Left of Boom

How a Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban and Al-Qaeda

By: Douglas Laux, Ralph Pezzullo

Narrated by: Mike Dawson

The explosive New York Times best seller!

On September 11, 2001, Doug Laux was a freshman in college, on the path to becoming a doctor. But with the fall of the Twin Towers came a turning point in his life. After graduating, he joined the Central Intelligence Agency, determined to get himself to Afghanistan and into the center of the action. Through persistence and hard work, he was fast-tracked to a clandestine operations position overseas. Dropped into a remote region of Afghanistan, he received his baptism by fire.

Frustrated by bureaucratic red tape, a widespread lack of knowledge of the local customs and culture, and an attitude of complacency that hindered his ability to combat the local Taliban, Doug confounded his peers by dressing like a native and mastering the local dialect, making contacts, and building sources within several deadly terrorist networks. His new approach resulted in unprecedented successes, including uncovering the largest IED network in the world, responsible for killing hundreds of US soldiers.

Meanwhile, Doug had to keep up false pretenses with his family, girlfriend, and friends - nobody could know what he did for a living - and deal with the emotional turbulence of constantly living a lie. His double life was building to an explosive resolution, with repercussions that would have far reaching consequences.

©2016 Douglas Laux (P)2016 Douglas Laux

Very Engaging

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Unusual inside story regarding CIA operations in Afghanistan. It's hard for the average citizen to imagine doing what this author did as a CIA operative. That's some pretty intense stuff for a young person to engage in and it's not surprising the emotional toll that it took when the author returned home. He does cover some of his personal life and I didn't mind at all (although the Afghan stuff was more interesting) because it personalized the author and what he was experiencing during his years as a spy. The effort it must take to lie to just about everyone around you to either keep secrets or protect family/friends must be very difficult. Like I said ... hard to imagine this life which is why the book was so good.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Left of Boom?

Hearing a first hand account of conversation between a CIA agent (author) and a Taliban informant.

Any additional comments?

Yes, there are redactions, but it's pretty simple to figure out what was going on despite the redactions. In some cases, it added to the intrigue.

read this review before buying!!

This book was very good. it would've been spectacular if every third word wasn't redacted. the reactions were ridiculous. I paid a little less the $14 for this book and got about $3.50 worth of value. I would very much like to hear this story unclassified. wait until then.

Disliking the blackout spots

The classical music disrupted a good story The classical music disrupted a good story the end

Great Book

Great Book I couldn't stop listening! Loved the way you got around the redacted info.

Very interesting

This is a very interesting look deep inside of what happens in the Middle East. The redactions were sometimes frequent and lengthy, but I understand the reason for them.

Excellent

While the redactions were a bit of a pain, I still really enjoyed the book…Thanks for your service Sanchez.

Instant Classic

The classical music playing over the classified portions is brilliant. "Oh man!" is what I kept saying every time I heard the music playing because I really wanted to know those specific details. It left me wondering and wanting more.

My favorite book of all time.

I have never been able to relate to a story so well. I cannot express how much I appreciate this being written. Thank you for creating this book. I don't think anyone who hasn't walked in similar shoes will quite appreciate the details and background, but I do.

A must listen

LOVE LOVE LOVE this book! That part of Chris Laux's life was meant to be a book. Left me wanting more. It was a very interesting look into how the cia works for anyone that's ever been curious. And Mike Dawson did an awesome job narrating.

Insightful

The story was very good although the redacted sections made it incomplete. Still gave a great story of the realities of the present.