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  • The Pentagon's Brain

  • An Uncensored History of DARPA, America's Top-Secret Military Research Agency
  • By: Annie Jacobsen
  • Narrated by: Annie Jacobsen
  • Length: 18 hrs and 22 mins
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars (2,918 ratings)

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The Pentagon's Brain

By: Annie Jacobsen
Narrated by: Annie Jacobsen
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Editorial reviews

"Annie Jacobsen...is a great storyteller, making the tantalizing tale of The Pentagon's Brain - from the depths of the Cold War to present day - come alive on every page." (Gerald Posner, author of God's Bankers)

Publisher's summary

Discover the definitive history of DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, in this Pulitzer Prize finalist from the author of the New York Times best seller Area 51.

No one has ever written the history of the Defense Department's most secret, most powerful, and most controversial military science R&D agency. In the first-ever history about the organization, New York Times best-selling author Annie Jacobsen draws on inside sources, exclusive interviews, private documents, and declassified memos to paint a picture of DARPA, or "the Pentagon's brain", from its Cold War inception in 1958 to the present.

This is the audiobook on DARPA - a compelling narrative about this clandestine intersection of science and the American military and the often frightening results.

©2015 Annie Jacobsen (P)2015 Hachette Audio
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

"A fascinating and unsettling portrait of the secretive US government agency.... Jacobsen walks a fine line in telling the story of the agency and its innovations without coming across as a cheerleader or a critic." ( Publishers Weekly starred review)
"Filled with the intrigue and high stakes of a spy novel, Jacobsen's history of DARPA is as much a fascinating testament to human ingenuity as it is a paean to endless industrial warfare." ( Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about The Pentagon's Brain

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Great story, but...

This was a fantastic store, but the author read the audiobook herself and so badly mangled the pronunciation of basic military words and acronyms that at times it made it difficult for me to consider her research credible.

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I Am The Walrus

Wow. Eye opening.

Some of the crazy schemes and even crazier names dreamed up for these schemes was the big takeaway for me.

The fact that we have completely ignored Eisenhower's warning about the MIC and the fact that, in many cases, ill-informed twenty-somethings were shaping nuclear and civil defense policies if beyond insane,

If you want to be left with a warm fuzzy feeling about the direction of the military, this is not your book. AI and military robotics is setting the tone for our new Matrix-like reality. We are headed toward Coppertop Town.

This book could have been titled something along the lines of, How To Blow Billions in Taxpayer Dollars on Crazy, Insane Technology and War.

Narration was OK, but was not the best.

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Great Book

A very in liteing book. Goes hand in hand with area 51 book the author wrote. I grew up in the time frame that this book was written in. I Now understand what was really going on. I grew up in the 1960s and seventies so this explains a lot about what was going on in the military and the government that the public was not aware of. it he is a very good book.

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Very good, makes you think.

I think everyone needs to read this book it's very eye opening to say the least.

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nice

it was a nice book. the first half better than the second. at a times sounded like a shopping list but all the same very illuminating.

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Another amazing story by a great writer

Annie Jacobsen explains the history and possible future of this subject matter in an educational and nonjudgmental way. Like the rest of her books, you will walk away from it as a better-informed person with questions about the future. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is thinking about ordering it. It's a great listen.

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Hydrogen Bombs & Killer Robots….

…. This book provides an in depth look into The Pentagon, DARPA, and the Military Industrial Complex.

In the end, the most worrisome insight is Government Scientists studying how to remove fear from people in the Military as it is tied to the further development/employment of Autonomous Intelligent Killer Robots….what could go wrong…SkyNet anyone!?

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

great book

scary that this was put out in like 2015. can only imagine what DARPA has now

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Superb!

Annie knows how to write and tell a story! Her voice is calming, yet it keeps me enthralled. Love her books!

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A real peek behind the curtain

I am so glad to have found this author. Her in depth,well researched explanations are revelatory on a variety of topics I find interesting.

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