-
Black Hearts
- One Platoon's Descent into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death
- Narrated by: Corey Snow
- Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $17.40
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Publisher's summary
This is the story of a small group of soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division's fabled 502nd Infantry Regiment - a unit known as the Black Heart Brigade. Deployed in late 2005 to Iraq's so-called Triangle of Death, a veritable meat grinder just south of Baghdad, the Black Hearts found themselves in arguably the country's most dangerous location at its most dangerous time. Hit by near-daily mortars, gunfire, and roadside bomb attacks, suffering from a particularly heavy death toll, and enduring a chronic breakdown in leadership, members of one Black Heart platoon - 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion - descended, over their year-long tour of duty, into a tailspin of poor discipline, substance abuse, and brutality.
Four 1st Platoon soldiers would perpetrate one of the most heinous war crimes U.S. forces have committed during the Iraq War - the rape of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl and the cold-blooded execution of her and her family. Three other 1st Platoon soldiers would be overrun at a remote outpost - one killed immediately and two taken from the scene, their mutilated corpses found days later booby-trapped with explosives.
Black Hearts is an unflinching account of the epic, tragic deployment of 1st Platoon. Drawing on hundreds of hours of in-depth interviews with Black Heart soldiers and first-hand reporting from the Triangle of Death, Black Hearts is a timeless story about men in combat and the fragility of character in the savage crucible of warfare. But it is also a timely warning of new dangers emerging in the way American soldiers are led on the battlefields of the 21st century.
Critic reviews
More from the same
Narrator
People who viewed this also viewed...
-
The Last Stand of Fox Company
- A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat
- By: Bob Drury, Tom Clavin
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Last Stand of Fox Company is a fast-paced and gripping account of heroism and self-sacrifice in the face of impossible odds. The authors have conducted dozens of firsthand interviews with the battle's survivors, and they narrate the story with the immediacy of such classic accounts of single battles as Guadalcanal Diary, Pork Chop Hill, and Black Hawk Down.
-
-
Outstanding story, poor narration
- By Stephen on 03-05-09
By: Bob Drury, and others
-
We Were One
- Shoulder-to-Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah
- By: Patrick K. O'Donnell
- Narrated by: Richard Powers
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five months after being deployed to Iraq, Lima Company's 1st Platoon became one of the first American forces to enter Fallujah, where they encountered some of the most intense hand-to-hand combat since World War II. Civilians were used as human shields or as bait to lure soldiers into buildings rigged with explosives; suicide bombers approached from every corner hoping to die and take Americans with them; radical insurgents, high on adrenaline, fought to the death.
-
-
An important story
- By Placeholder on 06-29-07
-
Call Sign Chaos
- Learning to Lead
- By: Jim Mattis, Bing West
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Call Sign Chaos is the account of Jim Mattis’ storied career, from wide-ranging leadership roles in three wars to ultimately commanding a quarter of a million troops across the Middle East. Along the way, Mattis recounts his foundational experiences as a leader, extracting the lessons he has learned about the nature of warfighting and peacemaking, the importance of allies, and the strategic dilemmas - and short-sighted thinking - now facing our nation.
-
-
A pleasant surprise
- By Fountain of Chris on 09-06-19
By: Jim Mattis, and others
-
Platoon Leader
- A Memoir of Command in Combat
- By: James R. McDonough
- Narrated by: Joel Rooks
- Length: 1 hr and 55 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A remarkable memoir of small-unit leadership and the coming of age of a young soldier in combat in Vietnam.
-
-
abridged? it was mutilated!
- By J. Padilla on 02-09-16
-
Humility Is the New Smart
- Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age
- By: Edward D. Hess, Katherine Ludwig
- Narrated by: Anna Crowe
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In nearly every industry, smart machines are replacing human labor. It's not just factory jobs - automated technologies are handling people's investments, diagnosing illnesses, and analyzing written documents. If we humans are going to endure, Edward Hess and Katherine Ludwig say we're going to need a dose of humility. We need to be humble enough to let go of the idea that "smart" means knowing the most, using that information quickest, and making the fewest mistakes. Smart machines will always be better than we are at those things.
-
-
Our New, Healthier Work
- By Sandra Mendez on 07-14-21
By: Edward D. Hess, and others
-
You Are Worth It
- Building a Life Worth Fighting For
- By: Kyle Carpenter, Don Yaeger
- Narrated by: Kyle Carpenter
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You Are Worth It is a memoir about the War in Afghanistan and Kyle’s heroics, yes, but it also is a manual for living. Organized around the credos that have guided Kyle’s life (from “Don’t Hide Your Scars” to “Call Your Mom”), the book encourages us to become our best selves in the time we've been given on earth.
