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The Shadow Factory: The Ultra-Secret NSA from 9/11 to the Eavesdropping on America Audiobook
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(3.04) - 476 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Today’s National Security Agency is the largest, most costly, and most technologically advanced spy organization the world has ever known. It is also the most intrusive, secretly filtering millions of phone calls and e-mails an hour in the United States and around the world. Half a million people live on its watch list, and the number grows by the thousands every month. Has America become a surveillance state? In The Shadow Factory, James Bamford, the foremost expert on the National Security Agency, charts its transformation since 9/11, as the legendary code breakers turned their ears away from outside enemies, such as the Soviet Union, and inward to enemies whose communications increasingly crisscross America. Fast-paced and riveting, The Shadow Factory is about a world unseen by Americans without the highest security clearances. But it is a world in which even their most intimate whispers may no longer be private.
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"I would have given it a 5, but about half way through I lost interest to more catching novels I was reading and didn't finish. What I did read was very intriguing. If you've ever been interested in what goes on behind the scenes of the intelligence community, or even more about the lead up of 9/11, read the first 100 pages or so of this book. Keep in mind when this book was written "eavesdropping on America" was illegal, but the program they're using has now been okayed through the courts (since our new president got into office) so it's a bit outdated."
— Natalieb (4 out of 5 stars)
The Shadow Factory Listener Reviews
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" The story was great. The narration is excellent. I would recommend this book to my feiwnds . "
— biscuit, 12/30/2017 -
" Another great book by Bamford. I read Puzzle Palace when I was in college and his subsequent books have been just as informative. For someone who's technically an "outsider" his access and knowledge of the intelligence subject is outstanding. "
— Charles, 2/10/2014 -
" While I'm still reading this book, it's a chilling account of what can go wrong when an agency with unchecked power is given everything it wants in the name of national security. It's a terrifying expose of the dangers that our very intelligence community presents to our civil liberties. "
— Anthony, 2/9/2014 -
" For those who acquainted with recent headlines about the NSA, this book is mostly review. But it's worth reading nonetheless. "
— Daniel, 2/6/2014 -
" The death of the 4th. "
— Ryan, 2/4/2014 -
" Interesting till halfway through. The author gets too technical and loses the reader's attention. "
— Jon, 1/27/2014 -
" Paints bleak picture of Bush era NSA sucking up tons of data and skirting the 4th amendment while trying to catch terrorists. "
— Mark, 1/20/2014 -
" I really wish I could but no comment! "
— Rick, 1/3/2014 -
" Quite an eye-opener of the power of government "
— Tyler, 1/3/2014 -
" A fascinating disection of how and why the dots didn't get connected before 9/11. "
— Emily, 12/20/2013 -
" Excellent book, and it worth to read not only for the Americans: some NSA's things described by the author are in use in other countries. "
— Andrei, 11/30/2013 -
" A well done, chilling expose of the NSA, post 9/11. Bamford never veers into partisan politics and keeps his opinions to a bare minimum. "
— Jake, 5/16/2013 -
" Ai, yi, yi. Must read about US Intelligence both foreign and domestic; the NSA; the telecoms; the foreign hardware/software companies involved. Whew. "
— Tom, 10/22/2012 -
" I don't know where to begin. This will be far too technichal and drab for most people, but Bramford's style has certainly gotten more friendly since Puzzle Palace. I'm now a little scared. "
— Barrett, 4/2/2012 -
" this book is also too old for me. and it became sort of boring in the middle, so i didn't finish it the first time i read it. "
— Nicole, 11/5/2011 -
" a must read to understand the "security" apparatus pre and post 9-11. "
— Sherry, 6/30/2011 -
" Save yourself the hassle of reading this book by watching PBS Frontline episode with the same name. The book started out good and then wandered all over creation losing any hint of cohesiveness. "
— Mike, 1/23/2011 -
" Ai, yi, yi. Must read about US Intelligence both foreign and domestic; the NSA; the telecoms; the foreign hardware/software companies involved. Whew. "
— Tom, 10/4/2010 -
" It's actually firghtening. Worth the read. "
— Jeni, 6/14/2010 -
" Really dense to read, but a terrifying look inside the illegal mess going on inside the US. "
— Ella, 2/23/2010 -
" Scary! Big brother is watching! "
— Deborah, 11/13/2009
About James Bamford
James Bamford is a bestselling author, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker for PBS, award-winning investigative producer for ABC News, and winner of the National Magazine Award for Reporting for his writing in Rolling Stone on the war in Iraq. He has written four bestselling nonfiction books about the spy world, Body of Secrets, The Puzzle Palace, A Pretext for War, and SpyFail, among other books. He has written on national security for the New York Times Magazine, the Washington Post Magazine, and the Los Angeles Times Magazine.
About Robertson Dean
Robertson Dean has played leading roles on and off Broadway and at dozens of regional theaters throughout the country. He has a BA from Tufts University and an MFA from Yale. His audiobook narration has garnered ten AudioFile Earphones Awards. He now lives in Los Angeles, where he works in film and television in addition to narrating.