Top Ten

Top Ten:
(This list is of ten important things that the reader should know after reading this book.)
1. Mitch Rapp – The character of Mitch Rapp is something that you should know after reading this book. He is the protagonist of the story. He is an American CIA agent. He is more highly trained then special ops and gets the job done every time. Even through his shell of a “tough guy”, he shows emotion from time to time.
2. The Middle East – This story is set in the Middle East, and more specifically, Iran and Iraq. This is important because this region of the world has a general dislike of all things American. This dislike for the U.S., which is more of a hatred in Iran, is the reason behind Irene Kennedy’s kidnapping. After the Israeli attack on the nuclear facility at Isfahan, the Iranians assume it is the U.S. and try to get revenge for what has happened.
3. President Amatullah – He is the president of Iran. He is a very important character because he is the one who decides to have Kennedy kidnapped. He also makes the decision to have an Iranian submarine fire on an Iranian ship and sink it. He does this to create the illusion that the U.S. sunk the ship. Both of these actions escalate the conflict between the U.S. and Iran very nearly starting an all out war.
4. The method of changing location almost every chapter – The author changes the location basically every chapter and it allows him to have something exciting happening all the time. For example, if there is a boring part happening in Iran with minister Ashani, it could switch to a gunfight in Mosul. It gives the opportunity to give information at one location and then switch to something more exciting. It keeps the reader interested.
5. The fact that the book is set in current times – The fact that the book is about current times, is important because it is easier to relate to. If you were to read a book set in the 1900s that was about two enemies similar to Iran and America, you might not understand the differences between the two societies. The fact that we understand our relationship with Iran makes this conflict understandable.
6. Imad Mukhtar – The character of Imad Mukhtar is very important to the story. He is one of the main members of Hezbollah, a Lebanese terrorist group. He is the one who orchestrates the attack on Kennedy’s convoy and the following kidnapping. His capture of Kennedy is one of the main events in this book. The fact that it is Kennedy that Mukhtar kidnaps makes Rapp even more motivated to find and kill Mukhtar.
7. The title of the book – Protect and defend is a meaningful title. Whenever someone enters the government, they make an oath to protect and defend the constitution of the United States. In this book, Rapp mentions how he is doing things that are outlawed in the constitution in order to protect the constitution. Cruel and unusual punishment is illegal, but he tortures prisoners in order to find out where Irene Kennedy was taken. He does this for the country which he also swore to protect, the United States.
8. The bombing of the Isfahan nuclear facility – The bombing of the Isfahan nuclear facility is the catalyst for this entire book. If the Israelis had not bombed the nuclear facility at Isfahan, the plot would have died and this book wouldn’t exist. The Iranians release propaganda against the Americans shortly after the bombing because of their hatred toward America. They also believe that the U.S. did it because it is their tradition to blame all of their problems on the U.S.
9. Minister Ashani – The Iranian minister of intelligence is caught in the crossfire of this whole incident. He realizes that a war with the United States would be one of the biggest mistakes that his country could make at this juncture. He travels to Mosul to meet with Kennedy and travels, under Amatullah’s order’s, with Imad Mukhtar, who kidnaps Kennedy after Ashani’s meeting with her.
10. The quote, “’I was only following orders.’ ‘So am I.’ Rapp pulled the trigger on the 9mm and shot him in he chest” (392). – This quote is at the end of the book. It is between Rapp and one of Imad Mukhtar’s men who was torturing Kennedy. It also applies to the rest of the book. Rapp does many things which some people could consider immoral or cruel, but he is following orders. For example, when he tortures the three prisoners, it is to find Kennedy, which Rapp has been commanded to do at all costs by the President himself.

