12 Strong: The Declassified True Story of the Horse Soldiers

Written by Doug Stanton

Narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris

Now a major motion picture from Jerry Bruckheimer starring Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon!

“A thrilling action ride of a book” (The New York Times Book Review)—the New York Times bestselling, true-life account of a US Special Forces team deployed to dangerous, war-ridden Afghanistan in the weeks following 9/11.

In the weeks following the attacks of September 11, a small band of Special Forces soldiers secretly entered Afghanistan. Riding on horseback, they pursued the Taliban over the stark and mountainous Afghanistan terrain. After a series of intense battles, they captured the strategically essential city of Mazar-i-Sharif.

The bone-weary American soldiers were welcomed as liberators as they rode into the city, and the streets thronged with Afghans overjoyed that the Taliban regime had been overthrown. Then the action took a wholly unexpected turn. During a surrender of six hundred Taliban troops, the Horse Soldiers were ambushed by the would-be POWs. Dangerously overpowered, they fought for their lives in the city’s immense fortress, Qala-i-Jangi, or the House of War. At risk were the military gains of the entire campaign: if the soldiers perished or were captured, the entire effort to outmaneuver the Taliban was likely doomed.

Previously published as Horse Soldiers, 12 Strong “is not just a battle story—it’s also about the home front. An important book” (the TODAY show). A thrilling, inspiring tale of a group of men on horses who did the impossible and an incredible account of real life bravery and heroism in the face of insurmountable odds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
• Release date: May 5, 2009
• ISBN: 9780743580823

Doug Stanton

Doug Stanton is the author of the New York Times bestsellers In Harm’s Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors and Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of US Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan, which is the basis for a Jerry Bruckheimer–produced movie by the same name, starring Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon, to be released by Warner Bros. in 2018. He attended Hampshire College and the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop. His writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New York Times Book Review, Time, The Washington Post, Men’s Journal, The Daily Beast, Newsweek, Esquire, and Outside, where he has been a contributing editor. Stanton is a founder of the National Writers Series, a year-round book festival, and lives in his hometown of Traverse City, Michigan, with his wife, Anne Stanton, and their three children, John, Katherine, and Will.

Reviews for 12 Strong

[bry · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I was surprised that I didn’t really like this book, it wasn’t very captivating and the story itself was not very good, I really like was stories but this one was underwhelming.

[yeremenko_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A lot of detail about the actual on the ground activities of US special forces in Afghanistan. The story covers, in depth, missions to guide bombs onto Taliban forces and efforts to bring allies into the fight. There is also enough information about the anti-Taliban Afghans to help one understand the ongoing problems that exist today. Though the story paints the Americans as heroes it does not ignore their errors or failures in preparation and supply.The final portion of the book is most relevant to today's issues. It discusses how many of the special forces soldiers from the Afghanistan victory disagreed in the approach in Iraq and predicted the troubles with insurgents.This is a must read for anyone interested in 911, the war on terror, or military tactics.

[readerspeak_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't know what to expect exactly when I started reading Horse Soldiers, just that it would be about a group of men who rode horses in the early stages of the war in Afghanistan. What I didn't expect was how intimate a portrayal Stanton paints with his meticulous research and first hand accounts of members of special forces in the days and weeks after 9/11. Definitely worthwhile for anyone interested in history, 9/11, or our government's approach to war. I'm glad I read it.

[kr04bps · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Doug Stanton asserts that wars in the 21st century will require as much diplomacy from soldiers as knowledge of warfare. His work narrates the compelling story of a small group of American Special Forces soldiers who fignt alongside anti-Taliban Afghanis in the weeks after 9/11, combining advanced tecnnology with ancient warefare, riding small, hardy horses through rugged terrain to quickly defeat the unpopular oppressors. Their methods of developing mutual trust and respect with the Afghan warlords and soldiers are starkly contrssted with the experience in Iraq, especially with the dissolution of the Iraqi army. Carefully researched, Stanton creates memorable characters in the background stories of these brave soldiers and homey family men, and makes the reader wonder why the general American population doesn't know their remarkable story.

[idahotaterbug · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

While there were parts that seemed a bit too full of words, overall it was a well done. Informative of the events that took place following the 9/11 attacks, following a group of SF and CIA agents that were injected into Afghanistan. The amount of time these soldiers spent with the residents of the country seeing things from their view helped them accomplish so much in a small amount of time, with a small number of people. I would recommend it to anyone.

[jmcilree_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fast and interesting read on the role Special Forces played in the defeat of the Taliban in Afghanistan immediately following 9/11. Many details are left out in order to focus on a dozen or so soldiers specific roles in the War.Well done.