25 Best Afghan War (2001-) Books
Afghan War (2001-) is a popular category for many book lovers. Our team at Speechify has curated a list of the top Afghan War (2001-) audiobooks everyone must read.
See the top 25 Afghan War (2001-) audiobooks below.
-
Saving Aziz
- By: Chad Robichaux
- Narrator: Chad Robichaux
- Length: 6 hours 32 minutes
- Publisher: Thomas Nelson
- Publish date: January 17, 2023
- Language: English
-
4.74(14 ratings)
4.74(14 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0021.99 USDNow a Wall Street Journal Bestseller It was the right thing to do. And someone had to do it. Aziz was more than an interpreter for Force Recon Marine Chad Robichaux during Chad’s eight deployments to Afghanistan. He was a teammate, brother,Now a Wall Street Journal Bestseller
It was the right thing to do. And someone had to do it.
Aziz was more than an interpreter for Force Recon Marine Chad Robichaux during Chad’s eight deployments to Afghanistan. He was a teammate, brother, and friend. More than once, Aziz saved Chad’s life. And then he needed Chad to save his.
When President Joe Biden announced in April 2021 that the United States would be making a hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan, Robichaux knew he had to get Aziz and his family out before Taliban forces took over the country. As the rescue team began to go to work, they became aware of thousands more–US citizens, Afghan allies, women, and children–facing persecution.
This gripping account of two war heroes and friends puts human hearts and names alongside the headlines of one of the most harrowing moments in our history, giving you a closer look at:
- The resilience of Afghanistan and its people
- The twenty-year war that took place under four presidents
- A mission accomplished and the work that’s still to be done
Saving Aziz is more than a story of war and rescue: it’s about breaking down prejudice and apathy–and why risking it all is worth it when it comes to loving one another.
Praise for Saving Aziz:
“Saving Aziz is the story of two warriors…brought together by war and a brotherhood forged through years of battling…for the cause of freedom and captures the heroic efforts of those who took action to not only rescue Aziz and his family in the US withdrawal but thousands of others.”
–Tim Kennedy, New York Times bestselling author, US Army Special Forces, Sniper
... Read more -
Where Cowards Go to Die
- By: Benjamin Sledge
- Narrator: Bradford Hastings
- Length: 8 hours 42 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2022
- Language: English
-
4.65(39 ratings)
4.65(39 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDA former soldier awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart tells the story of overcoming the mental and physical wounds of war on a fifteen-year odyssey that led him back to the very place where his nightmares began–and the only placeA former soldier awarded the Bronze Star and Purple Heart tells the story of overcoming the mental and physical wounds of war on a fifteen-year odyssey that led him back to the very place where his nightmares began–and the only place redemption was possible.
While serving a portion of his time under the Special Operations Command, Benjamin Sledge fought to keep his humanity amid the killing fields of Iraq and Afghanistan. But war never leaves its participants unscathed. In Where Cowards Go to Die, Sledge reveals an unflinchingly honest portrait of war that few dare to tell.
Stationed on a small base on the border of Pakistan in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September eleventh, the young warrior returned home shattered after embracing the barbarity he witnessed around him. Haunted by his experiences overseas, he began a fifteen-year odyssey wrestling with mental health, purpose, and faith, that eventually drove him to volunteer for another combat tour in the deadliest city of the Iraq War–Ramadi.
In his memoir, Sledge vividly captures the reality of the men and women who learn to fight without remorse, love each other without restraint, and suffer the high cost of returning to a country that no longer feels like home.
... Read more -
Always Faithful
- By: Thomas Schueman
- Narrator: Patrick Kirchner
- Length: 12 hours 11 minutes
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Publish date: August 09, 2022
- Language: English
-
4.63(166 ratings)
4.63(166 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0027.99 USDBand of Brothers meets Argo in this dramatic and heartfelt dual memoir of the war in Afghanistan told by two men from opposite worlds. Always Faithful entwines the stories of Marine Major Tom Schueman, and his friend and Afghan interpreter,Band of Brothers meets Argo in this dramatic and heartfelt dual memoir of the war in Afghanistan told by two men from opposite worlds. Always Faithful entwines the stories of Marine Major Tom Schueman, and his friend and Afghan interpreter, Zainullah “Zak” Zaki, as they describe their parallel lives, converging paths, and unbreakable bond in the face of overwhelming danger, culminating in Zak and his family’s harrowing escape from Kabul.
In August of 2021, just days shy of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, America ended its longest war. The speed of the Afghanistan’s fall was so stunning that thousands of Afghan citizens who had helped American forces over the course of two decades–and had been promised visas in return–were suddenly stranded, in extreme, imminent danger. As the world watched the shocking scenes of desperation at the Kabul airport in the final two weeks of August, Maj. Tom Schueman fought–both behind the scenes and through a social media campaign–to get his friend and former Afghan interpreter, Zak, out of Afghanistan before he and his family were discovered by the Taliban. When Zak and his family finally took off from the airport mere days before the US left the country, the years-long effort to get Zak to America culminated in two simple words on Instagram: “Wheels up.”
Now in Always Faithful, Tom and Zak tell the full story of the divergent paths that led them to Afghanistan, the dangerous road they walked together in service to America, and how their commitment to each other ended up saving them both. Brilliantly told in Tom’s and Zak’s alternating first person voices, Always Faithful tracks the parallel lives of these two men who each spent their childhoods in fear, peril, and poverty, and turned to war in attempt to build a meaningful future. On an inevitable course towards each other, their lives dovetail in Afghanistan’s deadly Helmand Valley, where they formed a brotherhood that transcends even the most overwhelming of odds, eventually culminating in Zak’s harrowing, eleventh-hour rescue.
