• The Skies Belong to Us

  • Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking
  • By: Brendan I. Koerner
  • Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
  • Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
  • 4.1 out of 5 stars (424 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
The Skies Belong to Us  By  cover art

The Skies Belong to Us

By: Brendan I. Koerner
Narrated by: Rob Shapiro
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $15.47

Buy for $15.47

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In an America torn apart by the Vietnam War and the demise of the idealism of the '60s, airplane hijackings were astonishingly routine. Over a five-year period starting in 1968, the desperate and disillusioned seized commercial jets nearly once a week, using guns, bombs, and jars of acid. Some hijackers wished to escape to foreign lands, where they imagined being hailed as heroes; others aimed to swap hostages for sacks of cash.

Their criminal exploits mesmerized the country, never more so than when the young lovers at the heart of Brendan I. Koerner's The Skies Belong to Us pulled off the longest-distance hijacking in American history. A shattered Army veteran and a mischievous party girl, Roger Holder and Cathy Kerkow commandeered Western Airlines Flight 701 as a vague protest against the war. Through a combination of savvy and dumb luck, the couple managed to flee across an ocean with a half-million dollars in ransom, a feat that made them notorious around the globe. Koerner spent four years chronicling this madcap tale, which involves a cast of characters ranging from exiled Black Panthers, to African despots, to French movie stars. He combed through over 4,000 declassified documents and interviewed scores of key figures in the drama - including one of the hijackers, whom Koerner discovered living in total obscurity.

Yet The Skies Belong to Us is more than just an enthralling yarn about a spectacular heist and its bittersweet, decades-long aftermath. It is also a psychological portrait of America at its most turbulent and a testament to the madness that can grip a nation when politics fail.

©2013 Brendan I. Koerner (P)2013 Tantor

What listeners say about The Skies Belong to Us

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    171
  • 4 Stars
    168
  • 3 Stars
    65
  • 2 Stars
    12
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    166
  • 4 Stars
    154
  • 3 Stars
    49
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    5
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    169
  • 4 Stars
    136
  • 3 Stars
    56
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    8

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A very entertaining and engaging audiobook

What about Rob Shapiro’s performance did you like?

He was a very good narrator - perfect for this story.

Any additional comments?

This is a terrific audiobook. The narrator is fantastic and the subject exceeded my expectations. When I came across this audiobook I was a little torn because the title and description suggested that it would lean bit too much towards the story of a single hijacking and the two main characters, as opposed to a look at the dawn of air hijackings. But it was a perfect balance. The first 40%, or so, sets the stage, introducing the characters, but also providing great backdrop about the outbreak of hijackings in the late 60's and early 70's - something I was looking for. But it is told in a way that is interesting - not analytical - but conveying the atmosphere of the time. And then the author (and narrator) gradually tell more and more of the story of the two main characters - drawing you in to their specific tale. This takes up the balance of the audiobook - about 60%. . . and by this point you're primed to go inside the telling of a single hijacking. This is a very entertaining audiobook; it's not a heavy academic study - it's an enjoyable listen, providing the right balance of context, and a "what's going to happen next" tale. Oh, and it's the perfect length for an audiobook.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

This book is amazing.

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

A wildly complex and important story is told with clarity. The characters are real - not just because they're real people, but they FEEL real. I feel like I know Charlie Wilson personally, with all his (many) flaws and triumphs.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I'd have to say Charlie. There's something about him that just awes me.

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

Besides the obvious of being able to listen while I do other things to pass the time, this specific narrator was able to provide clarity to a complex story without doing any silly voices. His narration and pacing are excellent.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I literally clapped at the end, while driving. I cheered. This book is amazing.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Did this really happen?

What did you like best about this story?

This history is so strange and I really find it hard to believe this really happened. I was born after the "golden era of skyjacking" and have slipping memories of traveling before 9-11. Koerner does a wonderful job telling a larger picture in between chapters going deep with the lives of two skyjackers.

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

Of the over 40 books I've listened to in the past 12 months, this is one of the top 3 I've recommended to others.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The "golden age" of skyjacking brought to life!

