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The Craft We Chose: My Life in the CIA
- Narrated by: Christopher Strong
- Length: 19 hrs and 28 mins
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Publisher's summary
Many books, fiction and nonfiction alike, purport to probe the inner workings of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. Many attempt to create spine-tingling suspense or allege that America's civilian spy operation has run amok and been infested with rogues and criminals. Not that
The Craft We Chose
lacks suspense, harrowing encounters or its own share of villains. But this book is different. In fact it’s a unique straightforward, honest, surprisingly captivating memoir by one of the CIA's most well-known and honored career officers. For more than three decades, Richard L. Holm worked in the agency's Directorate of Operations now the National Clandestine Service the component directly responsible for collecting human intelligence. His assignments took him to seven countries on three continents, and his travels added many more destinations. At almost every turn Holm encountered his share of dangerous characters and situations, including one that nearly ended his life before he turned 30.The Craft We Chose is more than a chronicle of those episodes. It also reveals Holm's private life, his roots and family, his courtship and marriage, and his four daughters, whom he affectionately calls his platoon. Webster's Dictionary defines the word holm as an island in a stream. That is an appropriate analogy. The Craft We Chose reveals Richard Holm as an island of steadfastness in a stream of chaos. He served his country with distinction, in good times and bad, displaying extreme courage under the direst of circumstances and a sense of honor that can only be considered unshakeable. And he describes it all with a keen eye and a distinctive wit. His is a classic American story that conveys, vividly and unforgettably, a life in the CIA.
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- By: Sam Faddis
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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In 2002, Sam Faddis was named to head a CIA team that would enter Iraq to facilitate the deployment of follow-on conventional military forces numbering more than 40,000 American soldiers. This force, built around the 4th Infantry Division, would, in partnership with Kurdish forces and with the assistance of Turkey, engage Saddam's army in the North as part of a coming invasion. Faddis expected to be on the ground in Iraq within weeks, the entire campaign likely to be over by summer. The 4th Infantry Division never arrived, nor did any other conventional forces in substantial number.
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Highly Recommended Read
- By Bill Brown on 11-11-21
By: Sam Faddis
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The Targeter
- My Life in the CIA, Hunting Terrorists and Challenging the White House
- By: Nada Bakos, Davin Coburn
- Narrated by: Christine Lakin
- Length: 10 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1999, 30-year-old Nada Bakos moved from her lifelong home in Montana to Washington, DC, to join the CIA. Quickly realizing her affinity for intelligence work, Nada was determined to rise through the ranks of the agency first as an analyst and then as a Targeting Officer, eventually finding herself on the frontline of America's War against Islamic extremists. In this role, Nada was charged with determining if Iraq had a relationship with 9/11 and Al-Qaida, and finding the mastermind behind this terrorist activity: Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
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Terrible book. Feminazi Propaganda
- By Dan Wells on 08-24-19
By: Nada Bakos, and others
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Saving Aziz
- How the Mission to Help One Became a Calling to Rescue Thousands from the Taliban
- By: Chad Robichaux, David L. Thomas - contributor, Glenn Beck
- Narrated by: Chad Robichaux, Glenn Beck
- Length: 6 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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In Saving Aziz, Chad will give you a behind-the-scenes view of the evacuation efforts that saved thousands from the Taliban during the historic humanitarian crisis following the United States’ hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan.
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Blessed
- By Teri Herron on 02-01-23
By: Chad Robichaux, and others
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Sacrifice
- A Gold Star Widow's Fight for the Truth
- By: Michelle Black
- Narrated by: Brittany Pressley
- Length: 10 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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When Green Beret Bryan Black was killed in an ambush in Niger in 2017, his wife, Michelle, saw her worst nightmare become a reality. She was left alone with her grief and with two young sons to raise. But what followed Bryan's death was an even more difficult journey for the young widow. After receiving very few details about the attack that took her husband's life, it was up to Michelle to find answers. It became her mission to learn the truth about that day in Niger - and Sacrifice is the result of that mission.