The end result is an intensely personal and uniquely ground-level account of Tom and Zak’s experience, Always Faithful gives readers a 360-degree view of the war. At once provocative and heart pounding, their stories together form a microcosm of the complicated and lasting effects of America’s longest war. Through their eyes and their experiences, they challenge readers to explore the legacy of the war for American and Afghan citizens alike, as we all collectively seek to understand whether twenty years of war was worth the price.
Supplemental enhancement PDF accompanies the audiobook.
... Read more -
Three Wise Men
- By: Beau Wise
- Narrator: Beau Wise
- Length: 9 hours 10 minutes
- Publisher: Macmillan Audio
- Publish date: January 12, 2021
- Language: English
-
4.58(601 ratings)
4.58(601 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0026.99 USDThis program includes a preface and afterword read by Beau Wise. From Beau Wise and Tom Sileo comes Three Wise Men, an incredible memoir of family, service and sacrifice by a Marine who lost both his brothers in combat–becoming the onlyThis program includes a preface and afterword read by Beau Wise.
From Beau Wise and Tom Sileo comes Three Wise Men, an incredible memoir of family, service and sacrifice by a Marine who lost both his brothers in combat–becoming the only “Sole Survivor” during the war in Afghanistan.
Shortly after the 9/11 attacks, three brothers by blood became brothers in arms when each volunteered to defend their country. No military family has sacrificed more during the ensuing war, which has become the longest ever fought by America’s armed forces.
While serving in Afghanistan, US Navy SEAL veteran and CIA contractor Jeremy Wise was killed in an al Qaeda suicide bombing that devastated the US intelligence community. Less than three years later, US Army Green Beret sniper Ben Wise was fatally wounded after volunteering for a dangerous assignment during a firefight with the Taliban. Ben was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, while Jeremy received the Intelligence Star–one of the rarest awards bestowed by the U.S. government–and also a star on the CIA’s Memorial Wall.
United States Marine Corps combat veteran Beau Wise is the only known American service member to be pulled from the battlefield after losing two brothers in Afghanistan. Told in Beau’s voice, Three Wise Men is an American family’s historic true story of service and sacrifice.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press“Many American families have sacrificed much for our freedom, but few if any in modern times have given as much as the Wise family from my home state of Arkansas. Theirs is the story of true heroes–those who gave their lives as well as those who remain to carry on and honor the memory of Jeremy and Ben. It’s a story that needs to be told and more importantly, needs to be read and shared. It will remind you that America is a great country because of great, God-fearing people who pay a price for all of us.”–Mike Huckabee, 44th Governor of Arkansas
... Read more -
The Outpost
- By: Jake Tapper
- Narrator: Rob Shapiro
- Length: 22 hours 17 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: November 13, 2012
- Language: English
-
4.33(4513 ratings)
4.33(4513 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.98 USDThe basis of the film starring Orlando Bloom and Scott Eastwood, The Outpost is the heartbreaking and inspiring story of one of America’s deadliest battles during the war in Afghanistan, acclaimed by critics everywhere as a classic.At 5:58 AM... Read moreThe basis of the film starring Orlando Bloom and Scott Eastwood, The Outpost is the heartbreaking and inspiring story of one of America’s deadliest battles during the war in Afghanistan, acclaimed by critics everywhere as a classic.At 5:58 AM on October 3rd, 2009, Combat Outpost Keating, located in frighteningly vulnerable terrain in Afghanistan just 14 miles from the Pakistani border, was viciously attacked. Though the 53 Americans there prevailed against nearly 400 Taliban fighters, their casualties made it the deadliest fight of the war for the U.S. that year. Four months after the battle, a Pentagon review revealed that there was no reason for the troops at Keating to have been there in the first place.In The Outpost, Jake Tapper gives us the powerful saga of COP Keating, from its establishment to eventual destruction, introducing us to an unforgettable cast of soldiers and their families, and to a place and war that has remained profoundly distant to most Americans. A runaway bestseller, it makes a savage war real, and American courage manifest.
“The Outpost is a mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice. If you want to understand how the war in Afghanistan went off the rails, you need to read this book.” — Jon Krakauer -
Marathon War
- By: Jeffrey Schloesser
- Length: 12 hours 59 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: May 25, 2021
- Language: English
-
4.33(9 ratings)
4.33(9 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.99 USDFrom Major General Jeffrey Schloesser–former Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division and Regional Command-East–comes a revealing memoir of leadership in the chaos and fog of the Afghanistan War. Join Major General SchloesserFrom Major General Jeffrey Schloesser–former Commanding General of the 101st Airborne Division and Regional Command-East–comes a revealing memoir of leadership in the chaos and fog of the Afghanistan War.
Join Major General Schloesser in the daily grind of warfare fought in the most forbidding of terrain, with sometimes uncertain or untested allies, Afghan corruption and Pakistani bet hedging, and the mounting casualties of war which erode and bring into question Schloesser’s most profoundly held convictions and beliefs. Among several battles, Schloesser takes readers deep into the Battle of Wanat, where nine U.S. soldiers were killed in a fierce, up-close fight to prevent a new operating base from being overrun. This encounter required Schloesser to make tactical decisions that had dramatic strategic impact, and led him to doubts: Can this war even be won? If so, what will it take?
This book is a rare insight and reflection into the thoughts of critical national decision-makers including President George W. Bush, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, then Senator Barack Obama, and numerous foreign leaders including Afghan President Hamid Karzai. Key military leaders–including then Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, then Central Command Commanding General David Petraeus, then Lieutenant General and future Chairman Martin Dempsey, and International Security Force Commander General David McKiernan–all play roles in the book, among many others, including Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Mark Milley and Army Chief of Staff General James McConville. Analyzing their leadership in the chaos of war Schloesser ultimately concludes that successful leadership in combat is best based on competence, courage, and character.
