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)

Thank you

For your time and sharing how the mission went down.

Thank you for you service and providing for our country.

Join the Raid

Amazing book. A few obvious edits, but it didn't not take away from the experience.

Life as a special ops soldier

Its a fantastic book and anyone with some sort of military experience Will understand the feelings and decisions along the way.

I wish that the book was longer, the part about Usama is not what its all about.

It all leads there but its the distance and the Story to that moment that stays with me. I felt like I was there, the places and Events was real and the feelings still human despite Being absolute elite soldiers.

I feel priviliged to have had the opportunity to read about the Life of this Soldier and hes teams.

Terrific read

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

One of my favorite books I've listened to. It was so engrossing, I didn't want to put it down.

What about Holter Graham’s performance did you like?

Holter Graham performance was convincing. He sounded like he could have been a SEAL; he was comfortable with all the military acronyms and terminology.

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

Pretty much.

Good book

This was a well written, thought out book. A little too controlled.

This is a fantastic book

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

i loved listening to this book. it is a great story about true american heros and the sacrifices they make to keep us safe. it is a gripping account of the killing of bin laden. i consider it a "must listen to" book!

Great Argument for Obama Re-Election

The author admits to being politically opposite from President Obama, and is far from complementary to the President, and that would be fine except his own story tells of the success of President Obama's approach. He seems to grumble that the current administration applies all internationally recognized anti-torture conventions to interrogations, and the Seals must be less trigger happy, yet the missions primary to the book, were accomplished with no Seal fatalities and few Seal casualties, if any at all. So, no evidence is provided for the benefits of enhanced interrogation. He also states how well the Seals were equipped and how freely they could plan for the success of the two primary missions told of here, both have been under this administrations watch and the most notable missions in the history of the Navy Seals. They were able to be excellent, and successful. This support was in stark contrast to the previous administration by the author's own accounting. So, if effectiveness and outcomes are not the reason for the politics, then it must be ideology, or perhaps a blind spot the size of Texas. That's the only reason it gets marked down a star over all. That said, all love and respect to our Seals, and all veterans. Let's hope they vote in their own best interests, for it will be in the best interest of all.

Great True Account

If you could sum up No Easy Day in three words, what would they be?

This has got to be the definitive account of what really happened in the hunt for USB. I noticed that "Zero Dark Thirty" follows pretty closely.

Intriguing Glimpse into a Historic Event

What made the experience of listening to No Easy Day the most enjoyable?

The quality of the narration made listening to No Easy Day pleasant and relaxing.

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

This was my first opportunity to listen to Holter Graham's narration.

Any additional comments?

The book is excellent - it gives us a good glimpse into life in Special Forces, and the detail and planning that went into the capture of Osama Ben Ladin.

A look into the life of a Navy Seal

While this book is told by one of the special operations team members that carried out the mission to take down Osama Bin Laden, know that the book is about much more than just that single operation.

No Easy Day spends a majority of its time giving you a fascinating glimpse of what daily life is like for a Navy Seal, with the book's climax providing a detailed description of the historic mission.

The author prefaces the book by admitting there are no secrets, or classified information released here. Rather a first hand account, given to the best of his memory.

Holter Graham's performance is adequate, although mellow dramatic at times.