From Publishers Weekly
As founding director of the Institute for Homeland Security, adviser to the Center for Biosecurity at the University of Pittsburgh and author of previous books about terrorist threats, Larsen might be seen as profiting from fear of terrorist attacks. Refreshingly, he blows the whistle on fearmongers, while for the most part maintaining an understated tone. Larsen criticizes government officials at all levels—Republicans, Democrats and those without political party labels—for spending billions of dollars without a logical rationale. He explains why questions such as What can we do to ensure that al Qaeda does not smuggle a nuclear weapon into the United States through one of our ports? are not only uninformed but lead to wasteful spending. Larsen argues persuasively that the priorities should be preventing terrorists from acquiring weapons-grade nuclear material, detecting biological weapon attacks, improving homeland security education and designing information systems that tie together data from a variety of credible sources. The author delivers on his promise for a commonsense guide. (Sept. 7, 2007)
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Accolades
Our Own Worst Enemy is the single best thing that has been written on homeland security and, as Randy Larsen suggests, every American should read it. Straight talking, full of common sense and written in an entertaining style that makes it hard to put down, this book asks the right questions and provides concrete recommendations that government officials, corporate executives and every citizen need to understand and apply.
—Admiral Steve Abbot, USN (Ret), Deputy Homeland Security Advisor to the President 2001-2003

Larsen advocates a seldom used tool to fight terrorism—common sense.
—Bob Schieffer, CBS News

Larsen explains how to ask the right questions—from the Oval Office to the front office to your kitchen table.
—Bruce van Voorst, former Senior Correspondent for National Security, Time Magazine

…Larsen might be seen as profiting from fear of terrorist attacks. Refreshingly, he blows the whistle on fearmongers, while for the most part maintaining an understated tone. Larsen criticizes government officials at all levels—Republicans, Democrats and those without political party labels—for spending billions of dollars without a logical rationale…The author delivers on his promise for a commonsense guide.
—Publishers’ Weekly, July 23

…should be required reading for all who are concerned about national security… For me, it proved to be an all-absorbing page by page tableau, comprised of provocative ideas, eminently rational concepts and well-skewered current ideas and initiatives.
—Donald A. Henderson, M.D., M.P.H., Dean Emeritus, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health