• 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
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (4,632 ratings)

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Area 51  By  cover art

Area 51

By: Annie Jacobsen
Narrated by: Annie Jacobsen
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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
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

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What listeners say about Area 51

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Great lesson in the history of Roswell

A good story that mat or may not nbd be true. I tend to accept most Of it.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable but ….

The readers tone sounds almost like the AI voices on amateur YouTube videos, very flat toned and almost unnerving. Does not convey much emotion and makes it hard to understand the writers feelings about the content. She has a nice, soft tone, but so flat.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Amazing read!

The time and research put into this book is amazing! Thank you for this book it is a must read for everyone!

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Great information.

It's good information to find out but unsurprising. I've purchased a few more of Annie's books. Hopefully they are this good.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Worth hearing...but not believing

She writes that the aliens in the Roswell crash were really children surgically altered by Nazi Dr. Joseph Mengele to have big heads, huge eyes and supplied to Joseph Stalin - who had them packed into an electromagnetically-levitating disc hovering saucer that somehow made it all the way through U.S. airspace in 1947.

Otherwise, a well-researched book on the history of the brave spy plane pilots of the U-2 and SR-71 and the incredibly talented engineers who made Area 51 our most valuable military site. It just goes off the skids with that conclusion late in the book.

Buy the Audible book to hear a well-written account with excellent context on the times that necessitated the creation of an isolated place where advanced spy planes could be test-flown. The author narrates and does a good job. I just wish she hadn't gone off the deep end with the Mengele/Stalin flying saucer story.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Great book with a lot of great declassified topics

Obviously the most memorable moment would be the ending where we find out one of area 51s biggest secret!
This book touches on a lot of secret declassified topics at area 51. If you're hoping to find evidence of extraterrestrial life or hard evidence on a UFO I hate to say it this is not the book for you but if what any has published is true you probably wish that
they were just hiding UFOs and aliens.

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It’s definitely a great book

Well if you are trying to make some personal change not even just for riches this is an excellent place to start lots of great info

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Great listen

A narrative interwoven with interviews and facts this book remains enrapturing up until the end. Just don't get your hopes up for a tell-all reveal.

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Very interesting and enlightening!

It was great to hear an explanation that was not conspiracy theory based. A great application of Occman's razor.

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  • JB
  • 09-06-17

ANOTHER FANTASTIC topic & performance by AJ

EVERYTHING Annie does is well researched, written and performed.

I'm sorry that I'm completely caught up with Annies work.

l can't wait to see where she takes us next !!!

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