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Objective Troy: A Terrorist, a President, and the Rise of the Drone Hardcover – Deckle Edge, September 15, 2015

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 140 ratings

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    Objective Troy tells the gripping and unsettling story of Anwar al-Awlaki, the once-celebrated American imam who called for moderation after 9/11, a man who ultimately directed his outsized talents to the mass murder of his fellow citizens. It follows Barack Obama’s campaign against the excesses of the Bush counterterrorism programs and his eventual embrace of the targeted killing of suspected militants. And it recounts how the president directed the mammoth machinery of spy agencies to hunt Awlaki down in a frantic, multi-million-dollar pursuit that would end with the death of Awlaki by a bizarre, robotic technology that is changing warfare—the drone.
      Scott Shane, who has covered terrorism for
The New York Times over the last decade, weaves the clash between president and terrorist into both a riveting narrative and a deeply human account of the defining conflict of our era. Awlaki, who directed a plot that almost derailed Obama’s presidency, and then taunted him from his desert hideouts, will go down in history as the first United States citizen deliberately hunted and assassinated by his own government without trial. But his eloquent calls to jihad, amplified by YouTube, continue to lure young Westerners into terrorism—resulting in tragedies from the Boston marathon bombing to the murder of cartoonists at a Paris weekly. Awlaki’s life and death show how profoundly America has been changed by the threat of terrorism and by our own fears.
      Illuminating and provocative, and based on years of in depth reporting,
Objective Troy is a brilliant reckoning with the moral challenge of terrorism and a masterful chronicle of our times.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Winner of the 2016 Lionel Gelber Prize for best book on foreign affairs
A finalist for the 2015 Investigative Reporters & Editors Awards
One of
The New York Times Book Review's 100 Notable Books of 2015

Praise for Objective Troy:

“An authoritative, nuanced chronicle of Mr. Awlaki’s life and the Obama administration’s decision to end it . . . Engagingly detailed . . . A well-sourced, judicious chronicle.” —
Steve Coll, The New York Times

"A lucid and richly informed account . . . Shane offers a detailed and convincing narrative." —
The New York Times Book Review

“Mr. Shane performs a valuable service by stripping away many myths that surround Awlaki.” —
Max Boot, The Wall Street Journal

“A gripping account of the hunt for Anwar al-Awlaki.” —
Foreign Affairs

"Remarkable . . . A dark and fascinating new book . . . Shane’s investigation into what he describes as the president’s radicalization is one of the most thorough and level-headed that has been penned to date . . . A crucial read." —
Bookforum

"A revealing and impressively detailed book." —
Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

"[
Objective Troy] delves deeply into a single life and still comes up with questions. This is perhaps its greatest service. It is an object lesson in the limits of the search for a root cause." The Washington Post

“An enthralling story. . . . One of the best books on al-Qaeda and the 9/11 era. . . . Shane joins a distinguished list along with Lawrence Wright, Jason Burke and Peter Bergen.” —
The Times Literary Supplement

“A fascinating book . . . Shane bases his account on extensive interviews, dogged research, and years spent closely tracking the course of these events, and he poses the important questions of justification, legal and moral, that US actions have provoked.” —
Thomas Nagel, The London Review of Books

"Remarkable . . . 
Objective Troy is a gripping read." —Benjamin Wittes, Lawfare

“A gripping, deeply reported tale of sex, religion, radicalization, and betrayal. In the telling, Shane reveals a strange truth: the key to understanding Awlaki’s actions, and his fate, is recognizing how American his story is . . . The reason we know as much as we do about the killing—and other drone strikes—is because of the efforts of reporters like Scott Shane. Read his book.” —Commonweal

"The story [Shane] tells of Anwar al-Awlaki’s life and death is deeply instructive, as is his account of Barack Obama’s decision-making. Anyone interested in understanding the allure of radical Islam, and thinking about ways to counter it both on and off the battlefield, would do well to study this work." Gabriel Schoenfeld, The Weekly Standard

