No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden

Written by Mark Owen and Kevin Maurer

Narrated by Holter Graham

The #1 New York Times bestselling first-person account of the planning and execution of the Bin Laden raid from a Navy SEAL who confronted the terrorist mastermind and witnessed his final moments.

From the streets of Iraq to the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips in the Indian Ocean, and from the mountaintops of Afghanistan to the third floor of Osama Bin Laden’s compound, operator Mark Owen of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group—known as SEAL Team Six—has been a part of some of the most memorable special operations in history, as well as countless missions that never made headlines.

No Easy Day puts readers alongside Owen and his fellow SEAL team members as they train for the biggest mission of their lives. The blow-by-blow narrative of the assault, beginning with the helicopter crash that could have ended Owen’s life straight through to the radio call confirming Bin Laden’s death, is an essential piece of modern history.

In No Easy Day, Owen also takes readers into the War on Terror and details the formation of the most elite units in the military. Owen’s story draws on his youth in Alaska and describes the SEALs’ quest to challenge themselves at the highest levels of physical and mental endurance. With boots-on-the-ground detail, Owen describes several missions that illustrate the life and work of a SEAL and the evolution of the team after the events of September 11.

In telling the true story of the SEALs whose talents, skills, experiences, and exceptional sacrifices led to one of the greatest victories in the War on Terror, Mark Owen honors the men who risk everything for our country, and he leaves readers with a deep understanding of the warriors who keep America safe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Penguin Audio
• Release date: Sep 4, 2012
• ISBN: 9781101613207

Reviews for No Easy Day

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Mark Owen recounts his time as a Navy Seal, and the killing of Bin Laden. Sprinkled with some humorous aspects of Seal life - yes, there were some - it is a fascinating and quite interesting account of what Owen’s experiences were leading up to the assault on the compound that housed Bin Laden. He talks about what led him to becoming a Seal, other missions he was on as a Seal, and the final attack on the compound. He does not skimp on the details nor the dangers he encountered. It indeed was no easy day, nor is the recollection of it, but worth every word in this memoir. Well done, and well written.

[highlander6022 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A reasonably well written documentary of the raid to kill Bin Laden. The author provides some additional background material on the training that SEALS have to go through, which was informative as well.

[drmom62 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating

[marshapetry · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Of all the SEALs books I've read, this one is probably the weakest. I dunno, it was less thorough or less descriptive, I'm not sure exactly, I only know that even though it was the most important stories of the 2000s, it just wasn't told all that well. The false modesty of the SEALs ("...we're not superheroes..."... uh, yah, you're right, you're not superheroes and no one said you were) gets old. Anyway this story covers one SEAL's version of becoming a SEAL and participating in the mission to kill Bin Laden. It was an OK book, and the narrator was really good. I recommend the book, but not overwhelmingly. Go for it if you just like SEALs books - it's a kick.

[brikis98 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quick, fun read. Don't expect incredible prose or deep philosophy. But it's a fascinating and sometimes exciting look at a part of the world most of us are sheltered from.

[timleggett · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good insight into how the special forces US works, it mostly felt like bullshit to me when it actually came to catching OBL but there is probably some bias there from me. Plus he constantly says he tell it all.

[patbilly · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A huge thanks to the teams who found UBL and risked their lives to eliminate the threat from UBL and his followers. I hope everyone involved in this operation stays safe. Although the writer has no love for President Obama, our President clearly had the courage to go forward with this operation against the advice of many.

The book was an interesting and informative read. it should have been edited a bit closer to eliminate disclosing the writer's biases against women (and their high heels) and Pres. Obama. These revelations detract from the writer's characterization and hint of a bit of misogyny..... something I'd rather not know about this brave, great American SEAL.

[oscarwilson-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was stupidly hoping for another Generation Kill type book. No Easy Day is not the same by a long shot. It is very interesting in its own right but much more toned down and reserved.

[luftwaffe_flak · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reads like a novel, excellent book covering the previous deployments and the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. Personally think it needed to be done in terms of a memoir.

[zumbanista · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An engrossing account of the life a Navy Seal. Interesting information on the mental and physical states, attention to detail and bravery these courageous men and called upon to exhibit. Clearly describes the capture of OBL and a good companion to the movie "Zero Dark Thirty". Gets a little personal when Owen recounts his trouble with those in charge, but overall a good book by a knowledgeable and credible author.

[yeremenko_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book disappointed me. It isn't the writing or the detail. The ghost writer did a good job and the details are interesting. What is disappointing is the hero, member of Seal Team Six, has a remarkably uninformed, narrow view of the world. Parts of the books where he discusses and celebrates earlier missions where hapless over matched adversaries are dispatched with ease are chilling. Owen as he calls himself, is critical of the Obama admin delaying missions, failing to make the call to launch the mission, putting up road blocks to protect civilians. According to Owen no civilians or innocents were killed in his missions, so he assume the safeguards were unneeded. While he derides Obama for taking credit for successes he offers no credit to the president for his decision to send the mission, or the controversial authorization to allow his team to fight back against Pakistan if confronted by Pakistan's military. Though quick to criticize Obama there is no mention of George W, Bush's decision to send him and thousands of others into Iraq. Apparently wearing a flight suit and declaring "Mission Accomplished" for a nonexistent victory bothered him little. Owen's obtuseness is exceptional, in a single paragraph he laughs at the CIA saying they were 100% sure Bin Laden had been located, noting how difficult it would be to support such ideas, and that awesome super tough guys had died because of analysts that were so sure of themselves, and questioning the Presidents bravery for delaying the mission. That's right. Two big complaints 1. The CIA is never sure, 2. Why haven't they sent me to kill the person in that house that the CIA probably has wrong.

