false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1172746503m/212443.jpg 212443 5 In Lindsay Moran's <I>Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy</I>, the author comes across is an amusingly candid cross between Bridget Jones and James Bond, with a little Gloria Steinem thrown in to remind readers of the inherent sexism that runs rampant both in the US government and abroad. Moran, a few years out of Harvard and fresh from a Fulbright scholarship in Bulgaria, decides to follow her childhood dream of becoming and spy and, after a grueling interview process that involves several polygraphs and an abandoned foreign boyfriend, goes to work for the CIA. What follows is a surprisingly honest behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to become a real-life CIA agent, signal-sites and all.<p> Yet more than an insider's guide to the life and times of an undercover agent, <I>Blowing My Cover</I> is a story about a highly educated, obviously intelligent yet occasionally insecure young woman trying to figure out what she wants to do with her life, and who she wants to have beside her. As we follow Moran to the "Farm", a six-month training camp where new recruits are forced into alarmingly real POW situations and asked to perform death-defying car chases reminiscent of old <I>Dukes of Hazard</I> episodes, we also witness her extreme loneliness at being cut off from her friends and family and her fear that she'll never meet "the one" and settle down. One of the most poignant scenes happens early on in Moran's training, when she meets up with some friends in New York at a party and realizes she can't even tell her closest confidents what she does for a living.<p> For anyone who's ever wondered what it really means to be a CIA agent, Moran's tale is a worthwhile read. Better yet, for anyone who's ever wondered what she wants to be when she grows up (even at age 30), <I>Blowing My Cover</I> is an ultimately hopeful story of possibilities. <I>--Gisele Toueg</I> 2926 2004 Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy total:481|5:35|4:148|3:201|2:79|1:18| 481 1546 642 113 1 2 false false Tue Jul 17 12:57:21 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 17 13:00:56 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 2 false false Mon Mar 31 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Feb 11 10:46:26 -0800 2008 Tue Apr 01 11:31:36 -0700 2008 that the ‘real’ life of a CIA spy is far from that portrayed by Hollywood.” If Moran’s book is any indication, I would say that’s no doubt true – the ‘real’ life is apparently much more whiny and, w...more...]]> 4 2 false false Sun Jan 25 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 11 19:17:51 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 22:34:58 -0800 2009 more...]]> 2 1 false false Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Fri Jul 27 06:54:34 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 27 06:54:34 -0700 2007 Blowing My Cover – My Life As A CIA Spy, by Lindsay Moran, was a quick, cheap ($6.50) read that we discussed at Book Club (B/C). It details Ms. Moran’s initial attraction to, training for, and ultimate disillusionment with The Company. The author comes across, I’m sorry to say, as a naïve, Pe...more...]]> 3 1 false false Fri Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 30 09:54:40 -0700 2007 Mon Jul 30 09:55:44 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 2 false false Fri Aug 14 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 15 18:27:28 -0700 2009 Sat Aug 15 18:27:28 -0700 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Feb 09 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Fri Feb 06 17:00:40 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 09 02:43:26 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 1 false false Mon Jul 27 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 24 12:44:40 -0700 2009 Mon Jul 27 13:59:39 -0700 2009 more...]]> 0 0 false false Thu Feb 05 09:30:59 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 05 09:30:59 -0800 2009 Blowing My Cover offers an inside look at America's recent failures of intelligence, the CIA, and its tragic missteps in the Iraq war. Moran, a disenchanted CIA case officer between 1998 and 2003, relates her (mis)adventures with wit and intelligence-she's an unglamorous Bond Girl with Bridget Jones...

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Memoirs

Lindsay Moran was a few years out of Harvard and had just finished a Fulbright grant in Bulgaria. She wondered what to do next. Why not become a spy? She had always been fascinated by the idea, so she accepted a job at the CIA. The...more...]]> 3 0 true false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Thu Mar 29 09:20:17 -0700 2007 Fri Mar 30 07:48:31 -0700 2007 more...]]> 5 0 false false Fri Jul 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 31 07:17:07 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 31 10:27:47 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 17:41:50 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 01 12:15:23 -0700 2009 more...]]> 5 0 false true Mon May 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Sun Apr 05 09:16:57 -0700 2009 Sun Apr 05 09:19:14 -0700 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Sun Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 01 00:50:34 -0700 2007 Wed Aug 01 02:46:32 -0700 2007
L. Moran's writing is nice. The book is a quick read. Her ability to keep you listening to her stories means you might not put the book down until you finish it. Mora...more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jun 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Tue Jul 17 18:40:11 -0700 2007 Tue Jul 17 18:40:50 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Fri Jun 13 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu Jun 05 08:48:11 -0700 2008 Fri Jun 13 14:44:17 -0700 2008
I really enjoyed this book. I especial...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Jun 03 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 21 13:13:39 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 21 13:16:56 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Feb 02 17:12:21 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 17:12:21 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2006 Wed Dec 03 09:04:25 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 03 09:06:06 -0800 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=212443