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Chasing bin Laden: My Hunt for the World's Most Notorious Terrorist
A secret truth: On the early morning of August 16, 2006, Osama bin Laden was arrested in Brooklyn by the New York FBI Terrorism Task Force. They were acting on a tip called in by Barbara Janik. Her memoir, Chasing bin Laden, takes readers along with her on an emotional journey through the hidden world of lay investigations, which is charged with high-stakes puzzle solving, Arabic message boards, and anxiety-provoking collaborations with the FBI.
Barbara Janik is a middle-aged masters-level historian from rural Texas. Throughout the manuscript, she cleverly integrates 177 citations that help corroborate this hidden history.
Barbara Janik is a middle-aged masters-level historian from rural Texas. Throughout the manuscript, she cleverly integrates 177 citations that help corroborate this hidden history.
658 pages, Paperback
Published May 23, 2021
26 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Barbara K. Janik
1 book4 followersIn high school, Barbara walked the halls every day, wearing the same black sweater and mumbling to herself. To many she was twitchy and odd, which made her a social reject. But despite these setbacks, she graduated 5th in her class of 300 and earned enough scholarships to cover all her tuition at a private Catholic university.
In the fall of 1987, when Barbara arrived at University of St. Thomas in Houston, she was unaware that she would be attending one of the toughest and most prestigious universities in the nation. And like in high school, she was often considered unusual by her peers. Despite this, she managed to thrive. While at the St. Thomas, she discovered and nurtured her love of language arts by taking multiple writing and literature classes. In 1991, she earned her bachelor’s in liberal arts.
After school, she struggled to find herself. She briefly taught first grade and then high school. But she quickly grew dissatisfied with the low pay and social stressors, and decided to go back to college to study computer science. A few years later, when the IT job market crashed, she dropped out and began working for a small business as a PC repair technician. Here she learned how to fix computers and mastered the art of “Google-fu.”
In 2006, Barbara once again took her life in a new direction. While still working as a tech, she branched off into amateur detective work. She would seek lucrative rewards for hunting down missing persons, criminals, and terrorists. That summer, Barbara no doubt sent shockwaves through the intelligence community when she discovered the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden. She accomplished this using social media, people finders, detective sites, her new “Google-fu” skills, and raw intuition. Her efforts led to bin Laden’s secret arrest on August 16, 2006.
Not long after finding bin Laden, Barbara started graduate school at Sam Houston State University. There, she completed a master’s in history and attained the skills she needed to write the historical portions of Chasing bin Laden. After graduation, she spent several years working as an adjunct professor for Alvin Community College, teaching mostly within prison populations.
Today, Barbara Janik lives in a small home in rural Texas with her partner and black cat. Her adult children are not far away. She spends her days writing, running a small Amazon reselling business, and obsessively Tweeting. In her spare time, she plays Dungeons and Dragons and other nerdy games.
In the fall of 1987, when Barbara arrived at University of St. Thomas in Houston, she was unaware that she would be attending one of the toughest and most prestigious universities in the nation. And like in high school, she was often considered unusual by her peers. Despite this, she managed to thrive. While at the St. Thomas, she discovered and nurtured her love of language arts by taking multiple writing and literature classes. In 1991, she earned her bachelor’s in liberal arts.
After school, she struggled to find herself. She briefly taught first grade and then high school. But she quickly grew dissatisfied with the low pay and social stressors, and decided to go back to college to study computer science. A few years later, when the IT job market crashed, she dropped out and began working for a small business as a PC repair technician. Here she learned how to fix computers and mastered the art of “Google-fu.”
In 2006, Barbara once again took her life in a new direction. While still working as a tech, she branched off into amateur detective work. She would seek lucrative rewards for hunting down missing persons, criminals, and terrorists. That summer, Barbara no doubt sent shockwaves through the intelligence community when she discovered the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden. She accomplished this using social media, people finders, detective sites, her new “Google-fu” skills, and raw intuition. Her efforts led to bin Laden’s secret arrest on August 16, 2006.
