No Hero

October 6, 2014
This follow up to the pseudonymous Owen’s No Easy Day (2012) appears destined to follow in the first book’s big-selling footsteps, as it is well suited to the public’s almost insatiable appetite for action-filled true stories by former SEALs, Green Berets, and other special forces members. In his previous book, Owen offered a first-person account of the killing of Osama bin Laden. This new work—again told with writer Maurer—describes other SEAL missions in which Owen took part. Owen says this book is not “another navel-gazing battle memoir”; instead, it focuses on “the most important moments” that took place during unnamed missions, “and the lessons from each one that define me.” The book, he says, is a “way to honor my brothers in the SEAL community,” some of whom died in service to the country. After several chapters describing the arduous SEAL training, Owen and Maurer provide fast-paced accounts of a series of missions in Iraq and Afghanistan that took place during Owen’s 13-year career. Owen emphasizes the selflessness and service of his fellow SEALs, along with the lessons he learned, in a book that is sure to appeal the many fans of in-the-trenches special forces memoirs. 


Narrator Paul Michael gives a fine narration of this companion to Owen's bestseller, NO EASY DAY. This more personal account of his experiences as a Navy SEAL gives the listener a look at the everyday aspects of life that go into making a SEAL. Mind you, these are the experiences, values, and lessons of an elite soldier and not your average 9-to-5 professional, so they can be quite thrilling, often hair-raising, and more than a few times tragic. Michael's resonant baritone is expressive in reading this work. His delivery and pacing are a good match for the author's conversational style. He quickly grabs the listener's attention and never lets up. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine

January 1, 2015

"Mark Owen" is the pen name of former Navy SEAL Matt Bissonnette (No Easy Day), a former member of the U.S. Naval Warfare Development Group, also known as SEAL Team 6. His successes range from the rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips from Somali pirates in 2009 to the mission that eliminated Osama bin Laden in 2011 to hundreds of raids and patrols in Iraq, East Africa, Haiti, and Afghanistan. Owen here translates the SEALs' (nonlethal) skills into tips that anyone can use to succeed in almost any career. The interesting and informative lessons include always work with teammates you can trust; always expect and demand honest feedback from top to bottom on lessons learned; focus on the task at hand; learn to improvise; and be comfortable being uncomfortable, just to name a few. Paul Michael's excellent narration sets the scene in the listener's mind. VERDICT Overall, a wonderful tool for those interested in modern military history or business. ["Covering raids that had less press attention than that described in his previous book, Owen's latest work may interest avid readers of military action," read the review of the Dutton hc, LJ 11/1/14.]--Scott R. DiMarco, Mansfield Univ. of Pennsylvania Lib.

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