"Scott Shane has done a masterful job of fleshing out the missing link in the evolution of Al Qaeda. The life of the American-born imam, Anwar al-Awlaki, serves as a cautionary tale about the conflict between Islam and the West, and about America’s role in the Middle East. Years after his assassination by an American drone strike, Awlaki’s voice continues to summon young Muslims to the fight."
—Lawrence Wright

"Scott Shane has written a bracing story about America's most notorious extra-judicial killing, the 2011 drone shot that took out the American-born terrorist preacher Anwar al Alwaki. Here is by far the best reporting on the subject, from Alwaki's gradual evolution into a violent extremist to the Obama administration's internal struggles -- moral and legal -- over how to use the drone, a troubling but undeniably effective new weapon. Thorough and exceedingly fair, chocked with surprising detail,
Objective Troy asks all the right questions, and will leave any reader wondering whether the United States, just because it can remotely assassinate terror threats, should." —Mark Bowden

"No one has written a better book about Obama's war against terrorists. Shane is a superb reporter and a wonderful story teller. I literally could not out this book down. It will join a short list of books that helps all of us to really understand the wars against terrorist groups that have defined US foreign policy since 9/11."
—Peter Bergen

“Scott Shane has written a 21st century morality tale about a president steeped in Constitutional law and his hunt for a charismatic American terrorist—who just happens to be a ‘skirt-chasing mullah.’ But this murder mystery is alarmingly all true. The writing is riveting, the intelligence sources are impeccable and the book is quietly elegant—echoing the human story told in Lawrence Wright’s
The Looming Towers. Shane's Objective Troy is destined to become a classic text on both the Obama Presidency and drone warfare.” —Kai Bird

Scott Shane is unsurpassed in shedding clear light on America's darkest secrets, including the gripping human drama behind a drone strike that changed history. It's a story that had to be told, and must be read."
—Jane Mayer

About the Author

Scott Shane is a national security reporter for The New York Times based in Washington, DC, where he has worked for over a decade.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0804140294
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Tim Duggan Books; First Edition (September 15, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 416 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780804140294
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0804140294
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.54 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.58 x 1.4 x 9.49 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 140 ratings

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Scott Shane
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Scott Shane was a reporter for 15 years at The New York Times, where he was twice a member of teams that won Pulitzer Prizes, and before that for 21 years at The Baltimore Sun. His new book, FLEE NORTH: A Forgotten Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery's Borderland, weaves together the stories of three people: Thomas Smallwood, who bought his freedom, helped hundreds of people escape slavery, and named the underground railroad; Smallwood's white sidekick, Charles Torrey; and the leading slave trader of the 1840s, Hope Slatter.

His two previous books are OBJECTIVE TROY: A Terrorist, A President, and the Rise of the Drone, the story of an American terrorist killed in a drone strike on orders of President Obama; and DISMANTLING UTOPIA: How Information Ended the Soviet Union, a firsthand account of the collapse of the Soviet Union. In 2019-2020 he was a fellow at the SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University, where he has taught courses on media and on the Russian attack on the 2016 American presidential election.

He lives in Baltimore with his wife, Francie Weeks, who taught English to foreign students for 30 years. They have three children.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
140 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book well-researched and detailed. They find it interesting and readable, with a strong narrative flow. The writing style is described as thoughtful and scholarly.

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19 customers mention "Readability"19 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's readability. They find it well-researched, detailed, and interesting. The book is objective and thoughtful, covering an important topic and issues.

"A well researched and reported book. The flow is good and Mr. Shane does not get too technical in his explanations...." Read more

"...The author did a fine job of providing a readable examination of his life and continuing relevance to the fundamentalist Islamic movement." Read more

"...This is a good read that gives food for thought for all these - and many other - questions. Well researched and written. I am glad I read this book." Read more

"...Fascinating story, hugely important topic and issues, very well written and, but for a little bit of needless repetition pretty much worth all the..." Read more

12 customers mention "Writing quality"12 positive0 negative

Customers find the book well-written and detailed, with a strong narrative flow. They appreciate the in-depth biography of a US citizen turned terrorist. The information provided is outstanding and provides a detailed record of events leading up to the radicalization of Anwar al-Awlaki.