Not long after finding bin Laden, Barbara started graduate school at Sam Houston State University. There, she completed a master’s in history and attained the skills she needed to write the historical portions of Chasing bin Laden. After graduation, she spent several years working as an adjunct professor for Alvin Community College, teaching mostly within prison populations.
Today, Barbara Janik lives in a small home in rural Texas with her partner and black cat. Her adult children are not far away. She spends her days writing, running a small Amazon reselling business, and obsessively Tweeting. In her spare time, she plays Dungeons and Dragons and other nerdy games.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 7, 2021
Full disclosure - I was given a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. Very happy to help out a fellow author and to offer insights for other readers.
The TL;DR version is that this is a well-written and sympathetic memoir about someone's quest to capture one of the world's most elusive and notorious terrorists. It's not only about that as you will discover. The book also goes into the authors' personal life and history, and explains how she was drawn into this effort as well as the methods that she used. The clue-following and rabbit hole sections were really interesting. It was also a little retro and recounts some of the early internet fads like Myspace and such. 5/5
Aside from some college writing courses, I don't have much experience reading non-fiction in general or specifically memoirs. I'm a science fiction writer and fan and mostly read in the speculative genre. That was one of the reasons why I wanted to take a break and read something grounded. The premise and description also sounded intriguing. I do enjoy stories with the investigation and puzzles that need to be solved, and by the end, I was a bit enthralled and curious to see how it would all resolve.
I don't want to get too much into the claims of the book which might be controversial or shocking. As we discover in the book there are some actors who hurl insults against the author and make accusations that are unfair and also hurtful. And to be fair, the circumstances surrounding 9/11 and the death of OBL are the subject of criticism and skepticism to this day because of, among other things, the lack of transparency from our own government and intelligence communities.
But honestly, I ended up being much more interested in the author's personal journey and how it affected her family and loved ones. The way that the domestic life is captured feels so vivid and relatable, how many families were really struggling after the great recession, and the author's struggles with anxiety and feelings of isolation.
The last few chapters, without getting into spoilers, absolutely had me feeling tense and anxious, and that's a credit to the detailed way that the author writes about her life.
The end of the book, as well as the book itself, are a testament to the author's adaptability and persistence. I can tell you from experience how hard it is to finish and publish a book, and that's without the added weight of responsibility with being a spouse, a mother, having a full-time job, and dealing with anxiety as well. And non-authors may be shocked that authors don't always have the full support of the people around them, which makes this very rare achievement that much more difficult.
I'm happy to review this book and I hope that the author sees much success in the future. I'd also be interested in reading a book like this that explores the economic impact on working and middle-class families post 9/11 and how this country can recover or learn lessons moving forward, because I feel like a subtle haunting undercurrent in the story is the repeating theme of the death of American dream.
The TL;DR version is that this is a well-written and sympathetic memoir about someone's quest to capture one of the world's most elusive and notorious terrorists. It's not only about that as you will discover. The book also goes into the authors' personal life and history, and explains how she was drawn into this effort as well as the methods that she used. The clue-following and rabbit hole sections were really interesting. It was also a little retro and recounts some of the early internet fads like Myspace and such. 5/5
Aside from some college writing courses, I don't have much experience reading non-fiction in general or specifically memoirs. I'm a science fiction writer and fan and mostly read in the speculative genre. That was one of the reasons why I wanted to take a break and read something grounded. The premise and description also sounded intriguing. I do enjoy stories with the investigation and puzzles that need to be solved, and by the end, I was a bit enthralled and curious to see how it would all resolve.
I don't want to get too much into the claims of the book which might be controversial or shocking. As we discover in the book there are some actors who hurl insults against the author and make accusations that are unfair and also hurtful. And to be fair, the circumstances surrounding 9/11 and the death of OBL are the subject of criticism and skepticism to this day because of, among other things, the lack of transparency from our own government and intelligence communities.
But honestly, I ended up being much more interested in the author's personal journey and how it affected her family and loved ones. The way that the domestic life is captured feels so vivid and relatable, how many families were really struggling after the great recession, and the author's struggles with anxiety and feelings of isolation.
The last few chapters, without getting into spoilers, absolutely had me feeling tense and anxious, and that's a credit to the detailed way that the author writes about her life.