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A story of honor, heroism and courage
- By Marty on 06-04-21
By: Michelle Black
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The Reluctant Spy
- My Secret Life in the CIA's War on Terror
- By: John Kiriakou, Michael Ruby
- Narrated by: Arthur Morey
- Length: 7 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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Long before the waterboarding controversy exploded in the media, one CIA agent had already gone public. In a groundbreaking 2007 interview with ABC News, John Kiriakou called waterboarding torture - but admitted that it probably worked. This book, at once a confessional, an adventure story, and a chronicle of Kiriakou's life in the CIA, stands as an important, eloquent piece of testimony from a committed American patriot.
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Fascinating Read about the CIA
- By Nancy on 05-13-10
By: John Kiriakou, and others
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Desert Redleg: Artillery Warfare in the First Gulf War
- American Warriors Series
- By: L. Scott Lingamfelter
- Narrated by: Bill Nevitt
- Length: 13 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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When Saddam Hussein's Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, triggering the First Gulf War, a coalition of 35 countries led by the United States responded with Operation Desert Storm, which culminated in a 100-hour coordinated air strike and ground assault that repelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Though largely forgotten in descriptions of the war, an eight-day barrage of artillery fire made this seemingly rapid offensive possible. At the forefront of this offensive were the brave field artillerymen known as "redlegs".
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Excellent account of the Gulf War.
- By Tim on 02-22-24
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Delta Force
- A Memoir by the Founder of the U.S. Military's Most Secretive Special-Operations Unit
- By: Charlie A. Beckwith, Donald Knox
- Narrated by: Alan Sklar
- Length: 14 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Wanted: Volunteers for Project Delta. Will guarantee you a medal. A body bag. Or both. With this call to arms, Charlie Beckwith revolutionized American armed combat. Beckwith's acclaimed memoir tells the story of Delta Force as only its maverick creator could tell it - from the bloody baptism of Vietnam to the top-secret training grounds of North Carolina to political battles in the upper levels of the Pentagon itself. This is the heart-pounding, first-person insider's view of the missions that made Delta Force legendary.
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Good Military History
- By Drew on 02-01-15
By: Charlie A. Beckwith, and others
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Betrayal in Berlin
- The True Story of the Cold War's Most Audacious Espionage Operation
- By: Steve Vogel
- Narrated by: Joel Richards
- Length: 17 hrs and 46 mins
- Unabridged
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Its code name was “Operation Gold”, a wildly audacious CIA plan to construct a clandestine tunnel into East Berlin to tap into critical KGB and Soviet military telecommunication lines. The tunnel, crossing the border between the American and Soviet sectors, would have to be 1,500 feet (the length of the Empire State Building) with state-of-the-art equipment, built and operated literally under the feet of their Cold War adversaries.
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Fascinating Book
- By Toni Bowes on 01-11-20
By: Steve Vogel
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Breaking Cover
- My Secret Life in the CIA and What it Taught Me About What's Worth Fighting For
- By: Michele Rigby Assad
- Narrated by: Michele Rigby Assad
- Length: 8 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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The CIA is looking for walking contradictions. Recruiters seek people who can keep a secret, yet pull classified information out of others; who love their country, but are willing to leave it behind to head into dangerous places; who live double lives, but can be trusted with some of the nation's most sensitive tasks. Michele Rigby Assad was one of those people. As a CIA agent, Michele soon found that working undercover was an all-encompassing job. The threats were real. The mission was a perilous one. Trained as a counterterrorism expert, Michele spent over a decade in the agency.
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Deceptive title and sample.
- By Philip Yaghmai on 07-17-18
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Checkpoint Charlie
- The Cold War, the Berlin Wall, and the Most Dangerous Place on Earth
- By: Iain MacGregor
- Narrated by: Dugald Bruce Lockhart
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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A powerful, fascinating, and groundbreaking history of Checkpoint Charlie, the famous military gate on the border of East and West Berlin where the US confronted the USSR during the Cold War.
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Hard to follow
- By J.Brock on 03-07-21
By: Iain MacGregor
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Within Arm's Length
- A Secret Service Agent's Definitive Inside Account of Protecting the President
- By: Dan Emmett
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Dan Emmett was just eight years old when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The events surrounding the president's death shaped the course of young Emmett's life as he set a goal of becoming a U.S. Secret Service agent-one of a special group of people willing to trade their lives for that of the president, if necessary. Within Arm's Length is a revealing and compelling inside look at the Secret Service and the elite Presidential Protective Division (PPD).