... Read more -
Ashley’s War
- By: Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
- Narrator: Kathe Mazur
- Length: 10 hours 0 minutes
- Publisher: HarperAudio
- Publish date: April 21, 2015
- Language: English
-
4.31(3797 ratings)
4.31(3797 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.99 USDIn 2010, the Army created Cultural Support Teams, a secret pilot program to insert women alongside Special Operations soldiers battling in Afghanistan. The Army reasoned that women could play a unique role on Special Ops teams: accompanying theirIn 2010, the Army created Cultural Support Teams, a secret pilot program to insert women alongside Special Operations soldiers battling in Afghanistan. The Army reasoned that women could play a unique role on Special Ops teams: accompanying their male colleagues on raids and, while those soldiers were searching for insurgents, questioning the mothers, sisters, daughters and wives living at the compound. Their presence had a calming effect on enemy households, but more importantly, the CSTs were able to search adult women for weapons and gather crucial intelligence. They could build relationships–woman to woman–in ways that male soldiers in an Islamic country never could.
In Ashley’s War, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon uses on-the-ground reporting and a finely tuned understanding of the complexities of war to tell the story of CST-2, a unit of women hand-picked from the Army to serve in this highly specialized and challenging role. The pioneers of CST-2 proved for the first time, at least to some grizzled Special Operations soldiers, that women might be physically and mentally tough enough to become one of them.
The price of this professional acceptance came in personal loss and social isolation: the only people who really understand the women of CST-2 are each other. At the center of this story is a friendship cemented by “Glee,” video games, and the shared perils and seductive powers of up-close combat. At the heart of the team is the tale of a beloved and effective soldier, Ashley White.
Much as she did in her bestselling The Dressmaker of Khair Khana, Lemmon transports readers to a world they previously had no idea existed: a community of women called to fulfill the military’s mission to “win hearts and minds” and bound together by danger, valor, and determination. Ashley’s War is a gripping combat narrative and a moving story of friendship–a book that will change the way readers think about war and the meaning of service.
... Read more -
Service
- By: Marcus Luttrell
- Narrator: Kevin T. Collins
- Length: 12 hours 7 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: May 08, 2012
- Language: English
-
4.3(4970 ratings)
4.3(4970 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.98 USDMarcus Luttrell, author of the #1 bestseller Lone Survivor, share war stories about true American heroism from himself and other soldiers who bravely fought alongside him. Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell returned from his star-crossed mission inMarcus Luttrell, author of the #1 bestseller Lone Survivor, share war stories about true American heroism from himself and other soldiers who bravely fought alongside him.Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell returned from his star-crossed mission in Afghanistan with his bones shattered and his heart broken. So many had given their lives to save him — and he would have readily done the same for them. As he recuperated, he wondered why he and others, from America’s founding to today, had been willing to sacrifice everything-including themselves-for the sake of family, nation, and freedom.In Service, we follow Marcus Luttrell to Iraq, where he returns to the battlefield as a member of SEAL Team 5 to help take on the most dangerous city in the world: Ramadi, the capital of war-torn Al Anbar Province. There, in six months of high-intensity urban combat, he would be part of what has been called the greatest victory in the history of U.S. Special Operations forces. We also return to Afghanistan and Operation Redwing, where Luttrell offers powerful new details about his miraculous rescue. Throughout, he reflects on what it really means to take on a higher calling, about the men he’s seen lose their lives for their country, and the legacy of those who came and bled before.
A thrilling war story, Service is also a profoundly moving tribute to the warrior brotherhood, to the belief that nobody goes it alone, and no one will be left behind.
... Read more -
Operation Homecoming
- By: Andrew Carroll
- Narrator: a full cast
- Length: 17 hours 6 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
-
4.3(175 ratings)
4.3(175 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0027.95 USDIn the summer of 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts organized a series of writing workshops led by prominent authors to encourage US troops and their families to record their experiences and reflections on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.In the summer of 2004, the National Endowment for the Arts organized a series of writing workshops led by prominent authors to encourage US troops and their families to record their experiences and reflections on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The result is this extraordinary volume of first-hand letters, poems, journals, memoirs, and e-mails from the men and women directly involved in battle and their families back home.
This uniquely personal addition to the long tradition of war literature covers the entire arc of a soldier’s journey, from those first experiences of combat, encounters with Iraqis and Afghans, and the humor and boredom of the daily grind, to the physical and emotional toll of battle, the struggle of loved ones back home to carry on, and finally the return and integration back into American life.
... Read more -
Zarifa
- By: Zarifa Ghafari
- Narrator: Ariana Delawari
- Length: 8 hours 53 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: October 11, 2022
- Language: English
-
4.28(104 ratings)
4.28(104 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.99 USDA moving and inspiring memoir by Afghanistan’s youngest female mayor and campaigner for human rights.I am one of the lucky ones.I got out of Afghanistan alive when the Taliban retook the country. Millions of others did not – they are nowA moving and inspiring memoir by Afghanistan’s youngest female mayor and campaigner for human rights.
... Read more
I am one of the lucky ones.
I got out of Afghanistan alive when the Taliban retook the country. Millions of others did not – they are now living under one of the world’s most repressive regimes, with any progress that was made for women over the past twenty years being brutally reversed.
Every day, I yearn for my motherland. Now it is my duty to make sure that the world knows what is happening to women there, and what we must do to
change things for them.