-
-
Beautiful and emotionally draining
- By Shane on 10-25-19
By: Kyle Carpenter, and others
-
The Last Stand of Fox Company
- A True Story of U.S. Marines in Combat
- By: Bob Drury, Tom Clavin
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Last Stand of Fox Company is a fast-paced and gripping account of heroism and self-sacrifice in the face of impossible odds. The authors have conducted dozens of firsthand interviews with the battle's survivors, and they narrate the story with the immediacy of such classic accounts of single battles as Guadalcanal Diary, Pork Chop Hill, and Black Hawk Down.
-
-
Outstanding story, poor narration
- By Stephen on 03-05-09
By: Bob Drury, and others
-
We Were One
- Shoulder-to-Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah
- By: Patrick K. O'Donnell
- Narrated by: Richard Powers
- Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Five months after being deployed to Iraq, Lima Company's 1st Platoon became one of the first American forces to enter Fallujah, where they encountered some of the most intense hand-to-hand combat since World War II. Civilians were used as human shields or as bait to lure soldiers into buildings rigged with explosives; suicide bombers approached from every corner hoping to die and take Americans with them; radical insurgents, high on adrenaline, fought to the death.
-
-
An important story
- By Placeholder on 06-29-07
-
Call Sign Chaos
- Learning to Lead
- By: Jim Mattis, Bing West
- Narrated by: Danny Campbell
- Length: 12 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Call Sign Chaos is the account of Jim Mattis’ storied career, from wide-ranging leadership roles in three wars to ultimately commanding a quarter of a million troops across the Middle East. Along the way, Mattis recounts his foundational experiences as a leader, extracting the lessons he has learned about the nature of warfighting and peacemaking, the importance of allies, and the strategic dilemmas - and short-sighted thinking - now facing our nation.
-
-
A pleasant surprise
- By Fountain of Chris on 09-06-19
By: Jim Mattis, and others
-
Platoon Leader
- A Memoir of Command in Combat
- By: James R. McDonough
- Narrated by: Joel Rooks
- Length: 1 hr and 55 mins
- Abridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A remarkable memoir of small-unit leadership and the coming of age of a young soldier in combat in Vietnam.
-
-
abridged? it was mutilated!
- By J. Padilla on 02-09-16
-
Humility Is the New Smart
- Rethinking Human Excellence in the Smart Machine Age
- By: Edward D. Hess, Katherine Ludwig
- Narrated by: Anna Crowe
- Length: 5 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In nearly every industry, smart machines are replacing human labor. It's not just factory jobs - automated technologies are handling people's investments, diagnosing illnesses, and analyzing written documents. If we humans are going to endure, Edward Hess and Katherine Ludwig say we're going to need a dose of humility. We need to be humble enough to let go of the idea that "smart" means knowing the most, using that information quickest, and making the fewest mistakes. Smart machines will always be better than we are at those things.
-
-
Our New, Healthier Work
- By Sandra Mendez on 07-14-21
By: Edward D. Hess, and others
-
You Are Worth It
- Building a Life Worth Fighting For
- By: Kyle Carpenter, Don Yaeger
- Narrated by: Kyle Carpenter
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
You Are Worth It is a memoir about the War in Afghanistan and Kyle’s heroics, yes, but it also is a manual for living. Organized around the credos that have guided Kyle’s life (from “Don’t Hide Your Scars” to “Call Your Mom”), the book encourages us to become our best selves in the time we've been given on earth.
-
-
Beautiful and emotionally draining
- By Shane on 10-25-19
By: Kyle Carpenter, and others
-
Echo in Ramadi
- The Firsthand Story of U.S. Marines in Iraq's Deadliest City
- By: Scott A. Huesing
- Narrated by: David Marantz
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the winter of 2006 through the spring of 2007, 250 marines from Echo Company, Second Battalion, Fourth Marine Regiment, fought daily in the dangerous, dense city streets of Ramadi, Iraq, during the Multi-National Forces Surge ordered by President George W. Bush. The marines' mission: to kill or capture anti-Iraqi forces. Their experience: like being in hell. Now Major Scott A. Huesing, the commander who led Echo Company through Ramadi, takes listeners back to the streets of Ramadi in a visceral, gripping portrayal of modern urban combat.
