In this rare appearance from a former Central Intelligence Agency operative, Michele Rigby Assad details how she, as a young woman from small town America, went on to work in one of the world’s most misunderstood and dangerous geopolitical climates — the Middle East. Working across a handful of undisclosed locations throughout the Arab world, Rigby Assad shares the difficulties she faced while successfully infiltrating and gathering intelligence from terrorist cells known for their stern anti-Western beliefs.  

Michele Rigby Assad began her career in the government relations department of an international relief and development organization in Washington, DC, in 1995. After obtaining a master’s degree in contemporary Arab studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service she joined the CIA in 2002 to work as an intelligence officer in the Directorate of Operations, the covert arm of the agency. Specializing in counterterrorism and counterintelligence issues, Rigby Assad worked in Iraq and other secret Middle Eastern locations. To date, Rigby Assad has lived in six countries in the Near East region and traveled to more than 45 others.  

Buy Michele Rigby Assad’s book Get off the X