Zarifa Ghafari was three years old when the Taliban banned girls from schools, and she began her education in secret. She was seven when American airstrikes began. She was twenty-six when she became mayor – the only female mayor in the country – of Maidan Wardak, Kabul. An extremist mob barred her from her office; her male staff walked out in protest; assassins tried to kill her six times. Finally, they killed their father. Ghafari stood her ground. She ended corruption in the province, promoted peace and tried to lift up women, despite constant fear for herself and her family. When the Taliban took Kabul in 2021, Ghafari had to flee, narrowly escaping the country on one of the last flights out of Kabul and finding refuge in Germany.
Zarifa is an astonishing memoir that offers an unparalleled perspective of the last two decades in Afghanistan. Written with honesty, pain and ultimately, hope, Ghafari describes the work she did, the women she still tries to help as they live under Taliban rule and her vision for how grassroots activism can change their lives and the lives of women everywhere. -
The American War in Afghanistan
- By: Carter Malkasian
- Length: 27 hours 5 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: November 30, 2021
- Language: English
-
4.24(227 ratings)
4.24(227 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0034.99 USDThe first authoritative history of American’s longest war by one of the world’s leading scholar-practitioners. The American war in Afghanistan, which began in 2001, is now the longest armed conflict in the nation’s history. It isThe first authoritative history of American’s longest war by one of the world’s leading scholar-practitioners.
The American war in Afghanistan, which began in 2001, is now the longest armed conflict in the nation’s history. It is currently winding down, and American troops are likely to leave soon ? but only after a stay of nearly two decades.
In The American War in Afghanistan, Carter Malkasian provides the first comprehensive history of the entire conflict. Malkasian is both a leading academic authority on the subject and an experienced practitioner, having spent nearly two years working in the Afghan countryside and going on to serve as the senior advisor to General Joseph Dunford, the US military commander in Afghanistan and later the chairman of the joint chiefs of staff. Drawing from a deep well of local knowledge, understanding of Pashto, and review of primary source documents, Malkasian moves through the war’s multiple phases: the 2001 invasion and after; the light American footprint during the 2003 Iraq invasion; the resurgence of the Taliban in 2006, the Obama-era surge, and the various resets in strategy and force allocations that occurred from 2011 onward, culminating in the 2018-2020 peace talks. Malkasian lived through much of it, and draws from his own experiences to provide a unique vantage point on the war. Today, the Taliban is the most powerful faction, and sees victory as probable. The ultimate outcome after America leaves is inherently unpredictable given the multitude of actors there, but one thing is sure: the war did not go as America had hoped. Although the al-Qa’eda leader Osama bin Laden was killed and no major attack on the American homeland was carried out after 2001, the United States was unable to end the violence or hand off the war to the Afghan authorities, which could not survive without US military backing. The American War in Afghanistan explains why the war had such a disappointing outcome.
Wise and all-encompassing, The American War in Afghanistan provides a truly vivid portrait of the conflict in all of its phases that will remain the authoritative account for years to come.
... Read more -
Zero Footprint
- By: Ralph Pezzullo
- Narrator: Gildart Jackson
- Length: 9 hours 28 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: January 12, 2016
- Language: English
-
4.2(316 ratings)
4.2(316 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0025.98 USDThis national bestseller is a dramatic insider account of the world of private military contracting. Armored cars, burner phones, top-notch weaponry and top-secret missions — this is the life of today’s private military contractor. LikeThis national bestseller is a dramatic insider account of the world of private military contracting.... Read moreArmored cars, burner phones, top-notch weaponry and top-secret missions — this is the life of today’s private military contractor. Like author Simon Chase, many PMCs were once the world’s top military operatives, and since retiring from outfits like US Navy SEAL TEAM Six and the UK’s Special Boat Service, they have devoted their lives to executing sensitive and hazardous missions overseas.
Working at the request of U.S. and British government entities as well as for private clients, he takes on jobs that require “zero footprint,” with no trace of their actions left behind. Chase delivers firsthand accounts of tracking Bin Laden in Afghanistan and being one of the first responders after the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. We see his teams defuse terrorist bombs, guard dignitaries, and protect convoys traveling through perilous territory — and then there are the really big jobs: top-secret “zero footprint” missions that include searching for High Value Targets and setting up arms shipping networks.
The missions in Zero Footprint will shock readers, but so will the personal dangers. Chase and the men he works with operate without government backup or air rescue. If they die serving their country, they remain anonymous. There are no military honors or benefits. Contractors like Simon Chase are the unsung heroes in the war against terrorism, a strong, but largely invisible force — until now.
-
Killing the Killers
- By: Bill O’Reilly
- Narrator: Robert Petkoff
- Length: 9 hours 15 minutes
- Publisher: Macmillan Audio
- Publish date: May 03, 2022
- Language: English
-
4.2(2092 ratings)
4.2(2092 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0026.99 USDIn the eleventh audiobook in the multimillion-selling Killing series, Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard reveal the startling, dramatic story of the global war against terrorists.In Killing The Killers, #1 bestselling authors Bill O’ReillyIn the eleventh audiobook in the multimillion-selling Killing series, Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard reveal the startling, dramatic story of the global war against terrorists.
In Killing The Killers, #1 bestselling authors Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard take listeners deep inside the global war on terror, which began twenty years ago on September 11, 2001.As the World Trade Center buildings collapsed, the Pentagon burned, and a small group of passengers fought desperately to stop a third plane from completing its deadly flight plan, America went on war footing. Killing The Killers narrates America’s intense global war against extremists who planned and executed not only the 9/11 attacks, but hundreds of others in America and around the world, and who eventually destroyed entire nations in their relentless quest for power.
Killing The Killers moves from Afghanistan to Iraq, Iran to Yemen, Syria, and Libya, and elsewhere, as the United States fought Al Qaeda, ISIS, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, as well as individually targeting the most notorious leaders of these groups. With fresh detail and deeply-sourced information, O’Reilly and Dugard create an unstoppable account of the most important war of our era.
Killing The Killers is the most thrilling and suspenseful audiobook in the #1 bestselling series of popular history books (over 18 million sold) in the world.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press
... Read more -
American Heroes
- By: Oliver North
- Narrator: Peyton Tochterman
- Length: 5 hours 2 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
-
4.18(167 ratings)
4.18(167 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.99 USDFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Heroes Proved, a moving collection of “straightforward, honest testimonials to the courage American troops display on and off the battlefield” (Kirkus Reviews).For more than a dozen years,From the New York Times bestselling author of Heroes Proved, a moving collection of “straightforward, honest testimonials to the courage American troops display on and off the battlefield” (Kirkus Reviews).
... Read more
For more than a dozen years, combat-decorated Marine Oliver North and his award-winning documentary team from FOX News Channel’s War Stories traveled to the frontlines of the War on Terror to profile the dedicated men and women who serve our nation. This time, he follows them from the battlefield to the homefront and finds extraordinary inspiration in their triumph over life-altering adversity.
In this new volume of his New York Times bestselling American Heroes series, North describes the courage, commitment, and strength of those who serve–and those who love them. The term “selfless devotion” may be a cliche to many–but not to the men and women on the pages of this book. Their stories resound with bravery, a warrior ethos, and spiritual strength that will encourage us all.
Heroes are people who knowingly place themselves at risk for the benefit of others. Since the terror attack of September 11, 2001, more than two million young Americans have volunteered to serve in difficult and dangerous places. No military force in history has been asked to do more than those who have served and sacrificed in this long fight. They are American heroes. So too are their loved ones here at home. These are their stories. -
Not a Good Day to Die
- By: Sean Naylor
- Narrator: John Henry Cox
- Length: 19 hours 36 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2007
- Language: English
-
4.15(3013 ratings)
4.15(3013 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0029.95 USDAt dawn on March 2, 2002, America’s first major battle of the twenty-first century began. Over two hundred soldiers of the 101st Airborne and Tenth Mountain Division flew into Afghanistan’s Shah-i-Kot valley–and into the mouth of aAt dawn on March 2, 2002, America’s first major battle of the twenty-first century began. Over two hundred soldiers of the 101st Airborne and Tenth Mountain Division flew into Afghanistan’s Shah-i-Kot valley–and into the mouth of a buzz saw. They were about to pay a bloody price for strategic, high-level miscalculations that underestimated the enemy’s strength and willingness to fight.
Now, award-winning journalist Sean Naylor, an eyewitness to the battle, details the failures of military intelligence and planning and vividly portrays the astonishing heroism of these young, untested US soldiers. Denied the extra support with which they trained, these troops nevertheless proved their worth in brutal combat and prevented an American military disaster.
... Read more -
Undaunted
- By: Tanya Biank
- Narrator: Pam Ward
- Length: 11 hours 31 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2013
- Language: English
-
4.13(341 ratings)
4.13(341 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.95 USDAs she did so provocatively with military spouses in Army Wives, Tanya Biank gives us the inside story of women in today’s military–their professional and personal challenges from the combat zone to the home front. Since 9/11, more thanAs she did so provocatively with military spouses in Army Wives, Tanya Biank gives us the inside story of women in today’s military–their professional and personal challenges from the combat zone to the home front.
Since 9/11, more than 240,000 women have fought in Iraq and Afghanistan–more than 140 have died there, and they currently make up 14 percent of the total active-duty forces. Despite advances, today’s servicewomen are constantly pressed to prove themselves, to overcome challenges men never face, and to put the military mission ahead of all other aspects of their lives, particularly marriage and motherhood. In this groundbreaking insider’s look at the women defending our nation, Tanya Biank brings to light the real issues–femininity, belonging to an old boys’ club, veiled discrimination, dating, marriage problems, separation from children, questions about life goals, career trajectories, and self-worth–that servicewomen are facing by focusing on four individual stories.
Brigadier General Angela Salinas, the Marine Corps’ first Hispanic female general, faces the challenge of commanding an all-male institution. Second Lieutenant Bergan Flannigan finds herself on the front lines in Afghanistan, serving in the same military police company as her husband. As a marine drill instructor, Sergeant Amy Stokley demands the very best from the recruits at Parris Island. And Major Candice O’Brien deals with deployment to Afghanistan, with two young children and a strained marriage back home.
Undaunted is the story of these courageous trailblazers–their struggles, sacrifices, and triumphs in the name of serving the country they love.
... Read more -
Tribe
- By: Sebastian Junger
- Narrator: Sebastian Junger
- Length: 2 hours 59 minutes
- Publisher: Hachette Audio
- Publish date: May 24, 2016
- Language: English
-
4.02(18885 ratings)
4.02(18885 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0024.98 USDWe have a strong instinct to belong to small groups defined by clear purpose and understanding–“tribes.” This tribal connection has been largely lost in modern society, but regaining it may be the key to our psychologicalWe have a strong instinct to belong to small groups defined by clear purpose and understanding–“tribes.” This tribal connection has been largely lost in modern society, but regaining it may be the key to our psychological survival.... Read moreDecades before the American Revolution, Benjamin Franklin lamented that English settlers were constantly fleeing over to the Indians-but Indians almost never did the same. Tribal society has been exerting an almost gravitational pull on Westerners for hundreds of years, and the reason lies deep in our evolutionary past as a communal species. The most recent example of that attraction is combat veterans who come home to find themselves missing the incredibly intimate bonds of platoon life. The loss of closeness that comes at the end of deployment may explain the high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder suffered by military veterans today.