The end of the book, as well as the book itself, are a testament to the author's adaptability and persistence. I can tell you from experience how hard it is to finish and publish a book, and that's without the added weight of responsibility with being a spouse, a mother, having a full-time job, and dealing with anxiety as well. And non-authors may be shocked that authors don't always have the full support of the people around them, which makes this very rare achievement that much more difficult.
I'm happy to review this book and I hope that the author sees much success in the future. I'd also be interested in reading a book like this that explores the economic impact on working and middle-class families post 9/11 and how this country can recover or learn lessons moving forward, because I feel like a subtle haunting undercurrent in the story is the repeating theme of the death of American dream.
June 28, 2021
This is a really gripping story. What really makes it connect with the reader is how personal and open it really is. You really feel for the author and what she went through. It's fascinating how she started out small investigating crimes via social media, and gradually worked their way up. I also like how the Author admits that she simply started out wanting to make money to address their financial needs. There's something very beautiful and honest about that, and hundreds if not thousands of people in the US and the World can connect with and understand. It's a great way to remind and inspire people that they can both help themselves and find a way to help others. Without spoiling too much (Please read the Book), the end of the Author's account is really sad, with one more tragedy affecting her life after everything she went through. But, as the book's existence demonstrates, there was a light at the end of the tunnel and they were able to recover from the tragedies in their life.
All in all, this is a good book and totally worth getting.
All in all, this is a good book and totally worth getting.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 30, 2021
This book is the saga of Barbara Janik, computer whiz and lay investigator, tracking the location of Osama bin Laden in spite of the doubts of friends and family. She crafts a book that interweaves the complexities of her daily life, her real world struggles, her discouragement, and her ventures down blind alleys, but gaining enough successes to take us right to bin Laden's door. This book is a page turner. To read and enjoy it, all you need is your willingness to travel with Barbara.
November 20, 2021
When I first heard the title 'Chasing Bin Laden,' I imagined the character to be some gun-toting adventurists literally on the hunt. I was pleasantly surprised to discover the Chasing Bin Laden required technical know-how, research, perseverance and belief in one's own capabilities - as well as needing money! As well as not actually having to leave your house!! I found this a very interesting memoir of Barbara's chase for this notorious terrorist, and her convictions that her research indeed did lead to the capture of Bin Laden, although this was denied by authorities. She faces many obstacles as any good protagonist would; self-doubt, lack of support, health problems, financial, relational, derision etc etc but she persisted and persisted. I found her attempts to look for both killers initially, then terrorists fascinating and innovative and though - hey - that's an idea!!! The book would have been even better in my opinion had a lot of background detail been avoided, but clearly the writer found these important to her story. Overall a fascinating read that is relevant to the world we live in today, with its war on terror, wars in the middle-east, etc etc - and shows how even ordinary people can make a difference (whether the powers-that-be like it or not!).
November 11, 2022
Full disclosure: I recieved an ebook copy in exchange for a Goodreads review. :)
I thought this was good! Really fascinating. For me, my attention was really grabbed after the first 20%. I really enjoyed all the discussion of doing investigations through MySpace, and the terrorist investigations were especially interesting. Of course, the highlights of the memoir are all the discussions of bin Laden and trying to locate him. Janik writes a fairly convincing and heartfelt memoir. I do think though that all the family anecdotes (especially in the first half) were kind of taking some attention away from the most exciting parts of the memoir though, which were (of course) the investigations and discussions with the FBI; I understand why the anecdotes are there though.
I thought this was good! Really fascinating. For me, my attention was really grabbed after the first 20%. I really enjoyed all the discussion of doing investigations through MySpace, and the terrorist investigations were especially interesting. Of course, the highlights of the memoir are all the discussions of bin Laden and trying to locate him. Janik writes a fairly convincing and heartfelt memoir. I do think though that all the family anecdotes (especially in the first half) were kind of taking some attention away from the most exciting parts of the memoir though, which were (of course) the investigations and discussions with the FBI; I understand why the anecdotes are there though.