"...The flow is good and Mr. Shane does not get too technical in his explanations...." Read more

"...Well researched and written. I am glad I read this book." Read more

"...Fascinating story, hugely important topic and issues, very well written and, but for a little bit of needless repetition pretty much worth all the..." Read more

"This is a good scholarly book. Fair amount of detail about decision making and eventual execution of such decisions...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2018
    A well researched and reported book. The flow is good and Mr. Shane does not get too technical in his explanations. He seems to follow the pattern however of decrying the national security state, blaming Obama for its abuses and his use of it fighting the war on terror, and giving a mild scolding to the Bush administration for creating the thing in the first place. Mr. Shane, unlike other authors however, makes it perfectly clear that Obama was not a pacifist as many of his supporters like to believe, and that the Christmas Day bomb changed his view on the tools that he can use. Very good book, and can't wait to read more books on the history on the War on Terror in the future.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2017
    This is a good scholarly book. Fair amount of detail about decision making and eventual execution of such decisions. My only complaint is that, this book is rather dry thesis as opposed story telling.
  • Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2016
    A fascinating read that I would recommend to everyone. Shane explores the dilemma of the U. S. government killing an American without charge or trial. Are there situations where our constitution can be disregarded? Are there extenuating circumstances to the constitution? Should political expediency prevail over citizen's rights? What should the president's priorities be? Do they outweigh our rights - or our children's? When do extra-judicial killings become proper for a government? There are no easy answers, but Shane does a good job of exploring the dilemmas behind Obama's decisions. This is a good read that gives food for thought for all these - and many other - questions. Well researched and written. I am glad I read this book.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2016
    My book group, all women ranging in age from 50-80, read this book and everyone was glad we did. Fascinating story, hugely important topic and issues, very well written and, but for a little bit of needless repetition pretty much worth all the pages it takes. And, since our discussion, we've all come across and shared relavant material from newspapers and other writing that has come out since we met. It's a subject that grabbed us all and keeps our interest. We all feel that we learned a lot and see things in different ways now.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 1, 2017
    Really in-depth biography of a US citizen turned terrorist. Heaviest treatment of Awlaki as a terrorist; good discussion of the legal merits of the case; lightest on the science and execution of drones.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 5, 2015
    I thought the story was little all over the place. The book could have been cut in half and it would have been more powerful. The information was outstanding. I learned a lot.
  • Reviewed in the United States on October 17, 2019
    This book is very well written and has a strong narrative flow. More importantly, it is well-researched and very detailed. It provides a detailed record of the events leading up to the radicalization of Anwar al-Awlaki. There are a lot of lessons that can be learned from this book in countering terrorism, and preventing radicalization.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 19, 2015
    This book did a good job of explaining how we got to killing an American citizen with a drone. It explains the legal rational and the things the person did to deserve to die without a trial. It does a good job of showing the world through the eyes of the father of the terrorist, a father who loved America but disagreed with the killing of his son and grandson. The 2nd half of the book is a little slower, but definitely worth the time.

Top reviews from other countries

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  • bee
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on June 4, 2017
    terrific. exhaustively researched. Immensely informative.
  • AV
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read on the rise of drones
    Reviewed in India on March 4, 2018
    Quite a well written book. Does track the story right from the beginning and talks about all the issues quite objectively.
  • Victor Lopez
    5.0 out of 5 stars Objective Troy wurde nicht empfangen auf mein Tablet
    Reviewed in Germany on September 24, 2015
    Kindle eBook ist nicht angekommen auf mein Tablet. Bitte nochmals senden. Oder geben Sie mir mein Geld zurück. Ich habe inzwischen das Buch bestellt (Printed, fest gebunden)

    Das Buch habe ich gelesen und muss sagen, es war sehr gut
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in Canada on June 23, 2016
    It is an excellent book. I enjoyed reading it .