Combining history, psychology, and anthropology, Tribe explores what we can learn from tribal societies about loyalty, belonging, and the eternal human quest for meaning. It explains the irony that-for many veterans as well as civilians-war feels better than peace, adversity can turn out to be a blessing, and disasters are sometimes remembered more fondly than weddings or tropical vacations. Tribe explains why we are stronger when we come together, and how that can be achieved even in today’s divided world.
-
Kidnapped by the Taliban
- By: Dilip Joseph, M.D.
- Length: 5 hours 53 minutes
- Publisher: Thomas Nelson
- Publish date: October 21, 2014
- Language: English
-
4.02(371 ratings)
4.02(371 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0021.99 USDBeing abducted and held captive by the Taliban isn’t a tale many survive to tell. An American doctor shares the harrowing story about the four days he spent with his captors after being abducted on a humanitarian mission and his incredibleBeing abducted and held captive by the Taliban isn’t a tale many survive to tell. An American doctor shares the harrowing story about the four days he spent with his captors after being abducted on a humanitarian mission and his incredible rescue by SEAL Team Six.
On December 5, 2012, American medical doctor Dilip Joseph and two colleagues are driving back to Kabul, Afghanistan, after serving villagers that morning at a rural clinic. Suddenly a man waving an AK-47 blocks their path. More armed men jump out of hiding. For Dilip, it is the beginning of a nightmare—he’s being kidnapped by the Taliban.
Dilip recounts his story with chilling detail, transporting the reader to rural Afghanistan. “As we walk, I fear the worst—that when we reach the top, they will shoot us. God, however this is going to end, please don’t let them torture me to death. Let it be one shot and done.”
Dilip and his friends endure a nine-hour march into the mountains, gruesome images of torture and death, and repeated threats of execution. After four days of uncertainty, gunfire announces the arrival of Navy SEAL Team Six, the elite group of soldiers that took down al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. SEAL team member Nicolas D. Checque loses his life in the rescue, as do the Taliban kidnappers.
Yet this is more than a story of desperation, survival, and loss. It is also a tale of surprising connection, compassion, and inspiration. As Dilip begins to view the Taliban not as monsters but as men, both he and his captors are challenged to re-examine everything that matters: courage, sacrifice, hope, and faith. The book includes:
- First-hand account of a Taliban kidnapping survivor
- Insights into the Taliban’s daily existence
- Insights into the sacrifices made by the American armed forces
Kidnapped by the Taliban is a story of both terror and triumph. After reading this dramatic and inspiring account, you will never view Afghanistan or the Taliban in the same way again.
... Read more -
Trident K9 Warriors
- By: Mike Ritland
- Narrator: Jeff Gurner
- Length: 7 hours 34 minutes
- Publisher: Macmillan Audio
- Publish date: April 15, 2013
- Language: English
-
3.96(1193 ratings)
3.96(1193 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.99 USDThe New York Times bestseller featured on 60 Minutes, this is the first book to take readers inside the world of elite Navy SEAL dogs.As Seen on “60 Minutes”! As a Navy SEAL during a combat deployment in Iraq, Mike Ritland saw aThe New York Times bestseller featured on 60 Minutes, this is the first book to take readers inside the world of elite Navy SEAL dogs.
As Seen on “60 Minutes”!As a Navy SEAL during a combat deployment in Iraq, Mike Ritland saw a military working dog in action and instantly knew he’d found his true calling. Ritland started his own company training and supplying dogs for the SEAL teams, U.S. Government, and Department of Defense. He knew that fewer than 1 percent of all working dogs had what it takes to contribute to the success of our nation’s elite combat units, and began searching the globe for animals who fit this specific profile. These specialized canines had to pass rigorous selection tests before their serious training could begin.
The results were a revelation: highly trained working dogs capable of handling both detection and apprehension work in the most extreme environments and the tensest of battlefield conditions. Though fiercely aggressive and athletic, these dogs develop a close bond with the handlers they work side by side with and the other team members. Truly integrating themselves into their units, these K9 warriors are much like their human counterparts–unwavering in their devotion to duty, strong enough and tough enough to take it to the enemy through pain, injury, or fear.
For the first time ever, Trident K9 Warriors gives listeners an inside look at these elite canines–who they are, how they are trained, and the extreme missions they undertake saving countless lives, asking for little in the way of reward. From detecting explosives to eliminating the bad guys, these powerful dogs are also some of the smartest and most highly skilled working animals on the planet.
... Read more -
Looking for the Enemy
- By: Bette Dam
- Narrator: Melita Cameron-Wood
- Length: 10 hours 30 minutes
- Publisher: HarperCollins India
- Publish date: January 12, 2022
- Language: English
-
3.96(35 ratings)
3.96(35 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0026.99 USD‘Bette Dam was one of the very few Western journalists to gain real access to the Taliban movement’ The Guardian For twenty years, the Taliban was the number one enemy of Western forces in Afghanistan. But it was an enemy that they knew‘Bette Dam was one of the very few Western journalists to gain real access to the Taliban movement’ The Guardian
For twenty years, the Taliban was the number one enemy of Western forces in Afghanistan. But it was an enemy that they knew little about, and about whose founder and leader, Mullah Omar, they knew even less.
Armed with only a fuzzy black-and-white photo of the man, investigative journalist Bette Dam decided to track down the reclusive Taliban chief a decade back. But in the course of what had seemed an almost impossible job, she got to know the Taliban inside out, realized how dangerously misinformed the global forces fighting it were, and made a startling discovery about the elusive Omar’s whereabouts.
The outcome of a five-year-long pursuit, Looking for the Enemy is a woman journalist’s epic story that takes the reader deep into the dangerous mountains and war-ravaged valleys of Afghanistan as it throws up several unknowns about an organization that is now once again at the helm in one of the world’s most fragile states.