June 4, 2023
Full disclosure-- I was given free ebook copy for honest review
I thought it was good read especially after chapter 22.
Chasing Bin Laden by Barbara Janik takes you through her journey of finding Bin Laden at Brooklyn, New York in 2016 and her struggle of convincing her sibling's that, she not delusional, rather a normal person living a normal life has found Bin Laden the most wanted criminal in American histroy.
According to her story/theory she located Bin Laden at Brooklyn through her investigative work on MySpace and informed FBI of his whereabouts. FBI arrested Bin Laden on August 16,2016, But never made the arrest public.rather relocated Bin Laden to Abbottabad, Pakistan on house arrest working for CIA.
To believe or not i would suggest to read and be the judge for yourselfs.
I thought it was good read especially after chapter 22.
Chasing Bin Laden by Barbara Janik takes you through her journey of finding Bin Laden at Brooklyn, New York in 2016 and her struggle of convincing her sibling's that, she not delusional, rather a normal person living a normal life has found Bin Laden the most wanted criminal in American histroy.
According to her story/theory she located Bin Laden at Brooklyn through her investigative work on MySpace and informed FBI of his whereabouts. FBI arrested Bin Laden on August 16,2016, But never made the arrest public.rather relocated Bin Laden to Abbottabad, Pakistan on house arrest working for CIA.
To believe or not i would suggest to read and be the judge for yourselfs.
July 20, 2021
This is an incredible story about a relatively normal woman who finds herself in a very abnormal situation. Barbara takes us on a wild ride that at first blush seems too fantastical to believe, but it’s not. She simply presents her story for our judgement, she allows the reader to see things from her point of view, she doesn’t gloss over things that she might have done differently in retrospect. It’s very raw and honest. I would encourage everyone to put aside any preconceived notions and read it with an open mind. Make your decision once you finish the book and seriously you should finish the book.
July 30, 2021
I felt so sad. Could not let the book unfinished, you will directly since the beginning of the book feel attached to it.
I don't know what I would have done if I was in her situation, This story is very truthful and realistic.
The situations she has been through and all the agencies she had to deal with to find the truth.
Despite all the frustration and everyone was against her, she just went through and seek the truth.
Thank you for recommending this book for me to read.
I don't know what I would have done if I was in her situation, This story is very truthful and realistic.
The situations she has been through and all the agencies she had to deal with to find the truth.
Despite all the frustration and everyone was against her, she just went through and seek the truth.
Thank you for recommending this book for me to read.
September 9, 2021
very interesting read
The author provided a vivid description of her determined pursuit of criminals, particularly Bin Laden. She’s a skillful writer and I had a vivid image of her life with her family, a dogged pursuit of a terrorist, and her determination against apathy and resistance to make her story known.
The author provided a vivid description of her determined pursuit of criminals, particularly Bin Laden. She’s a skillful writer and I had a vivid image of her life with her family, a dogged pursuit of a terrorist, and her determination against apathy and resistance to make her story known.
December 2, 2021
The book was very captivating and the language used made it more interesting. While reading this I felt connected to the author. She does a great job of being raw. I liked that she didn't hold back when talking about her past and what made her want to get in this field. This definitely feels like going in a time machine and experiencing everything right there with her. A page turner! Would recommend
July 13, 2021
Chasing bin Laden
Chasing bin Laden keeps you on the edge of your seat. I couldn't put it down. A woman's journey to find a terrorist... using her computer and her ingenuity. Barbara was able to keep a sense of humor... even while dealing with multiple government agencies. Interesting and entertaining!
Chasing bin Laden keeps you on the edge of your seat. I couldn't put it down. A woman's journey to find a terrorist... using her computer and her ingenuity. Barbara was able to keep a sense of humor... even while dealing with multiple government agencies. Interesting and entertaining!
November 3, 2021
The start of this book is good and captivating. The effort of the author to write this book is appreciative. The chapters could have been reduced and some of the chapters could have been merged as they read repetitive.
March 26, 2022
Once I started didn't want to put it down. Well written easy reading memoir. If you like internet searching if you like mystery if you love believable loving characters you will love this book.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews