Argo

How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History

De: Antonio Mendez, Matt Baglio

Narrado por: Dylan Baker

The true account of the 1979 rescue of six American hostages from Iran

On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants stormed the American embassy in Tehran and captured dozens of American hostages, sparking a 444-day ordeal and a quake in global politics still reverberating today. But there’s a little-known footnote to the crisis: six Americans escaped. And a midlevel agent named Antonio Mendez devised an ingenious yet incredibly risky plan to rescue them.

Armed with foreign film visas, Mendez and an unlikely team of CIA agents and Hollywood insiders—directors, producers, actors—traveled to Tehran under the guise of scouting locations for a fake film called Argo. While pretending to find the perfect scenery and backdrops, the team succeeded in contacting the escapees and smuggling them out of Iran without a single shot being fired.

Antonio Mendez finally details the mind-bogglingly complex and dangerous operation he led more than three decades ago. A true story of secret identities and international intrigue, Argo is the gripping account of the history-making collusion between Hollywood and high-stakes espionage.

Loved the movie, love the book

I did not know much about Argo prior to seeing the movie. I really enjoyed the movie. But I figured there was more to the story, and boy is there a lot more to tell. Mendes is one of those outstanding American characters that seems more fiction than fact. Now granted everyone likes to pain themselves in a positive light but I get a feel that he is for real. So if you liked Argo and want to know the details inbetween then definitly listen to the book. If you have not seen Argo then listen to the book and you will get a treat that sheds light on the evergoing complicated world of espionage, government and the Middle East.

Very Informative

While the movie was an edge of your seat movie, I left the movie wanting to know more details and background, so I got the book. It is well written and narrated, and certainly does give you the background, without going into unnecessary and boring details. Highly recommend it.

A case of truth being more fascinating than fiction

A real spy caper that speaks to the ingenuity and creativity it takes to find solutions to seemingly impossible problems. I was familiar with Mendez’s work through the incredible book, Moscow Rules, and was hoping for something equally satisfying. This almost gets there. Maybe I already knew too much about the Argo story to be surprised but it was an interesting listen all the same.

Where I had some trouble was the over-editorializing of the author (somewhat understandable since the book was encouraged by the CIA to promote itself) but it was repetitive and took away from the story. Additionally, the narrator’s style became an unwelcome distraction with its John Wayne drawl and odd enunciation of words ending in the letters S-T-S. Which was especially annoying considering how many times the word “houseguests” appears in this book.

Overall, I don’t regret buying it - it got me through a long drive through 5 states. But if you’re picky about narration drawing you out of the story, then opt to read the book instead.

Narration lacking -story deserves better

Narrator has a droning voice that cannot be fixed with playback speed. Really hard to focus on what is a fantastic true story. Moscow rules was a much easier listen.

Better Than the Movie

I listened to the audiobook before I saw the movie. I preferred listening to the nonfiction account of the mission in Iran and other fascinating CIA missions rather than the Hollywood-ized version of events for the movie. The truth really was amazing and there was no need to fictionalize it.

Antonio Mendez is a hero and I'm glad he got the credit he deserved.