I am grateful professional killers like Owen are available for such demanding work. I am also grateful more level headed civilians keep the reins on them.

[berthashaver · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The only criticism about this book is that as in all cases of military/government communications, it is FULL of acronyms. Not being familiar with the acronyms, I found it a bit hard to figure out what was going on at times. I have had respect for the military men and women who protect our country all my life, but I now have and even greater respect for the best of the best, who at times have sacrificed their marriages for their drive to do their best. Their time and talents are damanding and at times the stress is too much for a family life. The life of a SEAL is dangerous, their families sacrificed not knowing where their loved ones were or when they would be back - or IF they would be back. The hand picked team of 22 men was taken from several squadrons and trained in North Carolina in a "mock compound" situation until their muscle memory kicked in and they were fully able to execute the mission with the only hitch being one of the helicopters crashed while trying to hover - no men were killed or injured and no civilians killed or injured. A successful operation that took the life of Osama Bin Laden - the leader of Al Queda.

[clueless_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The ending of the movie 'Zero Dark Thirty' rang a bit false to me so I wanted to get another perspective on the raid. I was not disappointed. He states in the preface that everything was derived from unclassified sources so I think all the 'stink' around the book is uncalled for and could possible be attributed to a 'conspiracy' to suppress it's popularity.

[steve6clason · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A former Navy SEAL, writing anonymously, chronicles life in Seal Team Six, culminating in the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. Thoughtful, careful, and well-written, the book lacks the expected bravado and presents itself as it presents the team members, as disciplined, efficient, and experienced. Well worth reading.

[addictedtomorphemes · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First-person account of the events leading up to the execution of Osama bin Laden in May 2011. I'm always concerned when I read things like this that secrets will be given away that could cause harm to our military forces in the future. The author was insistent that he did not include any information that has not already been released to the public and he was obscure and often used generalities in sharing other information in order to help protect his fellow Team members. He used false names for his brothers as well as for himself (although his real identity was leaked after the publication of the book). Of course, as a civilian who wouldn't know any better, I didn't pick up on anything unusual being given away that hadn't already been discussed in the other books about SEAL members I've already read.

He said he just wanted the true story told because what we have gotten from the media and movies, etc. contains a lot of speculation and just plain bunk that most people think of as being factual. He was very humble and was not lax in giving others credit where it was due. I didn't get any sense of ego from him like he was trying to come across as the big hero of the bunch.

They didn't go in hollering with guns blazing. They knew their jobs, went in as quietly as possible, and got it done. One thing he stressed was how calmly it all went down. Well, not including the stress of one of their helos crashing, but even that was handled well by an experienced and competent pilot who somehow landed without anyone being hurt. Incredible piloting there and the author was quick to jump on that and give the pilot highly-deserved credit for saving the lives of everyone on board.

The mission was completed in around 40 minutes from boots on the ground to exfiltration. The majority of the time was spent taking photos and getting DNA samples from those killed and rounding up all the intel they could find: computer hard-drives, flashdrives, papers, etc. Everyone went in knowing what their specific job was and they pretty much did everything without talking to each other until they had cleared all the buildings and succeeded in taking down the threats. There was some return fire from bin Laden's courier, but the others, including bin Laden himself, did not attempt to defend themselves or their wives and children, although they all had weapons nearby. One of bin Laden's wives caught some shrapnel in her leg, but she wasn't shot at point blank and was treated for her injuries. One other woman in the household was killed when she threw herself at her husband to protect him while he was being shot.

I do find it interesting, as did the author, that although bin Laden had weapons available, he did not appear to be willing to fight for his cause. It seems cowardly that he was able to convince so many of his followers to strap on suicide vests or put themselves in the direct line of death for his cause and yet he himself wasn't willing to go down fighting for it.

One thing that made me feel a little uncomfortable was the author's obvious disdain for the current administration. He stated that most of his teammates felt the same way. I think if this book would have been released after Obama's term, it wouldn't have bothered me so much, but I didn't like it because this is their present commander-in-chief whom they are still serving. (That can't go well at promotion time, can it??) He didn't go into reasons why he felt this way other than being disappointed that it took a long time to finally get the call to go ahead on this mission. I can't imagine the conversations behind the scenes with the President and his advisers figuring out how to handle the ramifications of going into a suburban neighborhood in Pakistan (a country we are NOT at war with) to take down at least four men in a household of people, hoping without 100% proof, that one of those men is actually bin Laden. It must have been insane.

