Annie Jacobsen

Annie Jacobsen writes about things most people would rather not think about but should. A Pulitzer Prize finalist and New York Times bestselling author, Jacobsen’s books investigate the hidden world of government secrecy, national security, and warfare. With titles like Area 51, Operation Paperclip, and The Pentagon’s Brain, Annie Jacobsen has built a reputation for fearlessly pulling back the curtain on secret military projects to the moral dilemmas behind intelligence operations.

Her latest book, Nuclear War, is perhaps her most urgent yet. It is a terrifyingly plausible walk through what happens when the world’s worst-case scenario unfolds in real time. Based on extensive research and interviews with military and government insiders, it paints a stark picture of how nuclear conflict isn’t just possible but could happen in just minutes. The book quickly became an international bestseller as it forces readers to confront a reality many had hoped was relegated to the Cold War.

Annie Jacobsen’s books have been named Best of the Year and Most Anticipated by outlets like The Washington Post, USA Today, and Vanity Fair. She has discussed her work on PBS NewsHour to The Joe Rogan Experience. She also writes and produces television, including episodes for Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan.

Despite the gravity of her subject matter, Jacobsen insists on objectivity. She does not inject politics into her reporting, nor does she traffic in conspiracy theories, she simply follows evidence. As a result, her books challenges her readers to think harder about the choices being made behind closed doors.

Annie Jacobsen studied at Princeton, where she captained the women’s ice hockey team. After failing at fiction writing, a career adviser told her to “Stop making stuff up and write about something true.” So she did and discovered that reality is often more bizarre and chilling than anything she could have ever invented.