I-Spy is another stunning non-fiction book by Amit Bagaria that rocked the year 2019. With its subtle storytelling and uncovering of the top-secret information related to the leading secret services agencies in the world, I-Spy also reveals that the life of a spy on screen is full of glamour and passion, the reality, however, is entirely different as the real spies working for various intelligence agencies are the guys who are mostly working behind the desk or collecting information, that we know by the name of the ‘intel’ in the world of spies. So, are you interested in reading this voluminous book that contains too many things about spies, intelligence operations, leading intelligence agencies in the world and their rankings (according to the author) and many other things?
In this book, Amit Bagaria has put the basics of spying and the details about the job related to spies. He has done this work wonderfully and a person with an interest in knowing more about the lifestyle, the works and the stealths of a spy can know many things just by reading the first few pages – introduction and other details. For the serious readers, who would like to take this up as a reference book for their in-depth research in the deeds and misdeeds of various intelligence agencies, their strength, their infiltration prowess and their aid to the government, this book will be a very helpful resource. Amit Bagaria has packed I-Spy: A Peep into the World of Spies with details and data that are useful, interesting and also praiseworthy.
For example, on page numbers 216-17, a reader can find the briefs about the recent missions conducted by Mossad, the intelligence agency of the Israel Govt. that is capable, destructive and can be deadly when needed. Amit Bagaria claims that Mossad broke into the secret archive (for nuclear secrets) of Iran (in Tehran) and stole many important documents. The author also claims that the Mossad shared these documents with the USA and a few European countries.
Likewise, Amit Bagaria claims that (on page 244) FSB may be dirty and nasty when they have to. He moves to ISI, on page 252, and claims that the informants who led to the murder of Laden in Pakistan, were arrested by ISI in 2011. Likewise, the author has shared the details of various operations and prowess of the powerful intelligence agencies in the world – CIA, RAW, FSB, ISI, Mossad, MI6 and many more. He has also ranked them according to his own metrics and skills to judge the power and limits.
The author has hinted, here and there, about the resources he has used to make his assumptions and collect his facts. However, there is no uniformity in doing so as he hints in the very preface that approving his inputs may be difficult as the information he has gathered is from the sources that cannot be verified. Photographs and other fact-based inputs are certainly taken from the public sources and can be easily counter-verified by any reader who is curious enough to do so.
To conclude the review, I would certainly like to make this declaration that the book, I-Spy, is certainly interesting. It may, though, bore the readers who are not interested (deeply) in intelligence agencies and their works more than watching them on the cinema screen. However, for the curious readers, this is a neatly written book with nuances and details – even the details you might never have heard of!
The readers can buy this book from the link given below:
Buy the book from Amazon India – click here
review by Gautam Kumar for Literature News (Book Reviews section)
I-Spy
186 Rs
I liked
- Interesting to read
- Information to learn and know
The downsides
- For a limited reader base
- Too voluminous for a limited theme non-fiction
Add Comment