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Lone Survivor  By  cover art

Lone Survivor

By: Marcus Luttrell,Patrick Robinson
Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins
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Publisher's summary

In June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in Afghanistan for the Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader. Less then 24 hours later, only one of those SEALs remained alive.

This is the story of team leader Marcus Luttrell, the sole survivor of Operation Redwing and the desperate battle that led to the largest loss of life in Navy SEAL history. More than anything, this is the story of how his teammates stood beside him until he was the last one left - blasted unconscious by a rocket grenade, blown over a cliff, but still armed and breathing.

Over the next four days, badly injured and presumed dead, Luttrell fought off six al Qaeda assassins who were sent to finish him, then crawled for seven miles through the mountains before he was taken in by a Pashtun tribe that risked everything to protect him from the Taliban.

In this moving chronicle of courage, Marcus Luttrell offers one of the most powerful narratives ever written about modern warfare.

©2007 Marcus Luttrell (P)2007 Hachette Audio

What listeners say about Lone Survivor

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Lone Survior

Lone Survivor is a fascinating story about a little-known arena of
the war on terrorism. As Americans,we should all be better-informed
about such things, if only to be more supportive to the soldiers who
are willing to make such horrendous sacrifices so that we can continue to enjoy our freedoms.
Kevin T. Collins' narration was absolutely superb, and exactly the voice one
would have expected Luttrell to have. Let's hope we hear many more
books read by him.
That said, I was sorry that this book was abridged, as the complexity and length
of the hillside battle would have been better-appreciated in more
detail. Although the author's decision to release the goatherds will
undoubtedly haunt him for the rest of his life, it's a shame
that he reduced a generous and righteous act to a simplistic rant
about liberals(even though I don't disagree). The bravery and
patriotism of these men was less-than-well-served by the somewhat sophomoric
way the authors chose to tell the story. One wonders what the editor
was thinking........
But I absolutely enjoyed the book, and the Kevin T.
Collins narration was just perfect.

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31 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

god and country

There is not enough ways to thank Marcus and all the others that put their lives on the line for the American people. I admire them greatly and tell that to every soldier in uniform that I meet. I have several family members serving in Iraq, all with tremendous stories of heroism and survival that they tell.

But this book is more than just a heroic war story. It revealed the intense moral conflict Marcus struggled with over whether to “execute” the goat herders for his own safety or to do the “Christian” thing and release them. I cannot imagine having to make this kind of decision. For that reason alone, that he faced that dilemma and made a decision, I consider him a hero. And I am certainly not one that believes I could judge him no matter which way he decided. I will recommend this book to all my college students in hopes they will get a glimpse of what it really means to be on the “front line.”

But I do have one discomforting issue with the way this story is told. This writer sometimes comes off to me as a mindless parrot spouting off silly military and Christian propaganda slogans. I understand in every war each side portrays the other as heartless, pagan, warmongers. We dehumanize them and they do it to us. That way we’re not killing people, just inhuman scum. Some of the naive comments about the atrocities of the enemy and the syrupy “God and Country” speeches read like WW2 American propaganda stories. Surely Vietnam taught us that the American public can handle the tough moral issues that are interwoven into any conflict. Surely we know this conflict, this war, is not going to be won by trying to kill all the bad guys and argue over whose god is the strongest. As we kill the terrorists we need to come to grips with the causes of this conflict and try not to let history repeat itself. Sure, that’ll happen!

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

I listened to the first 1.5 hours of this audiobook. I found it very disappointing. If you are interested in reading a 'Navy SEALS are really tough' book, you will enjoy it.

I had been hoping for a survival narrative. One where the facts of the events are so amazing that they are inspirational in themselves, without a lot of hyperbole from the author. Something like 'Into Thin Air'. This book is not a survival narrative. If you look on Amazon, you will find a whole genre of books describing special forces training and toughness in hyperbolic terms. This book is more like those.

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14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great listen

The story flew by with great anticipation for what would happen next. Great insight into the story of a SEAL.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely Amazing!

To think this is a true story is nothing short of astonishing. Few stories have recounted such dramatic heroism and raw courage by the elite soldiers of our armed forces. Marcus Luttrell and his comrads fight "for real" against odds that we usually only see in fictional stories. It's no wonder Hollywood producers were themselves fighting for the rights to the movie, due out in 2009.

Most of the book felt like an "edge-of-your-seat" suspense drama--I couldn't put it down. Luttrell and his team portray virtues we often aspire to---perseverence and courage in the face of unbeatable odds and danger, unwavering loyalty to each other and country, and tenacious effort in training to be the very best at their craft. Can't wait for the movie!

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars

jingoism and incomplete

The author clearly had a very rough time, but this book has a number of problems. First off is the issue of politics. I repect the SEALs and what they do, but I do not respect G.W.B. This book contains a lot of flag waving BS which does not belong. The author has clearly mixed up patriotism with presidental hero worship - it makes me question the truthfulness of his story. The section in which he blames "the liberal media" for a bad military choice he makes under pressure is esp. distrubing and probably not an honest depiction of what he was thinking.

Second the book leaves out a discussion of what went wrong. Why didn't they have better intel? Why did the radios stop working? Why was this mission so important to go in without intel and working radio?

Third the "god stuff" is very distrubing.

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8 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

The Real War

This is the author's first book and he gets your attention from the beginning. There are several parts/phases which appear to be written by a novice, but the story is terrific. He and his fellow soldiers deserve all the honor this country can provide....no matter what your opinion on this war may be. What he and the others went through should not go un-noticed. His appearance on TV when the book was released worked. I wanted to read more.

We live our lives in comfort and complain of stress while waiting in traffic. These soldiers would switch with us in a heart beat.

Great story of courageousness, honor, and what the next generation can provide. Certainly not what you see at rallies.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Utterly disappointing

I was disappointed in both the narration and the content of the book. Lots of flag waving, lots of chest-beating. While there was an occasional insight, I was bored to tears.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent Listen

This is one of those stories that might be better as an audio book than reading the book. Outstanding narration. The first part describes the selection process and arduous training for the SEALS. The account of Operation Red Wing was phenomenal. These four men showed such determination, loyalty to each other and courage against insurmountable odds. One member of the team is the first recipient of the Medal of Honor in Afghanistan. The author is not bashful about sharing his insight into the political meddling into war operations,rules of engagement and the sad consequences.

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4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very powerful book.

This is a must read for anyone who questions why we are the country we are. Anyone who could come down on the author for his political views or his feelings on the media should be ashamed of themselves. This man has earned the right to feel that way and knows better than anyone what the effects are of having such a bleeding heart media reporting opinions and not facts.

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3 people found this helpful