Nada Prouty

This is a story of a modern day Joe McCarthy type smear campaign/witch hunt.

Nada Prouty grew up in a Druze Lebanese household. Although her Arabic and religious cultures in general have less regard for females than males, Nada’s family was far more misogynistic than even those cultures’ norms. She and her two sisters were verbally and physically abused while her brother, Talid, the only son had the best of everything.

Eventually, though, Nada was able to join her sister in America to attend college. She obtained her citizenship with a short lived paper marriage. When her interest turned to the FBI, she fully disclosed this first marriage.

She went on to have a stellar career, first in the FBI and then the CIA as she helped bring a variety of Middle Eastern terrorism cases to justice.

However, after the attacks on 911, she became the victim of a brother's bad choices and the anti-Arabic witch hunt which gripped the country. She found herself removed from her post in the CIA and investigated as a spy. When no evidence existed against her, insinuating statements were given to the press with hints about 'top secret' matters. She found herself out of job, blackmailed by the agency that she had once loved, her accounts depleted of hundreds of thousands of dollars in lawyers’ fees, and a pariah in her adopted country.

The story was fascinating.I found the attitudes about Arab Americans and the ways the US government and government officials can intimidate citizens very disturbing. Recommended book.… (más)

Nada Prouty is a Hero.
Her brother and father are Assholes.
Kenneth Chadwell is an Asshole.
Kenneth L. Wainstein is an Asshole.
That being said, Uncompromised: The Rise and Fall of an Arab-American Patriot in the CIA by Nada Prouty is an incredible history of a woman able to overcome a very difficult childhood in Lebanon to make herself into an American hero. She has suffered through an immense amount of difficulties, magnified by abuse from an abusive father, to become a solid citizen and a major contributor to the battle against Islamic terrorists. This book will make you mad, and make you appreciate all the fine men and women that work to keep us all safe. Highly recommended reading for anyone interested about terrorists and the people who fight them.… (más)

Uncompromised is a powerful memoir. Nada Prouty, a former FBI and CIA agent, tells the story of how she came to be involved in the War on Terror, and how she was accused of spying for Hezbollah. She starts her story with her childhood in war-torn Lebanon, providing an interesting and important background to both who Nada is as a person and her desire to serve the United States in the fight against terrorism. She then goes on to tell of her immigration to America, and how she became first an FBI agent, and then later a CIA spy; finally, Nada concludes with the devastating story of how she became known as "Jihad Jane," when she was falsely accused of spying for Hezbollah.

The writing is fairly simple, yet works very well for Nada in telling her story. There were some parts where she discussed her former colleagues, especially in discussing her time at the Bureau, where I was a little off-put because she described her unwavering commitment to justice and often compared it to her colleagues' lack of concern about the mission; while it may very well be true, the tone bothered me a bit, in that it made her come across as having a holier-than-thou, "I'm more patriotic than you are" attitude. But for the most part, I very much enjoyed reading Nada Prouty's story, and I think it is definitely an important and timely one to be shared today.… (más)

This was a really interesting book that definitely kept the pages turning. The author was simply trying to serve the country that she'd grown to love, but our government sure did make it difficult for her.

Overall I found the writing to be fine, but it felt like the end was a little rushed. About 3/4 of the book is a build up to the ridiculousness, and then it's just sort of rushed through. I felt like the reasons she was set up should have been gotten into with a little more depth.

I would certainly recommend it to a friend and I'm glad I read it. Also, thanks to the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program for the copy of this book!… (más)