Class 11: Inside the CIA's First Post-9/11 Spy Class

The other reviews here are harsher than necessary. This author is not as gifted as many others, but writing is not his calling -- spy work is. The book offers more than a glimpse into how the CIA selects and trains operatives. It's also a warm take on how some Americans responded to the terrorist attacks of 9-11.

This book offers a compelling insight into the world's foremost intelligence agency. From a fledgling recruit to graduated case officer, this book examines one man's journey through that process. Class 11 reveals the camaraderie and dedication of the thousands of unsung hero's who answered their nation's call during a time of great trepidation following the Sept. 11 attacks.

when I 1st saw that this book was coming out, i was incredibly excited. I love reading about the CIA, all their covert actions and such, but very little is ever discussed about the training they go through... Then, weeks later when it was for sale, i read some reviews saying it was crappy, too personal, someone complained about "adult beverages", and whatnot...which made me very UN-excited to buy the book. Eventually, though, I did end up buying it and it was definitely the right choice! The author definitely does sound too full of himself and how great of a class theirs was..how patriotic they all are, etc...especially since yes, what, 3 years later he's already out of the Agency and working for contractors!! but DESPITE all that, the book if full of interesting information about what exactly case officers go through for training...buy the book just for that! He talks about his time in the CounterTerrorism Center and other places at HQ..also, he provides details on how they train to go through checkpoints, airport immigration, moving into the "farm", how agents learn acting and how to spot liars, etc. Not only that, he discusses his instructors, how they graded him and what they said....it's not dry reading at the very least. ..Further, they talk about dead-drops, SDRs, which if i recall, are Surveillance Detection Routes?...and what to look for to develop your own...He also shares funny..very funny stories about his interactions with his co-workers and (training)undercover runs at local malls where the police get suspicious.... GREAT BOOK...it doesn't go into actual on the job work, just kinda ends when they graduate training...

I really enjoyed this book. It was written from the viewpoint of a recruit who had been looking forward to joining the CIA and going to the farm. The farm is many things but the part addressed in the book is the "CIA boot camp". The book is written with the freshness of a recruit seeing and doing it all for the first time. You can feel the excitement of a young recruit with his hands on that first "rung of the ladder" that may (if he works hard and well) take him on to working in the clandestine service. The book takes the reader from the notification, to Langley, to the farm, doing external recruit training, back to the farm, and then completion of this phase of training. The book is not written looking back upon the "CIA boot camp" through years of working in the field; nor does it go beyond completion of boot camp (very far). There is a real "freshness", the excitement of youth and the "first timer" in this book. If you are thinking or dreaming of joining the agency to work in the clandestine service, read the book - it is enjoyable. If you have "been there, done that" it will give you a detailed perspective of how some of the new recruits are experiencing the "CIA boot camp" today. This review is based upon the Class 11 audio book (unabridged). The audio book is well read. I plan on reading the hard back next month, as one always gets something more from the written word.

Tom Waters provides an insider's viewpoint into Spy Bootcamp. His first-person account of the daily rigors...the training, the activities, the personalities of his instructors and fellow-students... makes for a good read. Add to it an ascerbic wit and self-effacing anecdotes on his age, his physical conditioning and his having to suffer through one of the worst winters in Washington DC (Tom is from Florida, and doesn't seem to own thermal underwear) and you have several hours of entertainment with the added bonus of getting to peak behind the curtains of the CIA. Living in the Washington DC area, I am now more aware of people sitting in parked cars, and shoppers browsing through the aisles of stores. Could they be a spy-in-training? The book gives us a year. Six months in the DC area learning spy tradecraft and becoming familiar with the bureaucracy, and another six months in monastic seclusion at "The Farm." Tom's accounts take away some of the mythology made popular in novels and movies. On the other hand, his respect, affection and admiration for his fellow classmates translates as real Americans making surreal choices in the name of patriotism. The year was memorable for the war in Afghanistan, the snipers in the Washington metro area, the fear of another terrorist attack and the invasion of Iraq. With all of that, the CIA was working to change. And Class 11 was the first group of volunteers to enter the service following the attacks of 9/11. It is amazing Tom got so much of this through the censor's at the Agency, but then again, the book should go a long way to helping to recruit, inspire and motivate the next generation of intelligence officers.