• To Hell and Back

  • By: Audie Murphy
  • Narrated by: Tom Parker
  • Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (4,161 ratings)

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To Hell and Back  By  cover art

To Hell and Back

By: Audie Murphy
Narrated by: Tom Parker
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Publisher's summary

The time is 1943, the place is Sicily, and the event is the start of the most remarkable career of any American infantryman in the war. Audie Murphy was a desperately poor eighteen-year-old orphan when he joined the Army, nineteen when he first saw a buddy die from an enemy bullet and an enemy die from one of his own. During the next two years, he fought in Italy, France, and Germany. By VE-day, he had killed at least 240 Germans, had single-handedly destroyed a German tank in one battle and held off six tanks in another, and had become the most decorated soldier in American history, winning every medal his country offered, including the Congressional Medal of Honor.

Four years later he was living in Hollywood trying to get an acting career off the ground when he and a friend decided to turn his story into a book. Instantly recognized for its grim authenticity and its unblinking accounts of some of the most terrible fighting in the war, To Hell and Back became a best seller and, in 1955, the basis for one of the most successful WWII films ever made, with Murphy playing himself.

©1949 Audie Murphy (P)1998 Blackstone Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"Audie Murphy hit the big time with this simple, compelling narrative....It is a book of raw honesty, clipped descriptions and simple courage." (AudioFile)
"Tom Parker brings this terse yet vivid and articulate memoir to life....Parker's clear and well-paced reading is a joy." (Library Journal)

What listeners say about To Hell and Back

Average customer ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Puts you in the place & time along with him

Murphy didn't just write a dry narrative, he wrote a factual work complete with dialogue that bears a close resemblance to today's American grunt dialect. The story is straightforward, engaging, exciting, and insightful. Murphy's depiction of the honest and intimate banter between soldiers is reason enough to read this book. The way that men speak to one another during a time of war is something that most people never encounter, let alone understand. Murphy captures the camaraderie known to those who have shared combat and exhaustion. The men and their actions aren't glorified or demonized, just passed along as Murphy saw and experienced them.

Tom Parker (Grover Gardener) excels as a narrator and doesn't disappoint.

Recommended for fans of historical non-fiction, WW2 buffs, and those who find amazement in the Medal of Honor and other military citations.

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29 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

An American Classic

This book reads well on the printed page, but reads even better with Tom Parker doing the reading for you. His voice captures the laconic mix of grit, horror, humor, stubborness, unheroic courage, and tragedy that characterized the American infantryman in WW II.

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23 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Great book by one of the true American heroes

Although the story is one of death and injury, this book is certainly one of the best war stories I have ever read. The narration by Tom Parker is absolutely the most enjoyable narration I have ever heard in an audible book. He absolutely makes the characters come alive and this book is the prime example of why I find audible books so enjoyable.

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21 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A true story, fought in WWII, by a true man.

A heroic tale from the man who lived it, told with humility. Actually Audie went to war at 16 (not 18, as stated in the book). He didn't want to give the impression that it was okay to lie about his age.

(Not in the book)

It's truly sad how the war affected him after. PTSD, led to alcoholism, sleeping pill addiction, and a gambling habit. He fought that personal war too, and tried to be a better person till his death at age of 45.

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16 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very modest account from a true American Hero

The performance of the narrator was superb. He was able to bring Audie Murphy's words to life in a way that would almost make you think he was reading it himself. This book was wonderfully written with and honesty of emotion that is astounding.

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14 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Absolutely wonderful!

This is such a well written book. The story of Audie Murphy is a one for the ages. War is hell in any age. We should never forget what our military personnel have given. The performance given by a Mr. Parker is phenomenal. His voice characterizations remind me of the way radio used to be. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who may be even the least bit interested in hearing the story of World War 2 from Italy to France and to Germany through the eyes of Audie Murphy.

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12 people found this helpful

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

A very moving story.

In 1971, I saw a newspaper headline stating that Audie Murphy died in an airplane crash. I had a vague recollection of the name but couldn't quite place it so I asked my dad who he was. My dad said he was W.W.II soldier who went on to become an actor in "B" westerns. I thought little more of it.

Forty years later, I was hiking on the Appalachian Trail near Catawba, VA and came across a sign pointing to the Audie Murphy Memorial. I took the .2 mile trail up to the memorial and was in awe with the tribute. Next to the monument someone had placed a print out of a Wikipedia article in a plastic bag. After reading the account, I had a new respect for the man and vowed to read this book. I am glad I finally did.

This is a humble, but gritty account of Audie"s war experiences during which he became the most decorated American soldier of World War II. This well written story stirred many emotions and made me both laugh and cry. One might think that this would be a boastful story, but that couldn't be further from the truth. While the story is in the first person, it is told very humbly and respectfully.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

one of my heroes

as a Marune Veteran fron the Afghanistan war this book and his memoir depict a completelydifferent time of war oved the movie but the book is much more informative and in gruelng detail.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Cannot recommend.

If you’re looking for a blood and guts war story (fact or fiction) you won’t find it here. In fact, you have to go through 3/4 of the book before any semblance of real fighting begins and it’s light even then. Also, the narrator and his intonation does not fit at all; it sounds like he’s taking a walk in the park when it’s supposed to be a hard battle. And most of the book involves humdrum day to day life that has nothing to do with the war. Thus, it reads like fiction as one could not possibly remember the numerous word for word conversations that proliferate throughout the book. I’m actually wondering if I read the same book that all of the good reviews are talking about! I feel like maybe I got a fake one or an imposter! This is the first time I feel like I got gyped on a credit.

If you want a real blood and guts account of war read, “With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa”
by E.B. Sledge

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8 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Powerful

I liked the voice of the reader.
The story itself is powerful. How he grew as a leader and learned to change his way of thinking to adapt to combat. I do wish it mentioned what actions he was awarded what medals. But other then that a great book

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6 people found this helpful