The Man Who Warned America: The Life and Death of John O'Neill, the FBI's Embattled Counterterror Warrior

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Summary: A tragic hero
Review: "Great spirits have often encountered violent opposition from weak minds." -Albert Einstein

John O'Neill was without doubt a great spirit who met at worst violent opposition and at best near apathetic disregard for the analysis he offered on how very real the threat bin Laden posed for Americans. This story is a modern Greek tragedy - a fatal flaw in a good man resulted in horrific downfall for both the hero and the people he dedicated his life to protecting. I am not a fan of Murray Weiss, but in this case the author presents a very carefully crafted, intelligent and mostly objective portrayal of what's so right about our country and what's so wrong - how an individual with O'Neill's astounding dedication, talent and record could be so blithely ignored by the officials administering our country's policy. Weiss provides the answer to this by continually balancing O'Neill's prodigous achievements as an FBI agent while portraying the questionable behavior in his personal life that ultimately compromised his career and in turn failed to protect the victims of 911 - O'Neill himself, ironically, one of those killed on that terrible day.


Rating:
Summary: Eye-Opener
Review: A terrific book that highlights how the law enforcement and political establishments failed to understand the terrorist threat to America before 9/11. Amazingly, FBI counter terrorism chief John O'Neil was on to the Al Qaeda threat since 1995 and firmly believed that they would strike on American soil. Yet despite his numerous attempts to get government officials to deal with this growing menace, his warnings went unheeded. The author does not make the claim that 9/11 could have been stopped if O'Neil had prevailed in his work; instead he details how the many opportunities that might have led investigators to some of the 9/11 hijackers were lost because of bureaucracy, misguided diplomacy and political shenanigans. An eye-opening book that is hard to put down. It also makes you wonder if the pre-9/11 political and intelligence blunders have been put behind us.

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Summary: The irony gave me the chills!
Review: A well written, easy read. Makes you want to be John O'Neill or at the very least live his life for a couple of days. The way this man lived it seems to me that he left the earth the only way he would have wanted to, a hero. Step up all red blooded Americans and enjoy!

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Summary: Invaluable Glimpse of Recent History
Review: Books on terrorism are too often dry or pedantic, on the one hand, or sensational or hysterical on the other, but Murray Weiss' new book on FBI super-agent John O'Neill is the rare exception: It's a highly readable page-turner, loaded with telling detail, that will alter the way any reader sees world terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism. Recent events in Iraq - especially the attack against U.N. headquarters there - remind us how intractable both problems are, and the riveting, complex story that Weiss tells equips us to look beyond current headlines to take a longer view. O'Neill was in many ways a strange character (with an inability to be honest with the women in his life), but he was also a visionary. He was among the first to identify the threat posed by Osama bin Laden and understood, as too few White House officials do now, that any successful effort to defeat this enemy had to start with a serious attempt to understand his world and the impulses that fueled his extremism.

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Summary: the man who warned america
Review: i enjoyed this book because it tells the true story of an american hero who was a fbi agent too. it seems that during times of crisis in america, american produces genuine heroes, who seem to rise to leadership roles (ex.patton, eisenhower).john oneil rose to prominecnce in the fbi prior to 9/11 . the author , a press friend takes us berhind the scenes 0f the man who predicted the twin towers would be attacked by Bin Liden. as usual politics prevented step in and negated this report from one of the fbis bestagents.ironically he died in towers.once you start this book, you will want to finish quickly,

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Summary: Close to Home
Review: I live in the same community in which John O'Neil grew up. I attend the same high school that he did. This book helped me learn about a man who lived every day as it was his last, and on his last day, died a hero. September 11th will forever affect America and history as we know it. It acts as an example for our leaders; listening to one man's warnings can change history.

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Summary: Page Turning Non-Fiction
Review: I picked this up on a whim, and it turned out to be an amazing book that I couldn't put down. O'Neils love of country, integrity, and dedication to his job are impressive qualities that we can all learn from. His personal flaws were curious, but never came to seriously impact his work. Weiss does a nice job of addressing the politics without becoming bogged down in them. One of the best bios I have read in ages.

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Summary: WOW - Thank You Murray Weiss!
Review: I picked up this book on the recommendation of a friend and was skeptical at first as to whether I would find the story about John O'Neill, the FBI counterterrorism expert, interesting. I found I could not put the book down! Mr. Weiss has done an incredible job of researching and presenting information that has never been told before in an interesting and clear manner. His portrayal of John O'Neill's devotion to his career and complicated personal life are fascinating. The book is so important and revelatory I think it is a must read for everyone. If only our government would have listened to Mr. O'Neill......

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Summary: Puzzled
Review: I read this book and am puzzled. How does an FBI agent live the lifestyle John O'Neil lived? A double life, abandoning his wife and childred while carrying on affairs with several other women. Meanwhile traveling throughtout the country and the world. Do we want to put our trust in this type of individual. No wonder many of those who worked with him found him to be egotistical and overbearing, he was constantly trying to hide something. Something is fishy here. I think probably Ambassador Bodine saw through the man.

Rating:
Summary: Fantastic work
Review: I read this book in one night. It is such an unbelievable read. From the moment I picked it up, I couldn't put it down. The incredible irony of John O'Neill's story is validation that truth can be stranger then fiction. To actually have the pioneer in the FBI, who first pointed out Osama ultimately die at the World Trade Center is an unbelievable twist of faith. Murray Weiss deserves all the credit in the world for writing such an outstanding book. He must have spent years researching all of the materials in this book. And in regards to Doug Hinkle from Washington, DC. It's extremely shortsighted of you to completely disregard all the information in this book. To find one date error in a 400 plus page book with countless names, dates, stories etc. and to use that one error as a reason not to enjoy such an incredible book is totally your loss. People out there, check out this book. It really is a great read...