought seriously about running for president, through the recruitment of his national security team, the war in Afghanistan, the invasion and occupation of Iraq, and the struggle for political survival in the second term.
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Concerning and hard to put down
- By Chris on 12-10-06
By: Bob Woodward
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Failures of Imagination
- The Deadliest Threats to Our Homeland - and How to Thwart Them
- By: Michael McCaul
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 10 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Congressman and Chairman of the Committee on Homeland Security, Michael McCaul, has spent years in Washington watching the administration turn a blind eye to the most pressing possible threats to the country. Now, in Failures of Imagination, McCaul turns away from the over-sensationalized, unrealistic fears circulated through the media in order to expose the most legitimate and looming national security threats, which have long been swept under the rug by the administration.
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Spot on.
- By Prince Parker on 02-27-16
By: Michael McCaul
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The Secretary
- A Journey with Hillary Clinton from Beirut to the Heart of American Power
- By: Kim Ghattas
- Narrated by: Kate Reading
- Length: 15 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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In November 2008, Hillary Clinton agreed to work for her former rival. As President Barack Obama's secretary of state, she set out to repair America's image around the world - and her own. For the following four years, BBC foreign correspondent Kim Ghattas had unparalleled access to Clinton and her entourage, and she weaves a fast-paced, gripping account of life on the road with Clinton in The Secretary.
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Never got to the heart...
- By Mel on 04-17-13
By: Kim Ghattas
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Charlie Wilson's War
- The Extraordinary Story of the Largest Covert Operation in History
- By: George Crile
- Narrated by: Christopher Lane
- Length: 20 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Charlie Wilson's War is the untold story behind the last battle of the Cold War and how it fueled the rise of militant Islam. George Crile tells how Charlie Wilson, a maverick congressman from east Texas, conspired with a rogue CIA operative to launch the biggest, meanest, and most successful covert operation in the agency's history.
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The REAL Story of the Middle East and the CIA
- By Dale on 08-24-04
By: George Crile
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Raven Rock
- The Story of the U.S. Government's Secret Plan to Save Itself - While the Rest of Us Die
- By: Garrett M. Graff
- Narrated by: Jacques Roy
- Length: 18 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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A fresh window on American history: the eye-opening truth about the government's secret plans to survive a catastrophic attack on US soil, even if the rest of us die - a road map that spans from the dawn of the nuclear age to today.
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Awesome Read!!
- By Brewer Richardson on 05-05-17
By: Garrett M. Graff
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The Good Spy
- The Life and Death of Robert Ames
- By: Kai Bird
- Narrated by: René Ruiz
- Length: 14 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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The Good Spy is Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Kai Bird’s compelling portrait of the remarkable life and death of one of the most important operatives in CIA history - a man who, had he lived, might have helped heal the rift between Arabs and the West. On April 18, 1983, a bomb exploded outside the American Embassy in Beirut, killing 63 people. The attack was a geopolitical turning point. It marked the beginning of Hezbollah as a political force, but even more important, it eliminated America’s most influential and effective intelligence officer in the Middle East - CIA operative Robert Ames.
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Biased but interesting
- By Peggy on 05-09-18
By: Kai Bird
What listeners say about Imperial Life in the Emerald City
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall
- Jon
- 02-01-07
An Insider's View
Simply the best book I've read yet concerning the events in Iraq. Rajiv uses an insider's perspective to explain what's really going on in the Middle East. I found it enlightening, educational, shocking, and entertaining. Best of the Best!
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11 people found this helpful
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- Luiperez
- 03-01-14
Informative
Would you consider the audio edition of Imperial Life in the Emerald City to be better than the print version?
Maybe, I need to read this book and check the facts. A lot of this I didn't know
What other book might you compare Imperial Life in the Emerald City to and why?
Not sure
What does Ray Porter bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
His voice, sounds very "as a matter of fact" kind.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
The plight of the Iraqis. Need to double check a lot of these facts, to be convinced that this story is as good as it seems.
Any additional comments?
Iwill recommend this book to most of my friends.
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Overall
- Seth
- 03-30-08
Amazing
Fascinating and detailed account of the American venture in Iraq and how it went so wrong. A must read for students of history or anyone else for that matter.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall
- Josephine
- 05-30-17
Unnecessary bias
interesting behind the scenes look at US foreign policy in Iraq. A bit disappointing, as it is unmistakably and unnecessarily biased.
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- TM
- 01-29-14
Shocking Indictment of Hubris
Any additional comments?
I was a bit worried this book would be a lefty hatchet job and whilst the account certainly helps to make a case for those who were critical of the post invasion phase of the Iraq war, it was laid out in a very factual and coherent manner.Its the facts themselves that are shocking.Numerous accounts of qualified and experienced (and often republican) personnel in key positions being replaced at key moments with unqualified, inexperienced friends of the administration, or politically-motivated appointees was deeply troubling.I already knew some of this, such as Garner's replacement early on, but there were many others.I struggle to understand how those involved could disregard the damage they were doing for the sake of winning an un-winnable political argument.
So many bad decisions, but the key ones:
- indiscriminate de-Bathification
- disbanding the Iraqi army
Thankfully Bush did belatedly come to his senses and change direction, by lessening Cheney's influence, and replacing Rumsfeld with Gates.I was against the Iraq war from the start, but I felt once we were in, we couldn't just abandon the country to chaos, and I think Gates did about as good a job as anyone could have in that situation.
I also want to spare a thought for all of our military personnel whose sacrifice was needed to clean-up the damage done by this phase of the invasion. Thank you!
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8 people found this helpful
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- Marc S. Levine
- 02-25-15
Good not great
Good information and good narration story could have been more in depth and more epilogue would have been nice too
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- Laicie l.
- 06-20-19
very good
this book is really good and very informative. wasn't a big fan of the narrator though.
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Overall
- E. Fletty
- 06-12-07
ILEC Review
This was such an enlightening book. I finally feel like I understand why this war is such a fiasco - but written very charitibly in regards to the good intentions of those involved. Very engaging.
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4 people found this helpful
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- Benedetto Mongiovi
- 03-20-15
kind of dull<br />
It was a very slow pace and didn't paint a clear picture of events. I feel it jumped around too many characters and didn't finish any of their stories.
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- Steve Beckstead
- 01-28-14
Rajiv is right on. What a clairvoyant journalist!
Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?
Yes- I now understand the truth about "Bubble" American planning. I now understand why most of the planning attempted within the beltway has very little to do with us, outside the beltway.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Imperial Life in the Emerald City?
Amazed at the channeling of dialog and the great understanding about what others are thinking and saying. NASA should hire the author. I would sleep safer at night.
Would you listen to another book narrated by Ray Porter?
Sure would.
Was Imperial Life in the Emerald City worth the listening time?
Yes I now know the truth about Bush and Cheney. I now can see why the ruling politicians enact such useless regulations for the lowly american citizens. It is the "Bubbles" fault.
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