No Easy Day by Mark Owen

Wow it's been a long time since I've posted. My reading slowed down because of studying for my exam and since then I've been gallivanting all over the place (Louisville, KY, Bloomington, IN, Boston, MA). But, I should be returning back to form with blogs every Sunday.

I first heard about No Easy Day watching Mark Owen on his book tour on 60 Minutes. It caught my attention right away. The book is written by a Navy Seal who was part of the team who killed Osama bin Laden. The book has been considered controversial because of how recent the mission was. The U.S. government felt some of it may have been sensitive and classified information. Mark Owen isn't even the author's real name; it's a pseudonym.

In the prologue, the author defends himself against those claims. He says much of the information has already been written in media publications (even though it may have been illegally leaked). Other times, he generalizes places and time frames. He uses fake names for people. He says he doesn't give away strategies or endanger future operations.

With all that being said, the book is incredibly detailed. The author takes you through his journey to become a Navy Seal and eventually be selected as part of the all-star team created to take down Osama bin Laden. He takes the reader through the repetitive training as they prepared to navigate Osama's compound, including sharing pictures of what the house looked like. The book builds to the climax as he relives the night of May 1st, 2011.

I really think everyone should read it given the historical significance. The book is simply written and straightforward. You get an idea of what the Navy Seals live through, especially on such a monumental mission like this one. Add this book to your list!

My rating for No Easy Day: 4.5 stars out of 5. Get it here!

P.S. I cannot wait to mail out books for Christmas! I send them to all my friends who I've recently talked to. If I haven't heard from you in a while, let's catch up. If you just want a book, pretend like you want to catch up.