Area 51
By Annie Jacobsen
- Release Date: 2011-05-17
- Genre: Military History
Description
This "compellingly hard-hitting" bestseller from a Pulitzer Prize finalist gives readers the complete untold story of the top-secret military base for the first time (New York Times).
It is the most famous military installation in the world. And it doesn't exist. Located a mere seventy-five miles outside of Las Vegas in Nevada's desert, the base has never been acknowledged by the U.S. government — but Area 51 has captivated imaginations for decades.
Myths and hypotheses about Area 51 have long abounded, thanks to the intense secrecy enveloping it. Some claim it is home to aliens, underground tunnel systems, and nuclear facilities. Others believe that the lunar landing itself was filmed there. The prevalence of these rumors stems from the fact that no credible insider has ever divulged the truth about his time inside the base. Until now.
Annie Jacobsen had exclusive access to nineteen men who served the base proudly and secretly for decades and are now aged 75-92, and unprecedented access to fifty-five additional military and intelligence personnel, scientists, pilots, and engineers linked to the secret base, thirty-two of whom lived and worked there for extended periods. In Area 51, Jacobsen shows us what has really gone on in the Nevada desert, from testing nuclear weapons to building super-secret, supersonic jets to pursuing the War on Terror.
This is the first book based on interviews with eye witnesses to Area 51 history, which makes it the seminal work on the subject. Filled with formerly classified information that has never been accurately decoded for the public, Area 51 weaves the mysterious activities of the top-secret base into a gripping narrative, showing that facts are often more fantastic than fiction, especially when the distinction is almost impossible to make.
Reviews
Could Not Put it Down
5By Jawood57Great read, one that answered some questions I had about Area 51 and what went on there. I had several relatives that worked at Lockheed during that time. Still many unanswered questionsExcellent.
5By ambientdreamerI wish more history books were written like this.I love this book
5By lilbeanoXDOk I have always been in love with Area 51 and almost my whole life I have believed that their were aliens because of what people say. But because of this book I learned that aliens are NOT in area 51 I HAVE LIVED IN NEVADA FOR YEARS and I have always wanted to go to area 51. Because it seems so intriguing.A Thorough Glimpse Into the Greatest Secret
5By Screamer29This was a great read front to back and explored the many interwoven roads that have lead to and through Area 51 since it’s establishment. Only more info will come but never will we know all and that’s the biggest piece of lore that draws readers to this topic.Annie, you have a need to know....
5By Just_the_FactsThat you pronounced the word "Nevada" wrong throughout your book. I have lived in Nevada for about 25 years, so I know how the name of our State is supposed to be pronounced. I think your book was very good. The topic is interesting. You obviously spent a lot of time researching it. But I do not understand how you could have been so engrossed in this topic and have encountered the word Nevada thousands of times through countless hours of interviews and walk away from it all still mispronouncing the word. This is not a minor problem, for it is very annoying. Assuming you interviewed any deeply embedded Nevadans, they may have been less forthcoming with you. Please, for the sake of any future research you may conduct or books you may narrate, pronounce the word the way we do. You know how we say Nevada. I wish you the best of luck and success in the future.Waste of
1By INFJ-maletime and money. If your are looking for real insights this is not the place. Purchased even after reading the poor reviews. Shame on me!Awesome Read
5By Jordan1553I loved this book. It was well written and very captivating. This book has me wanting to read more about the subject.Interesting Read
5By BrianJamesHVery interesting and informative book. Would recommend to anyone interested in the early years of black projects.Bruin28
4By Florida BruinA great read. Very interesting and factual.Must read about Area 51
5By JosefAKFrom Soviet subterfuge to nuclear testing to modern reconnaissance plus so much more, this book is clearly the most honest and through living history of Area 51. A must readAmazing
4By JdminixThe book really had my attention serving in the military since 1976 seen a lot but never had an idea that Area 51 existed very good references for research this is just the beginning thank you CSM MinixAgreed, compelling, but flawed
3By TheBearAkI found that there were many minor misstatements that really made be groan about what how it was described. Some things were, like usual, over dramatized and seemed to be there just to satisfy the people that were only marginally interested in such a book. Lots of historical background that often was un-nessessary. One example of a groaner is where the author describes Collin's crash cause as the pitot tube saying something to the effect of: It failed due to the adverse effects of the moisturizer components" More than likely, the moister came from the CLOUD and froze inside the tube. Anyway, just a groaner and really doesn't take away from the book other than there are many more like that. Real sleeper of a book for anyone that is an aviation or area 51 enthusiast. I'll still give it 3 stars because it is not terrible, but it doesn't leave you asking for more.Area 51.
4By TIckelbaumFor the most part I thought the book was well researched & entertaining. The part I find unbelievable is her Russian flying saucer crash at Roswell with Mengele's experimental children piloting the craft.Great read!
5By Teton GebsterGreat read and look into the history of the Nevada Test Site, US nuke testing following WW2 and the CIA's development of the U-2 and A-12 spy planes!la basura liberal con mentiras completas
1By MJ in COmás tonterías de un liberal idiota, que pasa más tiempo arrojando hechos sesgo a continuación de la escritura.Superb!
5By ReadSpeedReally interesting. Area 51 isn't really so such a secret anymore but detailing about the events which we all know vaguely about was very interesting and aliens being within till this day isn't completely impossible. One of the things this book didn't touch on was alien technology used by us and others to make all this possible. I'd recommend you read 'Disctech' here on the iBookstore to understand more about that. When you hear and read about what the eye witnesses say and saw it does all match up!Good until the last chapter
4By Gretchen vAs a young woman, I read this book purely for educational purposes to learn more about a part of our American History that lacks clarity and definition. I found the book to be insightful with research and narrative histories collected by the author as collective, informative and interesting readings. The best part of this book are the number of stories accumulated into one place about one place. My only issue was the final chapter. How do you end a book about Area 51 when most of your research remains classified? Don't guess or assume, nor leap to conclusions. The questions surrounding Roswell or aliens will remain until more information is declassified with proof to solve these mysteries in history.Good only for beginners
1By twsklossThis book really let me down, especially after the review on NPR. I enjoy reading about the development of high technology and some of the most interesting achievements have been kept secret for obvious reasons. Some interesting facts are unearthed in this book but to me it is just a pulp designed to grab the attention of readers who are new to the subject matter. Hints are not so subtly dropped in each chapter about an enormous conspiracy that was conducted at Area 51. And when you get to it at the end you are left baffled. Did Jacobsen get duped by an insider or was this simply a case of greedy publishers trying to make a buck off the gullible public? I'm glad I got the electronic version so my friends don't see it on my shelf.Clearly this has been kept secret for a reason.
1By Aldino704Well thanks for publishing this book, so now all the terrorists can find out America's classified defense research and testing.
