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)

Nice book .. Recommend

It start a bit slow at the beginning then It get more exciting... Great details and the performance tremendously real

Hard to put down

I enjoy reading history and lost a friend in the WTC. So I was eager to read about the hunt for Bin Laden and the end of this chapter in American history from someone who was there. The book did not disapooint. I found myself racing through it as if I didn't know how the mission ended


I applaud the authors for their writing talent. I am sure the Pentagon is not happy with the details provided here because the military is highly cautious about disclosing anything that could divulge a training or mission specific technique. And they do have to worry about many books being written not just this one.

Still there didn't seem any big secrets divulged. And the facts I thought interesting weren't likely big secrets. SEALS often take Ambien the night before a mission. SEALS take and wear the gear they think most useful and let their hair grow longer than regulation. SEALS are issued Gerber tools. SEALS trying to make Team 6 have to do an unspecified number of pushups, pullups and sit ups in under a minute then do a timed swim in open water.

And as a book its very entertaining..

UBL!

Would you consider the audio edition of No Easy Day to be better than the print version?

Yes. For me, this is true for almost all books!

Who was your favorite character and why?

The protagonist

What about Holter Graham’s performance did you like?

Very Good

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

For most part yes apart from the parts where it veers off into older conflicts

Any additional comments?

Good book overall but would've been more interesting if there the character Jen had more book time.

Compelling

I really did not expect to like this book as much as I did. I was lead on his life long journey and discovered how infallible and dauntless to the core he was. How commanding his superiors were. All the way to the end when they "thought" were going to crash in the helicopter.
I appreciated the insight to the strong influence, the "life lessons" he took from his family and in particular, his father.

In the end, his humbleness and approach-ability surprised me.

Fantastic firsthand account of a historic mission

"No Easy Day" is a no-BS account of the mission that brought one of the world's most reviled terrorists to justice. Engagingly narrated by Holter Graham, the book is short, to-the-point and hasn't a shred of self-aggrandizement.

From Owen's training to make it to DEVGRU (formerly known as SEAL Team 6), early missions as a member of that elite SEAL force, to the climax of Operation Neptune Spear, this is a remarkable firsthand account. At times I had to remember that I was listening to a true story that was as factual as possible from a real SEAL who was there. Some of the events are hard to believe, and make a larger impact because of that fact.

The story is told matter-of-factly with no chest-beating. These were simply men who had a mission to complete and did so as professionally as possible. An engaging read, do yourself a favour and see how the top soldiers do their job: listen to this book.

The USA's Finest Offing the WORLD'S SCUM

Where does No Easy Day rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

TEN STARS VERSUS FIVE

What did you like best about this story?

The authenticity, the bravery, the no-holding back in erasing a depraved animal.

Gripping retelling of the killing of Bin Laden

Where does No Easy Day rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

No Easy Day isn't exactly a Michael Bay epic piece, but the story is familiar and important (from an American perspective) and fleshes out the details of the men who carried out the raid that killed Bin Laden.

What was one of the most memorable moments of No Easy Day?

The opening salvo of the book captures the energy and spirit of the book — and the thorough details of raid on the the Bin Laden compound and the work leading up to it captivates.

What about Holter Graham’s performance did you like?

Really easy to listen to; no big words — but the author's voice is clear, steady, and consistent.

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

No.

Great story, no national secrets compromised.

I don't know what all the fuss is about, other than the fact that the story from a guy who was THERE contradicts the "official" political spin.

This is a direct accounting of what happened, without any national secrets divulged. The author's motives for writing this down are simple. He didn't like the way that politics started to spin inaccurate stories about what happened in the raid. I am glad he wrote this story.

If you like action and adventure, you will enjoy this book.

Enjoyed it!

What did you love best about No Easy Day?

A very good read. I enjoyed the book and found it went by very fast because it pulls you into the story. To all the US Armed Forces, thank you for your service and dedication to your country.

A Decent Read

Would you listen to No Easy Day again? Why?

Yes, I would listen to this book again.

What was one of the most memorable moments of No Easy Day?

The killing of Osama Bin Laden.

Have you listened to any of Holter Graham’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No, I have not.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Nothing stood out.