got geoint?

Welcome to a wet and rainy Friday. For those who live in Seattle, this is pretty normal, but for us folks on the East Coast we are drowning in a sea of rain water and frankly it’s starting to freak us out. “Noah, where’s the ark?” is one of the most common Facebook updates happening right now. So, what better thing to do on a rainy day than read a book. That is right, the got geoint? editorial staff not only prides itself on tapping into all things cool about GEOINT, we also occasionally like to take a load off, fire up the tea kettle and read a good book. What kind of stuff do we read? Well, you guessed it…geography- and IC-related books (yes, we are GEOINT nerds). Though we do want to read the new Jonathan Franzen book. And oh, watch out…Snooki is writing a book (no joke.) Check out our latest installment of cool reads in this post. Happy Friday!

“A Geography of Secrets,” a new Washington Novel by Frederick Reuss
“With his eyes open, knowing the consequences, he entered the territory of lies without a passport for return,” Graham Greene wrote in “The Heart of the Matter.” The line would not be out of place in “A Geography of Secrets,” a thoughtful, beautifully written novel by Washington writer Frederick Reuss that tells the story of two men — a defense analyst and a mapmaker — and their struggle with the secrets that define them. Much of the novel is narrated by the mapmaker, who remains nameless throughout. The son of a career diplomat, he suffers from a sense of permanent dislocation. Oh man, we are soo checking out this book. Read the full Washington Post review here.

Blank Spots on the Map: The Dark Geography of the Pentagon’s Secret World
As in his previous books, artist and geographer Paglen (Torture Taxi: On the Trail of the CIA’s Rendition Flights) explores the clandestine activities of the U.S. military and the CIA, giving readers a thorough and provocative tour of places that officially do not exist. Paglen has a brisk reporting style and is an engaging storyteller. His journey into what he calls the “black world” of classified locations—from research facilities to secret prisons—this time takes him across the country and around the world. The classified region he describes is shockingly vast, well funded, and not accountable for its activities. At times, Paglen has a subtle touch, allowing the facts he describes gradually to convince the reader of how essentially undemocratic all this secrecy is. Unfortunately, his approach at other times seems unnecessarily theatrical. For example, his description of camping out in a hotel room in Las Vegas to watch planes come and go comes off as a bit gimmicky. Such narrative is likely meant to make the book more readable, but the story Paglen is telling is gripping enough without any stunts. Highly recommended. Check out more here.

Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing
Even James Bond is temping these days. According to investigative journalist Shorrock, the CIA and other intelligence agencies now have more contractors working for them than they do spies of their own. Often former staff hired back at double or triple their former government salaries, these private contractors do everything from fighting in Afghanistan to interrogating prisoners, aiming spy satellites and supervising secret agents. Shorrock gives a comprehensive—at times eye-glazing—rundown of the players in the industry, and his book is valuable for its detailed panorama of 21st-century intelligence work. He uncovers serious abuses—contractor CACI International figured prominently in the Abu Ghraib outrages—and nagging concerns about corrupt ties between intelligence officials and private corporations, industry lobbying for a national surveillance state, the withering of the intelligence agencies’ in-house capacities and the displacement of an ethos of public service by a profit motive. However, the bulk of the outsourcing Shorrock unearths is rather pedestrian, involving the management of mundane IT systems and various administrative services, and this exposé insinuates more skullduggery than it demonstrates. Read more here.

The Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception
Intelligence historian Melton and retired CIA officer Wallace (coauthors of Spycraft) reunite for this unremarkable reproduction of a long-lost cold war–era relic. In 1953, the fledgling CIA hired professional magician John Mulholland to adapt his techniques of stealth and misdirection to the craft of espionage. Mulholland produced two illustrated manuals featuring a range of tricks from placing pills into drinks to stealing documents and avoiding detection. The classified manuals were believed to have been destroyed in 1973, but the authors discovered a copy in 2007 among recently declassified CIA archives. The manuals are reproduced along with enhanced illustrations and an extended introduction by Melton and Wallace. Despite the authors’ best efforts to promote their discovery of Mulholland’s work as a rare piece of historical evidence of the CIA’s legacy of black arts, the manuals, with their earnest, how-to descriptions of surreptitiously spiking drinks, palming documents and signaling colleagues with a feather in a hat band seem more quaintly anachronistic than revealing or sinister. Read more here.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Geography, 3rd Edition
Not that we actually need to read this book — as GEOINT and geography professionals — it may be a good gag gift for your co-workers or fellow geo-enthusiast. This updated edition will bring readers up-to-date on new country names, capital cities, flags, ruling governments, changes to production and economics, and more. It also examines the basis for recent geographical, environmental, and political events shaping geography. The book also emphasizes human geography for students needing assistance with the Advanced Placement Human Geography exam. So, could be the perfect book for your teenage son or daughter who is considering a career in GEOINT. Because let’s face it…what is cooler than working in the GEOINT/GIS-sector? Read more here.

1973 R.I.F – Reading Is Fundamental PSA
Do you all remember the Reading is Fundamental (RIF) campaigns from back in the day? Great PSAs and surely it played a role in sparking our interest in reading as youngsters. Check out this 1973 PSA. Good stuff.

Happy Reading!

Tags: A Geography of Secrets, AGeography of Secrets Book, Central Intelligence Agency, CIA, Frederick Reuss, geography books, GEOINT Books, GIS, Imagery and Mapping, Official CIA Manual of Trickery and Deception, Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing, snooki, snooki book, Spies for Hire, SPy books, Study of Geography