Post B

This was the final part of my book and it was very exciting. The whole section was interesting. There was also a lot of excitement and action. I was surprised to find out that the supreme leader of Iran knew nothing of the plot to kidnap Irene Kennedy. He was very angry and had many of the men involved killed. He also had the men responsible for the sinking of the Iranian ship in the Persian Gulf. He also gives the order to have Kennedy released. This is almost irrelevant though because Imad Mukhtar, who is in charge of torturing Kennedy, doesn’t listen to the order. He is one of the main members of Hezbollah and thinks they should go to war with the United States. Rapp does not have any knowledge of this command, but under these circumstances, he would probably go and rescue Kennedy regardless. Mitch is a very determined person and he will stop at nothing to get Irene back. He holds an Imam, a Muslim holy man, at gunpoint in order to find Mukhtar and Kennedy. He frees Kennedy and then returns to Washington. Minister Ashani then contacts Rapp and tells him he has some very valuable information and would like to meet. They meet at Langley, where Ashani gives him all the information he needs to hunt down and kill Mukhtar, which is just what Mitch does. He gets help from monarchy in Lebanon and gets his revenge on Mukhtar. This was a satisfying ending to a very good book.

Post A

• Emanate (386) - To come or send forth, as from a source. Devoid (394) - Completely lacking; destitute or empty.
  
• "It was like looking at a photo of a lion as opposed to standing only a few feet away from one of the Creator's most efficient predators" (394). This quote is describing the difference between seeing a photo of Mitch Rapp and seeing him in person.

Post B

The character of Josh Alexander is interesting. He is the president of the United States in this book. He is young but can keep a cool head in tough situations. He is a relatively charismatic speaker. He is very straightforward and honest. He has known Mitch Rapp for most of his political career. He knows how skilled Mitch is at his job. He has had to use Mitch in previous situations and Mitch has come through in every situation. He has also known Irene Kennedy for a long time. This fact makes the fact that she has been kidnapped very important to him. Mitch directly asks the president to, “let him off of his leash” (312). Josh would not let Rapp do whatever necessary, but in this situation with Irene, he knows they need to get her back. He allows Mitch to do whatever necessary to get Irene back. I think that Josh has to make very difficult decisions all the time and he keeps a cool head through and through. I like the character of President Josh Alexander. He is a good man with good intentions. He is also clever. He knows how to handle accusations and threats. In this book, when the Iranian President Amatullah accuses Irene Kennedy of trying to overthrow the Iranian government, he knows how to use the information given to him to counter the remarks. He also manages to calmly say that if Iranian ship gets within 15 miles of any American ship, it will be considered an act of war and the ship will be destroyed. To make such a bold claim with a face void of any anger or fear, takes real guts and determination.

Post A

• Cryptic (314) - Having hidden meaning; mystifying. Adamant (324) - Impervious to pleas, appeals, or reason; stubbornly unyielding.
• An emerging theme of the book is, egos can be dangerous.

Post B

I thought that this particular section was less active than the previous section. It was full of details and things of that nature, but didn’t have much action. It was basically the aftermath of the attack on Irene Kennedy’s convoy. These parts of books are very important though because, even though they are not necessarily exciting, they provide details and information which move the plot forward. In this section, there is a part where an American submarine is tracking an Iranian submarine and loses it. They pick it up again, but right after they pick it up, it fires a torpedo at another Iranian ship. The Americans are puzzled by this and do not know how to react. Another part of this section, takes place at the American military base in Mosul, Iraq. Mitch Rapp, the main character, is interrogating three prisoners. He needs to get information from them before the Iranians get information out of Irene Kennedy. He takes the fact that she was kidnapped very personally, and is putting all his effort into finding out where Irene is. His main obstacle is the fact that the United States government cannot use cruel and unusual punishment to obtain information from prisoners. Rapp believes that in this particular situation, he should be allowed to do whatever is necessary in order to get the information he needs. Rapp has this struggle but so far is winning. The President even talks to him. In the end though, he is allowed to do whatever he needs to find out where Irene is.

Post A

• Din(pg 266) - A jumble of loud, usually discordant sounds. Roust(pg 277) - To rout, especially out of bed.
• "Mr. President, I'm afraid he's out of control." This is a quote describing Mitch Rapp. This is the way that Mitch operates and is the reason he is so good at his job. He is out of control so he takes action and doesn't hesitate.