Darrell's weblog

I’ve just finished reading Blowing My Cover : My Life as a CIA Spy, and I must say that I generally agrree with most of the reviews I’ve read of this book. Oddly enough, I’d seen several reviews where one reviewer hated it, but another loved it…but both for the same reasons. I guess the point here is that this book is not going to have broad appeal. My guess is that most conservative males with high level of testosterone and patriotism will hate this book, while most liberal females with a sense of adventure will love it.

However, nearly all of the reviewers agree that the first two-thirds of the book is rather good. The first two-thirds of the book covers Lindsay’s induction into the CIA and her initial “spy” training. I found this part of the book to be very interesting and entertaining as well. It’s only the last third of the book, where Lindsay is stationed overseas in Macedonia, where opinions on the book begins to vary wildly. It’s at this point in the book where her misgivings about her career really begin to eat at her, and she questions not only her own path, but that of the agency as a whole as well. She also spends a lot of time talking about what men would consider boring and mundane subjects, as well as her troubled relationships with a few boyfriends.

So if you’re looking for a spy novel packed with action and intrigue, you’re going ot be disappointed with this book. However, if you’re really interested in how a spy is made, then the first two-thirds of this book will more than make up for the last third, in my opinion. Overall, I guess I’d give it a fair rating. I’m not sorry I read it, but it’s not really great, either.