... Read more -
The Final Mission of Extortion 17
- By: Ed Darack
- Narrator: John Pruden
- Length: 7 hours 1 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2017
- Language: English
-
3.92(185 ratings)
3.92(185 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0016.95 USDOn August 6, 2011, a US Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter approached a landing zone in Afghanistan forty miles southwest of Kabul. The helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, was on a mission to reinforce American and coalition special operations troops.On August 6, 2011, a US Army CH-47D Chinook helicopter approached a landing zone in Afghanistan forty miles southwest of Kabul. The helicopter, call sign Extortion 17, was on a mission to reinforce American and coalition special operations troops. It would never return. Insurgents fired at the Chinook, severed one of its rear rotor blades, and brought it crashing to the ground. All thirty-eight onboard perished instantly in the single greatest moment of sacrifice for Americans in the war in Afghanistan.
Those killed were some of the United States’ most highly trained and battle-honed commandos, including fifteen men from the Gold Squadron of the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, known popularly as SEAL Team 6, which had raided a Pakistan compound and killed Osama bin Laden just three months earlier.
The downing of Extortion 17 spurred a number of conspiracy theories, such as the idea that the shootdown was revenge for bin Laden’s death. In The Final Mission of Extortion 17, Ed Darack debunks this theory and others and uncovers the truth behind this mysterious tragedy. His account of the brave pilots, crew, and passengers of Extortion 17 and the events of that fateful day is interwoven into a rich, complex narrative that also discusses modern joint combat operations, the history of the Afghan war to that date, US helicopter use in Afghanistan, and the new and evolving military technologies and tactics being developed to mitigate such tragedies now and in the future.
... Read more -
The Unexpected Spy
- By: Tracy Walder
- Narrator: Devon Sorvari
- Length: 8 hours 10 minutes
- Publisher: Macmillan Audio
- Publish date: February 25, 2020
- Language: English
-
3.84(2935 ratings)
3.84(2935 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0019.99 USDA highly entertaining account of a young woman who went straight from her college sorority to the CIA, where she hunted terrorists and WMDs “A thrilling tale…Walder’s fast-paced and intense narrative opens a window into life in twoA highly entertaining account of a young woman who went straight from her college sorority to the CIA, where she hunted terrorists and WMDs
“A thrilling tale…Walder’s fast-paced and intense narrative opens a window into life in two of America’s major intelligence agencies” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
When Tracy Walder enrolled at the University of Southern California, she never thought that one day she would offer her pink beanbag chair in the Delta Gamma house to a CIA recruiter, or that she’d fly to the Middle East under an alias identity.
The Unexpected Spy is the riveting story of Walder’s tenure in the CIA and, later, the FBI. In high-security, steel-walled rooms in Virginia, Walder watched al-Qaeda members with drones as President Bush looked over her shoulder and CIA Director George Tenet brought her donuts. She tracked chemical terrorists and searched the world for Weapons of Mass Destruction. She created a chemical terror chart that someone in the White House altered to convey information she did not have or believe, leading to the Iraq invasion. Driven to stop terrorism, Walder debriefed terrorists–men who swore they’d never speak to a woman–until they gave her leads. She followed trails through North Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, shutting down multiple chemical attacks.
Then Walder moved to the FBI, where she worked in counterintelligence. In a single year, she helped take down one of the most notorious foreign spies ever caught on American soil. Catching the bad guys wasn’t a problem in the FBI, but rampant sexism was. Walder left the FBI to teach young women, encouraging them to find a place in the FBI, CIA, State Department or the Senate–and thus change the world.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press
... Read more -
The One Percent Doctrine
- By: Ron Suskind
- Narrator: Edward Herrmann
- Length: 6 hours 12 minutes
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
- Publish date: January 01, 2006
- Language: English
-
3.83(1714 ratings)
3.83(1714 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0017.95 USD2007 Audie Award Finalist for the Judges‚Äô Award: PoliticsPulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author Ron Suskind takes you deep inside America’s real battles with violent, unrelenting terrorists‚Äîa game of2007 Audie Award Finalist for the Judges‚Äô Award: Politics
... Read more
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and bestselling author Ron Suskind takes you deep inside America’s real battles with violent, unrelenting terrorists‚Äîa game of kill-or-be-killed, from the Oval Office to the streets of Karachi.
Ron Suskind takes readers inside the defining conflict of our era: the war between the West and a growing, shadowy army of terrorists, armed with weapons of alarming power.
Relying on unique access to former and current government officials, this book will reveal for the first time how the US government—from President Bush on down—is frantically improvising to fight a new kind of war. Where is the enemy? What have been the real victories and defeats since 9/11? How are we actually fighting this war and how can it possibly be won?
Filled with astonishing disclosures, Suskind’s book shows readers what he calls “the invisible battlefield”‚Äî a global matrix where US spies race to catch soldiers of jihad before they strike. It is a real-life spy thriller with the world’s future at stake. It also reveals the shocking and secret philosophy underpinning the war on terror. Gripping and alarming in equal measure, it will reframe the debate about a war that, each day, redefines America and its place in the world. -
The Collapse of Constitutional Remedies
- By: Aziz Z. Huq
- Length: 5 hours 36 minutes
- Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc.
