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Area 51

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Area 51

By: Annie Jacobsen
Narrated by: Annie Jacobsen
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About this listen

'An extraordinary book' DAILY EXPRESS

'Revelatory ... Ms Jacobsen has put together a set of strong allegations about Area 51's covert history ... Her research is compellingly hard-hitting' NEW YORK TIMES

It is the most famous military installation in the world. And no credible insider has ever divulged the truth about his time inside of it. Until now. This is the first book based on interviews with scientists, pilots, and engineers - 58 in total - who provide an unprecedented look into the mysterious activities of a top-secret base, from the Cold War to today. With a jaw-dropping ending, it proves that facts are often more fantastic than fiction, especially when the distinction is almost impossible to make.

Read by Annie Jacobsen

©2011 Annie Jacobsen (P)2011 Hachette Audio Americas Media Studies Military Social Sciences United States Air Force Imperial Japan US Air Force War Aviation Cold War

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Critic reviews

An informative history...about the creativity, political acumen and courage of the high-flying Cold Warriors who sought to protect the free world in the decades after World War II (Andrew Dunn)
A compelling narrative of 50 years of covert operations by the CIA, the U.S. military, and the mysterious "Atomic Energy Commission".... Her meticulous research makes for a fascinating read, as it intersperses the accounts of secret government projects with anecdotes from the people who made those projects happen (Rachel Larimore)
All stars
Most relevant
many a hour has gone by listening to this well investigated book a credit to the author and read by her as well thank-you I loved it

Eye opener

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Well, that was a shocking and eye opening read. It is a thoroughly recommended book.

Shocking and eye opening

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Informative book, very well read. I found lots of information I had not been aware of before. Eye opening book in many ways.

Informative book, very well read.

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Absolutely fascinating, revealing and compelling. Stories and studies of achievement and sacrifice. Well read on audible.

This is definitely no rom-com.

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I was probably expecting something slightly different with UFO's ! alot made sense and flowed quite well.

interesting

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Liked the depth of research and breezy presentation, gained an appreciation of just how far ahead and far out these technologies can be. implies UFOs may just be sightings of unknown but man made technologies…..

Fascinating revelations about advanced defence technology development in USA

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I enjoyed the structure and content full of clandestine aero development within the CIA Black Ops Base in Nevada. The book highlights iconic aircraft and the pilots and high ranking personnel that even today is steeped in Secrecy.
The climax to the book was quite shocking and if true is most disturbing.
A worthy listen and well narrated throughout.

An in-depth history

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Jacobsen's history of Area 51 provides something fresh to the mythology of the most well-known secret site in the world - historical research and testimony. Brushing aside talk of alien spacecraft and the conspiracy theories of adolescent fanboys, the book gives the first published accounts of the rather more mundane history of the founding and early days of Area 51. Jacobsen's sources are the people, almost exclusively men, who lived and worked at the Nevada Weapons Testing location and the base often referred to as the "Skunkworks". These stories are of the creation and testing of spy planes such as the U2 and the A12 (more popularly known by its military version the SR71 Blackbird). The development of these unique aircraft and the men who flew them are the main thrust of this history. There are secrets about nuclear powered spacecraft and fatal accidents, but the darkest secret, never revealed fully, seems far fetched due to its seemingly comical pointlessness. After having come so far at the outset, to have the big reveal be shortened to the interviewees shaking their heads and giving the excuse that it's too terrible to talk about, just leaves the reader feeling like this stuff has been made up. Surely after over 60 years Stalin-era technology can't be so advanced that it has never been revealed - even by later Russian engineers. In the end, Jacobsen's history of Area 51 is a great addition to other military histories but her Roswell seems just as absurd as that of the UFO conspiracists, but less interesting.

Area 51 without the aliens.

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Having listened to the audio book (my first by Annie Jacobsen) first felt excited by what the book divulged; however, after a while, somethings began to become "clouded" and facts also stated were not true. I believe that the authors research is probably very extensive, but in order to draw some conclusions, facts are apparently "altered" to fit. The Horten brothers being one of the main issues, along with the "Russian Roswell connection"; available facts simply do not corroborate the assumptions!

In contrast, the book certainly outlines much of the "secret nature" of Area 51, and are correctly portrayed within the book, that make it a genuine and really admirable listen; and debunk some of the mysteries surrounding one f the most TOP SECRET MILTARY BASES in US; however, the errors put question marks over the books status.

The narration by Annie was not compelling, but understandable; and some of the pronunciations of personal names were difficult to ignore (something I found also evident in the next Annie Jacobsen book I listened to - Operation Paperclip).

Great writer nonetheless.

Area 51 debunked?

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Being ex military I find a lot of what's in this book to be of some truth. No I haven't worked at Area 51 but have seen some weird things in my time and many I could not explained

Some great information to inspire

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