The Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI) is a federal criminal investigative,
intelligence agency, and the primary investigative arm of
the United States Department of Justice (DOJ).
more information on the FBI, visit our
FBI page.
The following FBI books provide
helpful information on the subject of the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI). Learn about such things as:
The
history of the FBI
The
mission, purpose and responsibilities of the Federal
Bureau of Investigation
How to
pursue a career in the FBI and get a job as a Federal
Agent
Learn
about records, reports, and data used by the bureau
In the
three years following the September 11th, 2001,
terrorist attacks, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation hired 2,200 new Special Agents. But
that was out of more than 150,000 applicants.
The successful candidates had not only relevant
backgrounds, but also determination and a genuine
desire to embark on one of the most coveted,
rewarding, and challenging careers in the world.
The FBI
Career Guide spells out exactly what the Bureau is
looking for in Special Agent candidates, and how to
maximize your chances of being selected from the
huge applicant pool. Joe Koletar, whose own
blue-ribbon career at the Bureau is second to none,
shows how to get the job-and how to thrive once
you've got it. His inside look at the real FBI
reveals: * Smart educational and career decisions to
improve your odds of being hired * How to meet and
network with current FBI agents * What Special
Agents do, day-to-day, in different roles and
environments * How undercover investigations, SWAT
team operations, and specialty assignments work *
What agents earn, and what benefits they receive *
The prospects for advancement, and some typical (and
not so typical) career paths * How the job may
affect your personal and family life And much more
The FBI Career Guide also reveals the common
mistakes applicants make, and shows how to avoid
them. And it gives you detailed information on
excelling in the Agent Training Program. Finally,
the book offers profiles of real agents who have
gone on to successful post-FBI careers, and will
help you lay the groundwork for a rewarding life
after the Bureau. Above all, The FBI Career Guide
will help you find out if you've got what it takes
to succeed, and if you do, how to show it."
FBI Book Review -
From School Library Journal - Grade 9 Up–In this
practical guide, Ackerman outlines the history and
organization of the FBI; the salary and benefits of
a career with this agency; and opportunities and
hiring processes, including ways to present an
outstanding application. He also describes the
training for different positions. The entries are
dry and necessarily brief, but offer a broad
overview of how best to prepare oneself to be an
ideal candidate. The appendixes are particularly
interesting and helpful; they include much of the
paperwork involved in applying to the bureau and
internships. This book is a must for career
collections and for libraries with populations that
are particularly interested in law Enforcement, but
it is not for those with only an idle interest in
the FBI.–Morgan Johnson-Doyle, Sierra High School,
Colorado Springs, CO
FBI Book Review -
Amazon.com - This encyclopedic look at the Federal
Bureau of Investigation takes advantage of changes
in the Freedom of information Act to move beyond the
typical glamorized or sensational portrayal of this
government agency to a scholarly, evenhanded account
that places it within a greater historical context.
It may be textbook in nature, but the guide still
makes for entertaining reading, especially its
"Notable Cases" chapter, organized by decade, which
covers John Dillinger, the murder of Medgar Evers,
Watergate, the World Trade Center bombing, and the
Unabomber, among others. Another chapter examines
the role of the G-man in popular culture over the
last century by looking at the portrayal of agents
in comics, movies, TV, and radio.
The writers are a distinguished cast of university
professors who have researched the FBI, written
extensively about it, or gleaned an insider's
knowledge of the organization. Most notable among
these is Susan Rosenfeld, who served as the FBI's
first official historian from 1984 to 1992. Each
chapter, whether covering controversies or
traditions within the bureau, portrays the agency's
relations to the media, the president, Congress, or
other law Enforcement agencies, including previously
unreleased details regarding the FBI's facilities
and organizational structure. The guide also
includes numerous surveillance and arrest photos, as
well as demographics on bureau employees. It's
useful for both those researching the FBI and those
who are simply intrigued by the agency's complex
role in American history. --Jodi Mailander Farrell
FBI Book Review -
Amazon.com - Ronald Kessler, an investigator
reporter who has worked for the Wall Street Journal
and Washington Post, researched deep within the FBI
to produce one of the most thorough looks ever at
the agency. Most of his findings focus on changes in
the bureau since the days of autocratic director J.
Edgar Hoover. He also shows how the FBI solved such
cases as the World Trade Center bombing, covered up
internal problems, and instituted many technological
changes in criminal investigations. Kessler's
research raised questions that played a role in the
eventual removal from office of director William
Sessions; events that reflect Kessler's
investigative knowledge of the FBI.
