Black Hearts

One Platoon's Descent into Madness in Iraq's Triangle of Death

By: Jim Frederick

Narrated by: Corey Snow

Length: 12 hrs and 14 mins

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.

©2010 Jim Frederick (P)2013 Tantor

Critic reviews

"Harrowing account of the atmospherics, commission and aftermath of a war crime.... A riveting picture of life outside the wire in Iraq, where '[y]ou tell a guy to go across a bridge, and within five minutes he's dead." ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Phenomenal

Any military leader, regardless of rank, regardless of branch, needs to read this book. It is a grand lesson.

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.