There was only one chair in the room. Fluorescent tubes on the ceiling hummed with blue light. The woman smiled and explained in a soothing voice that there were some “procedures” they had to go through. 
“We’re just going to put you under for a few minutes,” she said. One of the officials told me to turn around..
“Do I have a choice?” I lowered my pants, exposing most of my left butt cheek. The woman came up from behind me, and I felt a sharp prick as she pushed in the needle and rammed the solution into my muscle. When she finished, I sat down. 
“Which agency do you work for? CIA?” asked the other male official. 
“I operate independently,” I said. I started to feel good. Very good. I had the urge to laugh, even though nobody had said anything funny. “I’m a lone wolf. And I make burgers for a living. I’m a burger-making lone wolf.”
I must have blacked out for some of it. When I opened my eyes again, the two men were there, but the woman was gone. I wiped my nose, and my hand came away bloody. I suddenly felt so sick and dizzy I thought I’d had a stroke. “What the fuck?
In Pyongyang in 1994, Robert Egan was given Sodium Pentathol, or “truth serum,” by North Korean agents trying to determine his real identity. What was he doing in the world’s most isolated nation---while the U.S. government recoiled at its human-rights record and its quest for dangerous nukes? Why had he befriended one of North Korea’s top envoys to the United Nations? What was Egan after? Fast-paced and often astounding, Eating with the Enemy is the tale of a restless restaurant owner from a mobbed-up New Jersey town who for thirteen years inserted himself into the high-stakes diplomatic battles between the United States and North Korea. 
Egan dropped out of high school in working-class Fairfield, New Jersey, in the midseventies and might have followed his father’s path as a roofing contractor. But Bobby had bigger plans for himself, and after a few years wasted on drugs and petty crime, his life took an astonishing turn when his interest in the search for Vietnam-era POWs led to an introduction in the early nineties to North Korean officials desperate to improve relations with the United States. So Egan turned his restaurant, Cubby’s, into his own version of Camp David. Between ball games, fishing trips, and heaping plates of pork ribs, he advised deputy ambassador to the United Nations, Han Song Ryol, and other North Koreans during tumultuous years that saw the death of Kim Il-sung and the rise of Kim Jong-il, false starts toward peace during the Clinton administration, the Bush “Axis of Evil” era, and North Korea’s successful test of a nuclear weapon in 2006. All the while, Egan informed for the FBI, vexed the White House with his meddling, chaperoned the communist nation’s athletes on hilarious adventures, and nearly rescued a captured U.S. Navy vessel---all in the interest of promoting peace. 
Egan parses U.S. foreign policy with a mobster’s street smarts, and he challenges the idea that the United States should not have relations with its adversaries. The intense yet unlikely friendship between him and Ambassador Han provides hope for better relations between enemy nations and shows just how far one lone citizen can go when he tries to right the world’s wrongs.

Eating with the Enemy: How I Waged Peace with North Korea from My BBQ Shack in Hackensack

Biographies & Memoirs

Egan, Robert

Pitzer, Kurt

Leaders & Notable People

St.Martin's Press

The Bomb in My Garden: The Secrets of Saddam's Nuclear Mastermind

Praise for The Bomb in My Garden
"This one book will tell you more about Iraq’s quest for weapons of mass destruction than all U.S. intelligence on the subject. It is a fascinating and rare glimpse inside Saddam Hussein’s Iraq–and inside a tyrant’s mind." –Fareed Zakaria author of The Future of Freedom
"The Bomb in My Garden is important and utterly gripping. The old cliché is true–you start reading, and you don’t want to stop. Mahdi Obeidi’s story makes clear how hard Saddam Hussein tried to develop a nuclear weapon, and the reasons he fell short. It is also unforgettable as a picture of how honorable people tried to cope with a despot’s demands. I enthusiastically recommend this book." –James Fallows National Correspondent, The Atlantic Monthly
"Obeidi was the key scientist in Saddam’s centrifuge program, and he was central when they tried to conceal it. He was already thought to be too friendly to the weapons inspectors, and he showed considerable personal courage in coming forward as he did during very unsettled conditions after the war." –David Kay former UN weapons inspector and Head of the Iraqi Survey Group in charge of searching for weapons of mass destruction

Obeidi, Mahdi

Historical

Trade Paper Press

It offers a mix of practical travel information along with details of adventurous activities, which should be fun for everyone no matter what their age or ability. The volume provides information on the history, culture, climate and geography of the area, covering its people and their roots, museums, historic sites and local attractions. The adventures include birdwatching, hiking and cycling. Then there is advice on where to eat and stay, transportation, practical concerns, useful websites, e-mail addresses, tourism offices and detailed regional and town maps, that feature walking and driving tours. This fourth edition explores archaeological sites, preserves and rugged rainforest environments. It includes tips on how to manage the local bus system and advice on safety for women travellers. "By far the best guidebook ever to have been published about the island, and the most complete.--Rosario Ferré, acclaimed Puerto Rican novelist The most complete book that I have seen about my island. These guys have been everywhere. I'm impressed...." --Javier Gomez, musician with Vivanativa, a popular Puerto Rican rock group "This is a strong guide for active, nature-loving travellers but also includes information on Internet cafes, bicycle rentals, and the bus system in San Juan. We especially appreciated the list of unusual accommodations. Our favorite was Casa Cubuy on the south side of El Yunque. We had a lovely and memorable stay at this guest house thanks to a friendly host, interesting guests, and stunning views of the rain forest. Other accommodations we enjoyed included Hotel Belgica in Ponce and Villa Cofresi, an affordable resort in Rincon. The book also includes detailed information on the Museo de Arte de Puerto Rico in San Juan, live music spots, and the Arecibo Observatory. The volume shortchanges the striking Rio Camuy Cave Park and lists Old San Juan attractions in a confusing order, but it has interesting extras, such as the blurb about the curious Boiling Nuclear Superheater in Rincon and an explanation of a local pirate, Roberto Cofresi. The concise road maps helped us navigate smaller highways while the hiking maps for the Guanica Forest Reserve and El Yunque helped us guestimate the time needed for an adequate visit. We were especially glad we didn't miss the Bahia Fosforescente (Phosphorescent Bay). The tabs along the edge of the book (south coast, etc.), made for particularly quick reference." --Amazon.com reviewer A down-to-earth guide. "Information-packed, offering comprehensive and interesting facts about every aspect of the island." --Anton Community Newspapers

Adventure Guide to Puerto Rico, Fourth Edition

Travel

Stevens, Tara

Caribbean

Hunter Pub Inc

San Juan Puerto Rico & Environs (Travel Adventures)

Tara Stevens

Hunter Publishing

Robert Egan could have been a roofing contractor, like his father. Instead, he opened a barbecue restaurant. His interest in the search for Vietnam-era POWs led to an introduction to North Korean officials desperate to improve relations with the United States. So Egan turned his restaurant into Camp David, with pork ribs.  During tumultuous years that saw the death of Kim Il Sung, the rise of Kim Jong Il, the Bush “Axis of Evil,” and North Korea’s successful test of a nuclear weapon, Egan advised North Korea’s deputy ambassador to the United Nations, informed for the FBI, vexed the White House, and nearly rescued a captured U.S. Navy vessel. Based on true events, this fast-paced tale shows how far one citizen can go in working for peace.

HighBridge Audio

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Books by Pitzer, Kurt