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First Platoon
- A Story of Modern War in the Age of Identity Dominance
- Narrated by: Annie Jacobsen
- Length: 11 hrs and 59 mins
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another great listen from Annie Jacobson
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Nuclear War
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Every generation, a journalist has looked deep into the heart of the nuclear military establishment: the technologies, the safeguards, the plans, and the risks. These investigations are vital to how we understand the world we really live in—where one nuclear missile will beget one in return, and where the choreography of the world’s end requires massive decisions made on seconds’ notice with information that is only as good as the intelligence we have.
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Very realistic and terrifying.
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best audio book I've ever listened too!
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phenomenal writing
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unconscious vs conscious bias
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Publisher's Summary
A powerful story of war in our time, of love of country, the experience of tragedy, and a platoon at the center of it all.
This is a story that starts off close and goes very big. The initial part of the story might sound familiar at first: it is about a platoon of mostly 19-year-old boys sent to Afghanistan, and an experience that ends abruptly in catastrophe. Their part of the story folds into the next: inexorably linked to those soldiers and never comprehensively reported before is the US Department of Defense’s quest to build the world’s most powerful biometrics database, with the ability to identify, monitor, catalog, and police people all over the world.
First Platoon is an American saga that illuminates a transformation of society made possible by this new technology. Part war story, part legal drama, it is about identity in the age of identification. About humanity - physical bravery, trauma, PTSD, a yearning to do right and good - in the age of biometrics, which reduce people to iris scans, fingerprint scans, voice patterning, detection by odor, gait, and more. And about the power of point of view in a burgeoning surveillance state.
Based on hundreds of formerly classified documents, FOIA requests, and exclusive interviews, First Platoon is an investigative exposé by a master chronicler of government secrets. First Platoon reveals a post-9/11 Pentagon whose identification machines have grown more capable than the humans who must make sense of them. A Pentagon so powerful it can cover up its own internal mistakes in pursuit of endless wars. And a people at its mercy, in its last moments before a fundamental change so complete it might be impossible to take back.
What the critics say
One of Houston Chronicle's "10 Books That Brought a Little Magic to Their Genres" in 2021
One of Science for the People's "Best Science Books of the Year"
On The Octavian's 2021 Book List
“Jacobsen brings empathy, compassion, compelling writing and some truly dogged reporting.” (The Washington Post)
“Jacobsen follows the lives of Americans told to gather that data in Afghanistan - and she questions what the U.S. government means to do with it all.” (NPR)
“A deeply researched book about modern warfare. A startling prompt to stop worrying about fabricated conspiracy theories and to consider for a moment actual threats to privacy.” (Houston Chronicle)
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What listeners say about First Platoon
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Kimberley
- 2021-02-09
Stick with it, it's a wild ride
This one is a slow starter, but worth every second. Critical info, captivating ending.
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- TyCB
- 2021-04-01
another great listen by Annie
great listen. very interesting and very current. scary stuff to think about after the book ends. a good mix of many different surveillance and military tools and war stories
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- Christa
- 2021-04-16
Very interesting.
Where it started was not where I thought it would end. I love the deep dive into biometrics and their use overseas and domestically. Also the plot twist regarding the trial.
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