US intelligence agencies - the eponymous American spies - are exceedingly aggressive, pushing and sometimes bursting through the technological, legal and political boundaries of lawful surveillance. Written for a general audience by a surveillance law expert, this book educates readers about how the reality of modern surveillance differs from popular understanding. Weaving the history of American surveillance - from J. Edgar Hoover through the tragedy of September 11th to the fusion centers and mosque infiltrators of today - the book shows that mass surveillance and democracy are fundamentally incompatible. Granick shows how surveillance law has fallen behind while surveillance technology has given American spies vast new powers. She skillfully guides the reader through proposals for reining in massive surveillance with the ultimate goal of surveillance reform.

Winner, 2016 Roy C. Palmer Civil Liberties Prize, Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology

'… what makes American Spies of value is Granick’s perspective as a lawyer. What may be most interesting for the layperson is her uncovering of fraud in surveillance law. Legal terms have been perverted to the purpose of allowing those who run the spy agencies to deny they are spying. American Spies is well organized, to the point …'

Robert Schaefer Source: New York Journal of Books

'Any book addressing modern surveillance faces … hurdles, yet Jennifer Stisa Granick, Director of Civil Liberties at Stanford Law School’s Center for Internet and Society, manages to provide an expansive, nuanced, and engaging assessment of the complex surveillance state under which people in America live. American Spies is accessible to a wide audience, acting as an introduction to modern surveillance or a review for experienced lawyers. Indeed, the layperson who does not have extensive knowledge regarding surveillance law can engage in a worthwhile manner, as long as one managers the necessarily expansive use of acronyms in the text.'

Alexandra Funk Source: The Champion