- Publish date: December 01, 2021
- Language: English
-
3.71(16 ratings)
3.71(16 ratings)Regular Price:Try for $0.0015.99 USDFor years, the Supreme Court has turned a deaf ear to arguments that police officers should not be shielded by the legal doctrine of “qualified immunity” when they shoot or brutalize innocent civilians. “Qualified immunity”For years, the Supreme Court has turned a deaf ear to arguments that police officers should not be shielded by the legal doctrine of “qualified immunity” when they shoot or brutalize innocent civilians. “Qualified immunity” is just one of
several rules invented by judges that stop the vindication of basic rights. But aren’t courts supposed to be protectors of individual rights? In The Collapse of Constitutional Remedies, Aziz Z. Huq recounts a far more fraught history in which
the link between the Constitution’s system of independent courts and the protection of constitutional rights has always been tenuous.Federal courts have created many legal concepts such as “qualified immunity” that may seem abstract, but inflict real-world harms: A bureaucrat fires her employee for testifying in a legal proceeding involving the boss’s family. Police
officers set a dog on a homeless man, leaving him severely wounded. A Mexican teenager is shot in the back at the US border–and dies. In all these cases, defendants walk away with minor or no penalties. Their victims had rights–but
no remedies thanks to rules created by federal judges.A powerful historical account of how courts have carved a gap between rights and remedies, this book will reshape our understanding of why it’s so difficult to hold the American state to the rule of law.
... Read more -
Taliban, Third Edition
- By: Ahmed Rashid
- Narrator: Youssif Kamal
- Length: 14 hours 25 minutes
- Publisher: Blackstone Publishing
- Publish date: January 01, 2022
- Language: English
Regular Price:Try for $0.0022.95 USDA #1 New York Times bestseller Ahmed Rashid, called “Pakistan’s best and bravest reporter” by Christopher Hitchens, brings the shadowy world of the Taliban and its impact on Afghanistan and the Middle East and Central Asia intoA #1 New York Times bestseller
Ahmed Rashid, called “Pakistan’s best and bravest reporter” by Christopher Hitchens, brings the shadowy world of the Taliban and its impact on Afghanistan and the Middle East and Central Asia into sharp focus in this modern classic. Rashid offers an authoritative account of the Taliban’s rise to power, its role in oil and gas company decisions, and the effects of changing American attitudes toward the Taliban. He also describes the new face of Islamic fundamentalism and explains why Afghanistan has become the world center for international terrorism.
In this updated edition, Rashid examines how the Taliban regained its strength; how and why the Taliban spread across Central Asia; how the Taliban helped Al’Qaida’s spread into Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East; and more.
... Read more
Cliff Weitzman
Cliff Weitzman is a dyslexia advocate and the CEO and founder of Speechify, the #1 text-to-speech app in the world, totaling over 100,000 5-star reviews and ranking first place in the App Store for the News & Magazines category. In 2017, Weitzman was named to the Forbes 30 under 30 list for his work making the internet more accessible to people with learning disabilities. Cliff Weitzman has been featured in EdSurge, Inc., PC Mag, Entrepreneur, Mashable, among other leading outlets.
Recent Blogs
-
July 06, 2023
Which books are available on Spotify?
-
July 06, 2023
Are audiobooks free on Spotify with membership?
-
June 25, 2023
Top Destinations for Free eBooks and Audiobooks Online
-
June 25, 2023
Best Alternative to Barnes & Noble Online
-
June 25, 2023
The Best Places to Buy eBooks: Beyond the Kindle Ecosystem
-
June 25, 2023
What are the best places to find free ebooks?
-
June 25, 2023
Best Independent Companies to Buy eBooks from
-
April 19, 2023
How many Game of Thrones books are there?
-
April 19, 2023
Where to buy cheap books: A comprehensive guide
-
April 19, 2023
How many Jack Reacher books are there?
-
April 19, 2023
How many FNAF books are there?
-
April 19, 2023
How many Warrior Cats books are there?
-
April 19, 2023
How many Wheel of Time books are there?
-
April 19, 2023
The best Vampire Survivors powerups in order
-
April 19, 2023
How to read the Robert Galbraith books in order
-
April 19, 2023
How to read the Artemis Fowl books in order
-
April 19, 2023
How to read Craig Johnson’s books in order
-
April 19, 2023
How to read Cassandra Clare’s books in order
-
April 19, 2023
How to read Lee Child’s books in order
-
April 18, 2023
How to read the In Death book series in order
-
April 18, 2023
Best book quotes
-
April 18, 2023
A tale of two cities reviewed
-
April 18, 2023
All the President’s Men reviewed
-
April 18, 2023
Tintin reviewed
-
April 18, 2023
What are adult coloring books?
-
April 18, 2023
How to read the Percy Jackson books in order
-
April 11, 2023
How to find charities for the blind
-
April 11, 2023
What is the best Bible app
-
April 11, 2023
Where to find free audio Bible downloads
-
April 11, 2023
What is the best free Bible app
More in this series
- The best Agatha Christie books
- 19 Best South Books
- 10 Best Shakespeare, Fiction Books
- 11 Best Northeast Books
- 24 Best Teenagers Books
- 29 Best Essays & Narratives Books
- 29 Best International Relations Books
- 20 Best Bedtime & Dreams Books
- 29 Best Philosophy & Social Aspects Books
- 29 Best History & Theory Books
- 15 Best Running & Jogging Books
- 19 Best Missions Books
- 29 Best 21st Century, History Books
- 12 Best Coming of Age, Young Adult Fiction Books
- 14 Best Internet Books
- 29 Best Success, Business & Economics Books
- 19 Best Alternative Therapies, Health & Fitness Books
- 29 Best Law Books
- Books recommended by Piper Perabo
- 26 Best Eschatology, Religion Books
- 29 Best Cooking & Food Books
- 29 Best Multigenerational, Juvenile Fiction Books
- 29 Best Apocalyptic & Post-Apocalyptic Books
- 14 Best Other, History Books
- 16 Best Marine Life, Juvenile Fiction Books
- 29 Best Composers & Musicians, Music Books
- 29 Best Anxieties & Phobias, Self-Help Books
- 24 Best Business Aspects Books
- 29 Best models.Chapter Books, Juvenile Fiction Books
- 27 Best 19th Century, Juvenile Fiction Books