-
-
Combat is Combat
- By Calvin Guthrie on 05-21-18
By: Scott A. Huesing
-
Marine Sniper
- 93 Confirmed Kills
- By: Charles Henderson
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 10 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
There have been many Marines. There have been many marksmen. But there has been only one Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, a legend of Marine lore. He stalked the Viet Cong behind enemy lines. His record has never been matched: 93 confirmed kills. This is his story. Powerful, chilling, and all true.
-
-
history at its best
- By sheridan on 03-27-08
-
This Kind of War
- The Classic Korean War History
- By: T. R. Fehrenbach
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 24 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
This Kind of War is a monumental study of the conflict that began in June 1950. Successive generations of U.S. military officers have considered this book an indispensable part of their education. T. R. Fehrenbach's narrative brings to life the harrowing and bloody battles that were fought up and down the Korean Peninsula.
-
-
Great narrative, frustrating redundancy
- By Ted on 08-16-10
By: T. R. Fehrenbach
-
The Kill Chain
- Defending America in the Future of High-Tech Warfare
- By: Christian Brose
- Narrated by: Christian Brose
- Length: 9 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When we think about the future of war, the military and Washington and most everyone gets it backwards. We think in terms of buying single military systems, such as fighter jets or aircraft carriers. And when we think about modernizing those systems, we think about buying better versions of the same things. But what really matters is not the single system but "the battle network"—the collection of sensors and shooters that enables a military to find an enemy system, target it, and attack it.
-
-
important message but repetitive
- By Tomas Singliar on 06-06-20
By: Christian Brose
-
The White Donkey: Terminal Lance
- By: Maximilian Uriarte
- Narrated by: Adam McArthur, Kiff Vandenheuvel, Nick Jones, and others
- Length: 2 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A powerful, compulsively thrilling, vivid, and moving tribute to the experience of war and PTSD, The White Donkey tells the story of Abe, a young marine recruit who experiences the ugly, pedestrian, and often meaningless side of military service in rural Iraq. He enlists in the hope of finding that missing something in his life but comes to find out that it's not quite what he expected. Abe gets more than he bargained for when his journey takes him to the Middle East, in war-torn Iraq.
-
-
Hits home
- By Jeremiah on 07-08-16
-
Matterhorn
- A Novel of the Vietnam War
- By: Karl Marlantes
- Narrated by: Bronson Pinchot
- Length: 21 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Why we think it’s a great listen: A performance so poignant, we gave Bronson Pinchot (yes, Balki from Perfect Strangers) our inaugural Narrator of the Year award.... In the monsoon season of 1968-69 at a fire support base called Matterhorn, located in the remote mountains of Vietnam, a young and ambitious Marine lieutenant wants to command a company to further his civilian political ambitions. But two people stand in his way.
-
-
A First For Me . . . And The Last
- By Glen on 05-24-10
By: Karl Marlantes
-
LikeWar
- The Weaponization of Social Media
- By: P. W. Singer, Emerson T. Brooking
- Narrated by: George Guidall
- Length: 11 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Two defense experts explore the collision of war, politics, and social media, where the most important battles are now only a click away. Through the weaponization of social media, the Internet is changing war and politics, just as war and politics are changing the Internet. Terrorists livestream their attacks, “Twitter wars” produce real world casualties, and viral misinformation alters not just the result of battles, but the very fate of nations. The result is that war, tech, and politics have blurred into a new kind of battlespace that plays out on our smartphones.
-
-
Good Information Ruined by Whining Political Bias
- By Scott on 12-28-18
By: P. W. Singer, and others
-
Outlaw Platoon
- Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan
- By: Sean Parnell, John Bruning
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
At 24 years of age, U.S. Army Ranger Sean Parnell was named commander of a forty-man elite infantry platoon - a unit that came to be known as the Outlaws - and was tasked with rooting out Pakistan-based insurgents from a mountain valley along Afghanistan's eastern frontier. Parnell and his men assumed they would be facing a ragtag bunch of civilians, but in May 2006 what started out as a routine patrol through the lower mountains of the Hindu Kush became a brutal ambush.
-
-
Great book...Everyone should listen to this book!!
- By Chris on 04-09-12
By: Sean Parnell, and others
-
Monsoon
- The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power
- By: Robert D. Kaplan
- Narrated by: John Pruden
- Length: 13 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
On the world maps common in America, the Western Hemisphere lies front and center, while the Indian Ocean region all but disappears. This convention reveals the geopolitical focus of the now-departed 20th century, but in the 21st century, that focus will fundamentally change. In this pivotal examination of the countries known as “Monsoon Asia”—which include India, Pakistan, China, Indonesia, Burma, Oman, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Tanzania—best-selling author Robert D. Kaplan explains how crucial this dynamic area has become to American power.