Brendan Koerner has tapped into a fascinating piece of US history – what he calls the “golden age of hijacking” on US planes. Hundreds of planes were hijacked in America in the late 1960′s and the early 1970′s, and many planes were hijacked on the same day by coincidence. Koerner paints the picture of a time totally opposite of flight today. There was little security at airports, there were no bag checks, and passengers could pay for their flight after they boarded. In our post-9/11 world, envisioning this former era is near impossible.

The story here focuses on Roger Holder and Cathy Kerkow, a pair of skyjackers who committed the longest hijacking in American history. I felt the details of their specific story sometimes dragged here – Koerner spends a lot of time covering their pre- hijacking and post-hijacking lives. I began to lose interest with all the meandering details – other than the fact that they hijacked a plane, I’m not sure if either of these people lived a life remarkable enough to write about.

Where The Skies Belong to Us shines in its portrayal of this Mad-Max-in-the-sky time period. The sheer number of successful skyjackings from the 1960′s and 1970′s are astonishing. The young flight industry’s attempts to deal with security on planes while also rushing to accommodate the demands of each plane hijacking are almost humorous. The naivety here is remarkable – at one point, the head of the FAA discuss the impossibility of searching each passenger pre-flight. I found the variety of skyjackers and their motives to be more interesting than the specific story of Holder and Kerkow. There were a variety of reasons people skyjacked, and a huge spread of types of people involved, and many of the skyjacking plans were simple and poorly executed (yet often successful). As with the best non-fiction today, this story is too bizarre to make up.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A bit uneven, but enjoyable

It seemed at the beginning that the author was torn between telling a single story and the story of the phenomenon of skyjacking in the early 70s. He ultimately chooses the former, sharing some context at times, but it ends up feeling more like filler to the primary story. Very comprehensive and detailed with the primary characters, the author does seem a bit overly obsessed with Cathy's looks, and to lesser degree Roger's intelligence, as if those features were needed to make them more appealing. It's there to the extent that the listener has to wonder how much is being embellished. A more focused account of their story would have made for a better book, but significantly shorter.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Surprisingly good

This book delivered beyond expectations. When we finally ended up with Eldridge Cleaver in Algeria and he turned out to be as human and avaricious as those he fought against (who knew?) I was utterly delighted. As an older baby boomer, I'm ready for more books that peek into those times, without the rose coloured glasses! It's also an enjoyable study of individuals and the times, with connections to our present time as well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Forgot about this time in history

What made the experience of listening to The Skies Belong to Us the most enjoyable?

I was a teenager when the hijacking epidemic occurred and I forgot that it was that prevalent. Back then just like it is to a degree today, the airlines, if they are not forced to do something in the name of safety, will not do it if it will cost them money.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A lvery interesting case

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Skies Belong to Us?

When they finally go through with their plan. It's absolutely insane and doesn't make a whole lot of a sense a Kerkow, who was not the crazy one, had to have realized that, but she went along anyway.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It kept me interested. I'm too young to remember the rash of hijackings that occurred in the 1960's and 70's, so while this isn't necessarily a detailed historical overview, it was very interesting to me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A GREAT RIDE!

As a woman who grew up during the time of plane hijacking, I found this book to be insightful and entertaining. In the years before the advent of the Internet and cable television, we were given very little information about these crimes. I wasn't even aware that there had been so many hijackings until I listened to this book. And I can't begin to tell you how stunned I was to discover that the most successful hijacker in history was a BLACK man! Well, well, well! This book is well-written, well researched, and entertaining. Well worth the cost of the trip!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The History of Hijacking

A well written book that held a personal story about a young 70’s couple (disillusioned Vietnam veteran and his hippie girlfriend) accomplishing the unthinkable, all while the author relates the history of hijacking. I was never bored and never lost interest in the story within a story.
I borrowed the book and bought the audio. The book was read by Rob Shapiro who did an excellent job. I will definitely look for other books written and read by these two men.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!