FBI Book Review -
Amazon.com - Mindhunter enters the minds of some of
the country's most notorious serial killers to tell
the real-life story of the Investigative Support
Unit (ISU) -- the FBI's special force that has
assisted state and local police in cracking some of
the country's most celebrated serial murder and rape
cases. The unit specializes in understanding the
chemistry and mechanical workings of the brain's of
these serial criminals, and did its homework by
interviewing such murderers as Charles Manson and
David Berkowitz (the Son of Sam). John Douglas, who
worked for the FBI for 25 years, is an authority on
the unit, and his book combines the best of
nonfiction with that of a murder mystery. --This
text refers to an out of print or unavailable
edition of this title.
FBI Book
Review - 1000 Years for Revenge is a
groundbreaking investigative work that uncovers
startling evidence of how the FBI missed dozens of
opportunities to stop the attacks of September 11,
dating back to 1989. Award-winning journalist Peter
Lance explains how an elusive al Qaeda mastermind
defeated the entire American security system in what
the author calls "the greatest failure of
intelligence since the Trojan Horse." Threading the
stories of FBI agent Nancy Floyd, FDNY fire marshal
Ronnie Bucca, and bomb-maker Ramzi Yousef, Lance
uncovers the years of behind-the-scenes intrigue
that put these three strangers on a collision
course. An unparalleled work of investigative
reporting and masterful storytelling, 1000 Years
Revenge will change ever the way we look at the
FBI and the war on terror in the twenty-first
century.
FBI Book Review - "An insightful history of the agency from
its inception...reveals unexpected details
surrounding a number of well known
cases."--Providence Journal-Bulletin
FBI Book
Review -
nearly a century, the Federal Bureau of
Investigation has been famous for tracking and
apprehending gangsters, kidnappers, spies, and, much
more recently, international terrorists. The agency
itself has done much to promote its successes,
helping to embellish its legendary aura. Athan
Theoharis, however, contends that a closer look at
the historical record reveals a much less idealized
and much more disturbing vision of the FBI.
Created in 1908 with a staff of three dozen, the FBI
has grown to more than 27,000 agents and support
personnel, while its role has shifted dramatically
from law Enforcement to intelligence operations.
Theoharis, America's leading authority on the FBI,
assesses the consequences of this shift
democratic politics, showing how the agency's
obsession with absolute secrecy has undermined both
civil liberties and agency accountability.
As Theoharis reveals, FBI history has been marked by
operational failures, overrated abilities, and the
frequent use of highly suspect means-wiretaps,
buggings, break-ins-that challenge the
Constitution's guarantee against illegal searches.
The agency has also gathered and disseminated
derogatory (and often untrue) information in an
effort to discredit citizens whose views are seen as
"dangerous." Most disturbing, it has drifted toward
equating political dissent with genuine subversion,
an approach with potentially grave consequences
free and open public discourse.
Theoharis also shows that the FBI's vaunted
spy-catching prowess has been vastly overrated, from
the early days of the "Communist conspiracy" to the
more recent Wen Ho Lee and Robert Hanssen fiascos.
And he criticizes Hoover's longstanding refusal to
admit that organized crime actually existed, perhaps
due to his preoccupation with the sex lives of
public figures like JFK, Martin Luther King, and
Rock Hudson, whose amorous escapades he recorded in
his "Do Not File" files. More recently, the
notorious incidents at Ruby Ridge, Waco, and
Oklahoma City, as well as the 9/11 attacks, have
further eroded public confidence in the FBI and
tarnished its reputation.
Throughout, Theoharis raises serious questions about
the extralegal nature of the FBI's activities and
its troubling implications for the rule of law in
America.
From Publishers Weekly - After 31 years as an FBI
agent and commander, Coulson counts only two of
those years as bad, the ones following his
involvement with the notorious confrontation with
separatist Randy Weaver at Ruby Ridge, Idaho, in
which civilians were killed by federal agents.
Though Coulson was ultimately cleared of charges of
perjury and obstruction, he clearly still feels the
sting of the accusations. Much of this memoir takes
pains to underscore his deep sense of fair play and
respect for human life. Not that this is a
sanctimonious tome designed only to sanitize the
image of a wronged author. With the deft help of
coauthor Shannon, Coulson presents himself over the
course of his entire career both good and bad. As a
motorcycle-riding, hell-raising crime buster who has
more than a streak of the wisecracking braggart in
him. But he is an immensely likable braggart who
tells great stories. There is Coulson chasing cop
killers in the incendiary early 1970s; facing off
with a hostage-taking bisexual who wants money and
airplane transportation for his lover's sex-change
operation (immortalized in the film Dog Day
Afternoon); working with legendary Delta Force
commando Charlie Beckwith to develop the FBI's
counter-terror team. Coulson is at his best when
recounting the investigation of the Oklahoma City
bombing and the subsequent hunt for Tim McVeigh, and
is especially riveting when detailing the tense
negotiations with Weaver. Presenting the right mix
of gossip and crime fighting, this engrossing work
should quickly move off the shelves.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable
edition of this title.
