Left of Boom. Book Review.

Left of Boom by Douglas Laux and Ralph Pezzullo is an honest look at the life of a CIA officer recruited right out of college post 9/11.

For starters, this reviewer grew up watching Alias, with the very specific dream of becoming the next Sydney Bristow. I bought a t-shirt from Disney World, a CIA hat on a trip to Washington D.C., and informed many a college professor of this intent (only when prompted). That said, I was never recruited. I didn’t take it personally. That all said, this book spoke to me as a look at a road not taken.

The book is unabashedly honest, to the point where large chunks of it are redacted. One could argue that this was all for show, a part of the storyteller’s strategy to suck in the reader. Well, it worked. Whereas most authors would rewrite the entire pages that were crossed out by the powers-that-be in Washington, they kept them in, in a long black-bar format.

The narrator is likable in his honesty and humanity, but also not super likable at the same time. Which, actually, makes the book that much more authentic.

If you want a glimpse into what was going on over there (Afghanistan) at a time when we were sort of a war but nobody could really tell, then this is a good read into the not-so-distant past.

If you’re looking for a cuddly little patriotic feel-good book that leaves you with more answers than questions, feeling great about our country at large, then I’d pass on this one.