-
-
A map is worth a thousand words ...
- By Loren on 06-03-12
By: Robert D. Kaplan
-
Into the Fire
- A Firsthand Account of the Most Extraordinary Battle in the Afghan War
- By: Dakota Meyer, Bing West
- Narrated by: Zach McLarty
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the fall of 2009, Taliban insurgents ambushed a patrol of Afghan soldiers and Marine advisors in a mountain village called Ganjigal. Firing from entrenched positions, the enemy was positioned to wipe out 100 men who were pinned down and were repeatedly refused artillery support. Ordered to remain behind with the vehicles, 21 year-old Marine corporal Dakota Meyer disobeyed orders and attacked to rescue his comrades.
-
-
Exceptional Memoir
- By Jean on 06-26-16
By: Dakota Meyer, and others
-
House to House
- An Epic Memoir of War
- By: Staff Sergeant David Bellavia, John Bruning
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In one of the most compelling combat narratives ever written, Staff Sergeant David Bellavia, an Army infantry platoon leader in Iraq, gives a teeth-rattling, first-hand account of 11 straight days of heavy house-to-house fighting during the climactic second battle of Fallujah. His actions in the firefight, which included killing five insurgents in hand-to-hand combat, earned Bellavia the Bronze Star, the Silver Star, and New York state's highest military honor, the Conspicuous Service Cross.
-
-
As raw as it gets
- By Robert on 09-24-07
By: Staff Sergeant David Bellavia, and others
-
The Leader's Bookshelf
- By: R. Manning Ancell, ADM. James Stavridis USN - Ret.
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 8 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For the last several years Adm. James Stavridis and his co-author, R. Manning Ancell, have surveyed over 200 active and retired four-star military officers about their reading habits and favorite books, asking each for a list of titles that strongly influenced their leadership skills and provided them with special insights that helped propel them to success in spite of the many demanding challenges they faced. The Leader's Bookshelf synthesizes their responses to identify the top 50 books that can help virtually anyone become a better leader.
-
-
Mostly about warfighting
- By Joe Dokes on 04-06-19
By: R. Manning Ancell, and others
What listeners say about Black Hearts
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Greg
- 07-01-20
This is my current unit
1-502IN this is great information 2BCT 101st (aaslt) Strike, first strike, Air Assault. I was in a similar situation 3-21IN 1-25SBCT 2011-2012
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Cathy Pike
- 04-11-15
Read for PME
I was suspecting a history but I found it was not just a lineage of the unit but history, story by story and constant updates on what was going on around them. The book was well written.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Josh
- 05-28-19
great application of battlefield leadership
Great application of battlefield leadership for the business world and life in general. The combat stories really drive the lessons home.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- S. Locklear
- 03-16-19
Very good view of social concepts and theories of.
Very good view of social concepts and theories of. Highly recommended. Looking forward to a follow up on bravo.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Stephanie
- 07-06-16
Depressing but good
This book isn't one you can read in one day. It's well written (minus too many direct quotes with wording such as "I was like" and "he was like", which got old rather quickly,) well researched, and well read. The topic is very heavy but it's very important. Fantastic read.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Troy Jason
- 04-21-15
Accurate portrayal of the challenges of war
Great book, very detailed, filled with un-edited accounts of true war. Good narration as well, easy to listen to.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Arius
- 04-27-13
Difficult story, well read
What did you love best about Black Hearts?
The author did a great job with research and is a good storyteller. It's well-read and the narrator doesn't get in the way of the story like some narrators can. Good voice.
What was one of the most memorable moments of Black Hearts?
Setting fire to waste with JP8 rather than diesel.
Which character – as performed by Corey Snow – was your favorite?
The narrator. This book isn't really about consistent characters throughout the book.
Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
This is a depressing book because of the content. War sucks for anyone unfortunate enough to get caught up in one.
Any additional comments?
This is not an easy listen - these are real people suffering from real consequences of war.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Davis
- 10-15-17
An important lesson...
High stars because of how everything was presented, the ease of listening, etc. the narrator was great at displaying emotion and really getting into the heat of the moment.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Donovan Walters
- 02-28-18
Phenomenal
Any military leader, regardless of rank, regardless of branch, needs to read this book. It is a grand lesson.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Francisco
- 01-06-15
Great Book
Very accurate and realistic book. To all the brave men that witnessed the grim reality of combat. Great book for someone that has not been in war.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!