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Obviously a dedicated patriot
- By Nick L on 11-19-14
By: Dan Emmett
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First In
- An Insider’s Account of How the CIA Spearheaded the War on Terror in Afghanistan
- By: Gary C. Schroen
- Narrated by: Joe Barrett
- Length: 12 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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While America held its breath in the days immediately following 9/11, a small but determined group of CIA agents covertly began to change history. This is the riveting first-person account of the treacherous top-secret mission inside Afghanistan to set the stage for the defeat of the Taliban and launch the war on terror. As thrilling as any novel, First In is a uniquely intimate look at a mission that began the US retaliation against terrorism - and reclaimed the country of Afghanistan for its people.
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Favorite narrator yet
- By robert kosch on 07-16-24
By: Gary C. Schroen
What listeners say about The Craft We Chose: My Life in the CIA
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- ken
- 05-19-23
Nice story about a CIA officer
Nice story from an actual CIA officer from his early days to his retirement. Interesting to hear about his early injuries and his recovery. Juggling family life while being stationed overseas. I did not really like some of the production. I think the narrator "overdid it" when trying the different voices. A good read.
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- Pablo Celorio
- 01-03-20
Detail and insightful but sometimes bigoted.
I liked the detail and access to the life if a CIA DO Officer that started as a paramilitary and went on to develop a slow but diverse career in the Clandestine Service. It tells a brave story of a survivor and curious warrior of the CIA.
The only thing I disliked are the bigoted comments that are opposite of the multicultural curiosity that at some points the author’s international experience should display. An example of that is a racial comparison between Chinese and Malay in Malasia. Another one is when he says that the country of America, (as the United States) was not discovered by Columbus ignoring that America is a Continent instead of a country, amongst others comments.
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- Carlos
- 05-20-17
Good Background
I struggled a bit with the book due to the excruciating amount of detail describing events. I understanf the story telling portion but could have been a bit more condense and to the point on some of them. What is up with the foreing accents and tones? Couldn't get pass the condescending accents. Great message to new folks joining this line of work and great situational awarness for the public in general.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Jamie D
- 05-05-17
Not what I expected
What started out as a slow read/listen?… Turned into a great experience. I loved listening to the narrator deliver the story. There was something about his voice that made it easy to imagine what was going on, and it made me want more. The story is not all spy games, or crazy espionage. Just one man's life in the CIA. I enjoyed the personal aspect of it. I thought it was a great story to listen to.
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1 person found this helpful
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- R. Smith
- 06-24-23
Fantastic book, from cover to cover!
This wonderful book very thoughtfully takes the reader/listener on a remarkable journey, rich with detail and relevance. This was truly a journey I am very thankful to have had shared, for me to experience through the brilliantly written book.
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- Rachel
- 06-19-16
Fascinating story
I enjoyed this book very much. It shares an interesting perspective of recent history and the inner workings of the CIA. Certainly, the author displays much unexamined privilege in his narrative and point of view and though I do not agree with all of it, I found it enriching.
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5 people found this helpful
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- M. Farmer
- 07-06-22
Great Book
Dick wrote a great autobiography on his life in the Agency. It's a great resource for the life of an operator from Laos to the Congo to Hong Kong to Europe and Langley in between. Thanks for your insight and glad the Witch Doc was there to help.
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- Pam
- 11-14-23
Intriguing story of patriotic devotion and sacrifice
Mr. Holm dedicated three decades of his life to meeting national security needs, with some very serious difficulties endured. It paints a vivid picture of his personal life intertwined with his professional life.
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- Brian Arsenault
- 12-11-23
Story was good, performance was average
Other than a few out of place ‘audio recreations’, I found the narrator of this book to be monotonic throughout. I thought it was a good book, and still highly recommend it.
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- Todd Desmond
- 02-06-24
the stories
like it took the listener through the story tellers life as a person and as an agent great book
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