This is a book written two parts. The first part is written by Wilson with much of it redacted with blacked out sections shown on the page, and the second part is an afterword written by Laura Rozen. The afterword is written from the public record that is meant to fill in much of the pieces that was redacted by the C.I.A. So, the book is really all over the place.
The book is not that well written. Even taking the redactions into consideration the author loses focus and writes about three different books in one. She is not a professional writer and her emotions seems to be shot from the traumatic events in her and her families lives due to the well documented outing of her C.I.A. agent status and the right wings war against her family.
I wanted to read this book because I wanted know about a woman’s experience being in the C.I.A. It is a perceptive that I have never heard before. I do get that buried in somewhere within the emotional life of Ms. Wilson, which not a criticism. The woman is learning how to feel. She is getting her life organized her brain and is obvious when reading this.
What is surprising is just how likable the author is. She is very girly girl. She tries to tries to write the book with a tough bravado. She does this with her chapters on her C.I.A. special agent training on “The Farm.” However due to the redactions and the fact that it just didn’t seem like her, it doesn’t last for very long.
Next.
Probably the most fun you have with this book is the time she is a working as mother with two small children and as a C.I.A. agent. She is totally a mom, and she has working mother concerns all while having this super risky important spy job.
Then comes the dark side. While working for a part of the C.I.A. that was looking into nuclear proliferations in the outside world, a request from the Vice-President Office came in to have a lead that the Iraqi government was looking to buy Yellow Cake Uranium from Nigeria. Plame writes that it was suggested to her ask her husband former ambassador Joe Wilson to look into it. She would have been derelict of her duties if she did not follow through with that. It was common practice that people outside the agency, such as business people or former government officials to carry out some important matters such as this. Joe Wilson went pro-bono ( meaning that only expenses were paid) . He found nothing, wrote his report and they went on with their lives until the President, she writes, used a few words citing Yellow Cake Uranium and Iraq to sell the war on Iraq. Wilson wrote an op-ed piece in the New York Times, debunking those words in the Presidents speech. After that everything fell apart.
The right wing declared war on the Wilson’s. Most egregious from the office of the Vice President and Carl Rove leaked Valeria Plame Wilson’s name to the press. Supposedly Carl Rove who is member of the Wilson’s church said that Valerie Wilson was “Fair Game” in retaliation to Joe Wilson. The so-called liberal press printed her name and protected their sources; hence exposed her status putting her and her contact lives in jeopardy. It was a political retaliation for crossing the administration.
She goes on and tells about how the war on the Wilson’s went as far as death threats, lack of protection from the C.I.A., tax audits, and more. Right wing donators threatened Universities and High Wealth individuals to make sure that Joe Wilson’s consulting business would go bust and that he would not get any speaking engagements. Plame speculates that these tactics were a dry run on the swift boat attacks on John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential Campaign.
Although, some justice eventually came her way in the form of “Scouter” Libby being prosecuted for the leak by the federal government. The toll taken on her family and her career was more than most people could take.
Towards the end of her she is pouring facts and unbelievable stories from her experience. It is upsetting, and it is clear that it is probably not over.
It was hard to read, because it was really upsetting. What was good about it is that is a first hand account of a family being hunted by the right wing for saying anything that contradicted it.
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