A review by abe2
Black Flags: The Rise of ISIS by Joby Warrick

3.0

I think I had a high standard for books in this “genre” after reading The Looming Tower, but I don’t know, this one disappointed. It sources heavily from likely-ghostwritten memoirs by public figures - King Abdullah, Hillary Clinton - and interviews with a former CIA officer who was in the process of writing her own memoir at the time. Any time there was dialogue, I couldn’t help but think, “Come on, nobody talks like that.” It was all straight out of a TV political drama. Not to mention the character descriptions - after one “slender brunette” was followed by a “slender blonde,” I lost hope. The narrative was put together well, he tells the story clearly, but I just did not enjoy the book overall.