Former CIA, NSA director defends surveillance programs
Michael V. Hayden, the only person to ever head both the NSA and CIA, offers an unprecedented look at America's intelligence wars in his memoir, "Playing to the Edge: American Intelligence in the Age of Terror."
As the Times' review explains, Hayden offers a defense of the surveillance practices used by President George W. Bush's administration:
Mr. Hayden argues convincingly that he and others in the Bush administration were not bent on world domination, and had no interest in listening to your phone calls, unless you were chatting regularly with a known terrorist overseas.
The book made its debut on The New York Times Best Seller list for the week of March 13.
This week a few new releases have shot up to the top of the nonfiction list while some heavy hitters continue to fly off the shelves.
"The Kennedy Brothers: The Rise and Fall of Jack and Bobby," a book by author Richard D. Mahoney which explores the dynamics and history between two of the most celebrated brothers of American politics debuted in the top five on the bestsellers list.
The gut wrenching tale in "A Mother's Reckoning" which offers a powerful account by the mother of one of the Columbine shooters, chronicling her battle with grief and shame ever since that infamous day in April 1999, remains high on the list in its second week.
Click through the nonfiction New York Times Best Sellers list below:
More from AOL.com:
Stores moving to cage-free eggs, but are they really worth it?
Climate change is all too real in Kenya, where drought and famine affect millions
One Facebook trick to prevent embarrassment
