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The Pentagon's Brain

An Uncensored History of DARPA, America's Top-Secret Military Research Agency

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The Pentagon's Brain

By: Annie Jacobsen
Narrated by: Annie Jacobsen
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About this listen

 Discover the definitive history of DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, in this Pulitzer Prize finalist from the author of the New York Times bestseller Area 51.No one has ever written the history of the Defense Department's most secret, most powerful, and most controversial military science R&D agency. In the first-ever history about the organization, New York Times bestselling author Annie Jacobsen draws on inside sources, exclusive interviews, private documents, and declassified memos to paint a picture of DARPA, or "the Pentagon's brain," from its Cold War inception in 1958 to the present.

This is the book on DARPA -- a compelling narrative about this clandestine intersection of science and the American military and the often frightening results. Americas Military Weapons & Warfare Biological Weapons

Critic reviews

Pulitzer Prize Finalist in History

One of The Washington Post's Notable Nonfiction Books of 2015

One of The Boston Globe's Best Books of 2015

One of Amazon's Top 100 Books of 2015

"A brilliantly researched account of a small but powerful secret government agency whose military research profoundly affects world affairs."—The Pulitzer Prize Committee
"Filled with the intrigue and high stakes of a spy novel, Jacobsen's history of DARPA is as much a fascinating testament to human ingenuity as it is a paean to endless industrial warfare and the bureaucracy of the military-industrial complex."—Kirkus Reviews
"A fascinating and unsettling portrait of the secretive U.S. government agency....Jacobsen walks a fine line in telling the story of the agency and its innovations without coming across as a cheerleader or a critic, or letting the narrative devolve into a salacious tell-all. Jacobsen's ability to objectively tell the story of DARPA, not to mention its murky past, is truly remarkable, making for a terrifically well-crafted treatise on the agency most Americans know next to nothing about."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Jacobsen offers a definitive history of the clandestine agency.... She explores the implications of DARPA work on technology that will not be widely known to the public for generations but will certainly impact national security and concepts of war."—Vanessa Bush, Booklist (starred review)
"Jacobsen's account will serve as the model for histories of military research and development and is likely to lead to more works and articles about DARPA.... Engrossing, conversation-starting read..."—Library Journal
"Annie Jacobsen's considerable talents as an investigative journalist prove indispensable in uncovering the remarkable history of one of America's most powerful and clandestine military research agencies. And she is a great storyteller, making the tantalizing tale of The Pentagon's Brain -- from the depths of the Cold War to present day -- come alive on every page."—Gerald Posner, author of God's Bankers
"A fascinating and sometimes uneasy exploration of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency...."—Dina Temple-Raston, The Washington Post
"In this fascinating and terrifying account, Annie Jacobsen regales us with the stories behind the agency's 'consequential and sometimes Orwellian' innovations, including autonomous weapons systems--killer robots that could decide, without human intervention, who lives and who dies."—Bryan Schatz, Mother Jones
"Annie Jacobsen has a gift for unearthing secret, long-buried information."—Mary Ann Gwinn, Seattle Times
All stars
Most relevant
This is an interesting listen and reveals many details of this agency and its activities that are fascinating. A lot of research must have been carried out to produce it and that is to be applauded. The writing is also very professional.

The only detriment for me is Ms. Jacobsen's reading of her book. She has an odd, almost declamatory breathless style which I found detracted from the content. Further, some of her mangled pronunciations are very weird, e.g:

"Eggeena" for Agena
"Maykong" for Mekong
"NO rad" for "NORAD
"Psykorsky" for Sikorsky
"Beemeurs" for "BEMEWS"
"Onrico" for Enrico

I wondered if this was because of her provenance, or simply affected? I'm not sure, but these terms and their pronunciation are well-known so it does seem odd.

Overall, a good book, but would be better read by a professional narrator (like her other audiobooks in fact).

Interesting, Reading Could Be Better

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I think this could have been shorter but - boy - is it comprehensive?! I'm afraid that the narrator's delivery was rather soporific.

Detailed but Turgid

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Annie Jacobsen masterfully tells the story of one of the most important and least-well-known organizations in the modern world.

Incredibly well done

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Another mind blowing book from Annie Jacobson. Fascinating and frightening all at the same time! Loved it!

Brilliant!

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A comprehensive reportage on part of the machinery that has evolved to produce the products of what, for want of a better description, has been called the American Industrial-Military Complex.

Some of the subject matter presented here simply amazes the average reader, who would find himself hard put to believe manifest, even in the most far-fetched science fiction novel. This book is certainly jammed backed with interesting detail.

The author competently investigates non-covert aspects of DARPA, the prime mover of defense related research, how and to what extent it operates and some of its more familiar, non-covert production (Internet, robots, drones, networks, cyborgs, etc.). She also almost, but not quite, speculates on what still might remain hidden under overs stamped "CLASSIFIED".

Something in the work is lacking and it is too bad that it is not there. Perhaps it is the author's career as a reporter ("just the facts, ma'am) that enforces a reluctance to colour her reports with the finishing touches of imagination.The reader can only speculate how much more edifying and entertaining this book could have been with a brighter, more science oriented author.

But perhaps, I am being unfair with this criticism, as I have read Jacobsen's earlier work "Operation Paperclip" which also, like this one, I found worth a read.

In this Audible version, the author reads her work clearly, competently and in complete monotone stolidness, from beginning to end. She never once falters from this style of delivery, making a good argument against some authors being allowed to perform their own work.

I think that this intriguing subject is still waiting for a more satisfying and eloquent work on this fascinating area of dark technology.

Do I recommend the book? Yes, for those interested in the subject.

A Potentially Fascinating Look At Dark Tech.

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