No Easy Day

The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden

By: Mark Owen, Kevin Maurer

Narrated by: Holter Graham

Length: 6 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

For the first time anywhere, the first-person account of the planning and execution of the Bin Laden raid from a Navy Seal who confronted the terrorist mastermind and witnessed his final moments....

From the streets of Iraq to the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips in the Indian Ocean, and from the mountaintops of Afghanistan to the third floor of Osama Bin Laden's compound, operator Mark Owen of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group - commonly known as SEAL Team Six - has been a part of some of the most memorable special operations in history, as well as countless missions that never made headlines.

No Easy Day puts listeners alongside Owen and the other handpicked members of the 24-man team as they train for the biggest mission of their lives. The blow-by-blow narrative of the assault, beginning with the helicopter crash that could have ended Owen's life straight through to the radio call confirming Bin Laden's death, is an essential piece of modern history. In No Easy Day, Owen also takes listeners onto the field of battle in America's ongoing War on Terror and details the selection and training process for one of the most elite units in the military.

Owen's story draws on his youth in Alaska and describes the SEALs' quest to challenge themselves at the highest levels of physical and mental endurance. With boots-on-the-ground detail, Owen describes numerous previously unreported missions that illustrate the life and work of a SEAL and the evolution of the team after the events of September 11.

In telling the true story of the SEALs whose talents, skills, experiences, and exceptional sacrifices led to one of the greatest victories in the War on Terror, Mark Owen honors the men who risk everything for our country, and he leaves listenres with a deep understanding of the warriors who keep America safe.

©2012 Mark Owen and Kevin Maurer (P)2012 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"This harrowing, minute-by-minute account by one of the highly trained members of Navy SEAL Team Six is narrative nonfiction at its most gripping.... No Easy Deal puts you right there for every tense moment." (Entertainment Weekly)

"Gripping.... There is no better illustration in No Easy Day that SEALs are ruthless pragmatists. They think fast. They adapt to whatever faces them. They do what they have to do." (The New York Times)

"[Mark Owen] has given us a brave retelling of one of the most important events in U.S. military history." (People)

It's understandable why the author wrote this book

The author should be proud of his accomplishments in protecting our freedom! He should be applauded......

Good story, wrong narrator.

I think that the story was interesting. I've listened to a few audiobooks about seal team 6 and the mission for Osama bin laden, and I liked his perspective and experiences on the whole thing. The author dives deep into his origins and what led him down this career path.

My only criticism is towards the narrator. No offence to him, but I didn't feel like he fit the part. He sounded sad and depressed to me. It just didn't seem like a fitting voice for the story of a tough battle hardened navy seal.

Amazing

An awesome story and very inspiring story from a person everyone should thank! Amazing truly!

Very engaging.

I found this an interesting insight into the modern military, in the context of this key mission and what led up to it, from a key player. A bit too jingoistic but that's to be expected.

A good read

A great book. I did struggle after the Osama Bin Ladden part because the author started getting an attitude. That could have easily been successfully left out. The story was captivating till that happened. That last part left me with a bad taste.

Entertaining

Nice reading / listening

Nicely read, lots of details and still accessible for most readers
Feeling of listening to something strong / historic

awesome book

loved the book you should read no hero by mark owen really good book .

Better than I excepted

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

story and performance were great

What does Holter Graham bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

More a sense of the character

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not a criteria of mine, but if I had the time, yes.

Excellent

Very well written account. The narrator did Justice too. Have a new found respect for the people on the frontlines.

very detailed and informative

the author did a great job bringing you into the story and going over the preparation, execution and completion of a very historical moment in American history. I was also impressed by the reader.