Area 51

An Uncensored History of America's Top Secret Military Base

By: Annie Jacobsen

Narrated by: Annie Jacobsen

Length: 16 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

This "compellingly hard-hitting" best seller from a Pulitzer Prize finalist gives listeners the complete untold story of the top-secret military base for the first time. (New York Times).

It is the most famous military installation in the world. And it doesn't exist. Located a mere s75 miles outside of Las Vegas in Nevada's desert, the base has never been acknowledged by the US government - but Area 51 has captivated imaginations for decades.

Myths and hypotheses about Area 51 have long abounded, thanks to the intense secrecy enveloping it. Some claim it is home to aliens, underground tunnel systems, and nuclear facilities. Others believe that the lunar landing itself was filmed there. The prevalence of these rumors stems from the fact that no credible insider has ever divulged the truth about his time inside the base. Until now.

Annie Jacobsen had exclusive access to 19 men who served the base proudly and secretly for decades and are now aged 75-92, and unprecedented access to 55 additional military and intelligence personnel, scientists, pilots, and engineers linked to the secret base, 32 of whom lived and worked there for extended periods. In Area 51, Jacobsen shows us what has really gone on in the Nevada desert, from testing nuclear weapons to building super-secret, supersonic jets to pursuing the War on Terror.

This is the first book based on interviews with eye witnesses to Area 51 history, which makes it the seminal work on the subject. Filled with formerly classified information that has never been accurately decoded for the public, Area 51 weaves the mysterious activities of the top-secret base into a gripping narrative, showing that facts are often more fantastic than fiction, especially when the distinction is almost impossible to make.

©2011 Annie Jacobson (P)2011 Hachette

Amazingly Informative

I came in expecting a book about aliens; but found that the factual history of the base was far more fascinating. And what Ms. Jacobsen believes really happened in the events surrounding Roswell are FAR more devious and terrifying than some little green men. Bravo on an exception work. The only reason I gave it 4 stars over 5 was the dryness of the story telling, like I was listening to a college lecture.

Torn

I am really torn on this book, I really enjoyed 85% of it, but the whole conclusion of the “Roswell” incident based on one persons account seems light on details and high on speculation. Not that I think her conclusion is necessarily incorrect but there are so many questions that are unanswered. The majority of the book though is a fascinating look at an unbelievably interesting piece of american real estate. Everything about oxcart and the U2 blew me away with the in Seth reporting and research that went into it

SO GOOD

This was so well-researched and fascinating! This is NOT a book about aliens, but rather an amazing story of the Cold War, espionage, innovation in nuclear and aviation sciences , and the (sometimes horrifying) measures that were taken to gain an edge in the arms race. VERY compelling. I give the reader my highest compliment: I didnt really think about her because I was immersed in the story.

I liked the audio book

The Author has a very good voice. Overall I liked the book a few areas some things felt like they were repeated multiple times and a few times i was left wanting to hear more details but overall I really liked it.

Great Book but tough to follow at points

Great Book but at points as the story moves forward in time it keeps jumping back 5 years and talks for 20 mins before jumping back to where we were. Then it moves 5 years forward before jumping back 5 years again. It gets tough to keep track of everything and gets a bit confusing. But in the end the information and the work by Author was 2nd none. Kuddos for that. Overall I give it a 7.6 out of a 10.

Stunning!!!

I can’t begin to imagine how long it took Annie Jacobson to compile all the research for this book. It’s so well written and researched. It’s definitely one of the most fascinating books I’ve listened to. Highly recommended.

Should be called "US vs Russia"

While this book has some good Intel on Area 51, and is impeccably researched, too much focus is placed on US/Russian relations and the war on terror, as opposed to deep explanations of Area 51 activities, which is why I bought it. I appreciate the author's research and writing, and her performance narrating was solid. If you buy it for Area 51 info, you can probably skip the entire second half.

Great narrator + great content.

The narration was awesome. Her voice is calm but filled with an edge that maintains its energy.

As for the book itself, by the end you may be yearning to help make a change in the world while simultaneously feeling depressed as you consider the possibility of those changes ever happening.

Listening to this book has been enjoyable and leaves me with a slew more unneccessary facts and information that I'll likely be forcing into most of my conversations at work and with friends.

Not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

Very interesting facts.

Would you try another book from Annie Jacobsen and/or Annie Jacobsen?

yes.

Any additional comments?

After listening to this book, I heard on a talk show this week that they sprayed some of those chemicals on innocent citizens in the downtown area of the city I lived in in the 1950s.

Great timeline of ufo's involvement in government

Amazing history of the cause and effect between UFOs and the planets super powers of the middle to the end of the last century.