First Platoon
A Story of Modern War in the Age of Identity Dominance
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First Platoon
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Narrated by:
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Annie Jacobsen
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By:
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Annie Jacobsen
About this listen
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.
©2021 Annie Jacobsen (P)2021 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
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)
What listeners say about First Platoon
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Dave Duggan
- 24-03-21
Amazing
Best book I’ve read all year. This is a must read as are all of Annie’s books
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Matthew
- 19-06-22
Great book on biometric capture.
Shows that the real enemy is not the biometric capture but humans with agendas.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-03-24
brilliantly researched
The story is gripping, heartbreaking and sobering. My condolences to bereaved and injured. Shame on those who disgrace their memory and efforts to do the "right thing". My thanks to Ms Jacobson for her hard work. diligence and masterful skills in writing and oration.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Andy
- 21-12-22
Another detail packed book
Another detail packed book from this author. Annie presents an interesting look at how modern warfare is fought with identity at is forefront. It’s quite an eye opener when you hear that the surveillance techniques used by the military are now being adopted by law enforcement and the possibility for misuse or incorrect analyses of data. Another chip away at our privacy laws, which seem to be eroded every year under the guise of national security. Read expertly by the author at an easy to listen pace. I recommend all the books from this author if military history and warfare are of interest to you.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Moneenroe
- 27-02-22
A Must Read
Superbly researched. Well done Annie Jacobsen. An exposé of the perfidy of the direction the world is going and its conclusion is obvious. The egregious abuse of data resulting in a pardon for an obvious psychopath is disturbing. Thank you for writing this book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr T Kearney
- 10-05-22
I enjoyed this title. Interesting chapter of GWOT.
I really liked the story. Good history of biometrics and it's use in the GWOT. As usual Jacobsen tells it her way with facts and figures.
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- Gordon B
- 18-01-21
Fantastic book
Another great book by Annie, I have many of her books and this one doesn’t disappoint.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Jamie O'Shaughnessy
- 28-04-24
Fascinating insights
A fascinating telling of the use of biometrics and tracking and where it may lead. A big part of the story is telling about a platoon in Afghanistan and what happened to them. At times it was a little confusing going over the names and different narratives, but still a fascinating story. The reality of the troops on the ground and the big picture of rule of law and top down command is clearly different in many important ways. You feel for the plight of the troops, the locals totally unaware of what is try to be done to them and the many ways tracking and surveillance can fail.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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- Snej
- 15-10-22
Editor missing
I love her other books, but this book should have been shortened considerably. It is deeply frustrating to hear the same names or actions (taking fingerprints, putting it in the system) what is felt 3000times.
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1 person found this helpful