I'm impressed with the character and humility shown by the author as well as the continued professionalism the SEAL members use on all of their missions. I appreciate the way this story was told by someone who was there and was told with the seriousness it deserves. I would have been disappointed if it would have been all about egos and heroics...the equivalent of a touchdown dance. This was handled well and ended with a sobering list of fallen SEALs, including some of the members of SEAL Team 6 who were part of the bin Laden mission but who were killed months later when an RPG hit the helicopter they were in, killing 30+ people.

[ganesh.kudva.groups · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Very easy reading and hard to put down - the book deserves 4 stars! However, I gave it a 3 star considering its a very single sided story.

Its very impressive what and how the NAVY SEALs operate and their achievement. Particularly impressive is their team work and how the team protects each other. Every one has back of each other.

On the other side, one cant help but notice the ugly violence. And the fact that the US fights wars outside its soil and engages enemy on their soil. US can decide when to engage and when to disengage the foreign fighters and withdraw - but the other party have nowhere to go but get cornered in their land. Having said that, its very impressive how US has chased its enemy for years without giving up, found them and brought them to justice.

[hadriantheblind · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

This is not a well-written book, nor is it even an exciting one, but it brings up several important questions.

The man's exploits are exciting and laudable, but the writing style does them little credit. Only the last few chapters go into any depth on the raid itself. The ghost writer did a rather substandard job at taking the author's stories and turning them into a readable book. There are some interesting technical bits near the beginning, but most of the rest is rather dry stuff. Mr. Owens' interesting life is turned into cheesy B-movie schlock.

The news articles about the book already discuss the good bits of the raid anyway. Most notably, his testimony differs from the official White House version in several places.

In two ways, however, Mr. Owen sets a dangerous precedent. First, in that a military serviceman, in a public venue, criticizes his commander-in-chief during election season. He does this not even from discontent, not from fear for his country, nor for national security, nor revealing a crime - but simply out of minor political differences.

The second point is the possible, yet presently unconfirmed leak of classified information, again under questionable circumstances, and the refusal to sign any Non-Disclosure Agreements. The Pentagon considers legal action as I write this. Now that Fox News has revealed the author's real name and that death threats are set up by Al Qaeda against him, I am suddenly reminded of Valerie Plame. Again information spread too quickly at the wrong time can become dangerous.

A book which relies on controversy and provocative timing to turn a profit for the publisher. The author aimed to donate the money to veteran support charities, but it seems even they have rebuffed him.

I, a mere outsider, might not have any say in this, but is it right to have our most secret individuals selling their secrets? No doubt they do their jobs impeccably. But something's been infecting perceptions of the military recently, and it's hard to explain what comes next.

[denisetoby · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A little bit technical but overall good

[heduanna · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Not the greatest writing I've ever seen, but let's be honest: nobody's reading this because of any glowing prose. I found Owen's book direct, accessible, & thoughtful. There's not a lot on the larger place of bin Laden in history, just the predictable broad strokes of this being the dream assignment of pretty much anyone in the military/intelligence community. But even that was helpful, in its way: in the end, bin Laden was an assignment for Owen. And I liked the way he described the SEAL/special forces community (it was a welcome antidote to Marcinko's books, of which I read a couple when I was a teenager/early 20's). An important current affairs book.

[phlll_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Ok for a quick read. The author says he is writing to inspire a future kid to want to become a SEAL, and the writing style shows.

The book is interesting, and possibly no less factual than any news report seen or read before.

[kelslynn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A Navy SEAL, part of Team Six, tells of the preparation for and details of the killing of Osama Bin Laden. It was a book filled with descriptions of guns, gear, strategies and precision training for assaults; I think I learned most about the mentality and focus of the men in these specialized military units. They deserve our respect and gratitude for the service they perform in hostile situations.

[msf59 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

“Killing Geromino.”

In the pre-dawn hours on May 1st 2011, US helicopters approach a compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan. This is the hideout of the world’s most notorious terrorist, Osama Bin Laden. Suddenly the lead chopper crash lands into the building’s courtyard, jeopardizing this historic mission.
Mark Owen has been a Navy Seal for many years and was part of Operation Neptune Spear. This is his first-hand account of how the mission went down, told in riveting and harrowing detail.
This is also a memoir of his childhood in Alaska and his yearning to become part of an elite force of soldiers. The best-trained military unit in the world. He also gives a fascinating account of other key missions, that his group participated in, including the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips from Somalian pirates.
All names of the soldiers involved, including the author’s, were changed for security reasons. Strongly recommended. Geromino was the code name given to OBL.

[br13nifo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Geronimo EKIA! “No Easy Day” describes the intense warfare of the war on terror, and up to the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, the mastermind Al Qaeda terrorist. This book takes you through hunting terrorists related to the 911 attack and Osama Bin Laden. This is a great book for those who like war books and action/adventure. I loved how the author Mark Owen described each experience, on missions, on base, and the raid on Bin Laden’s compound. All the events that occurred in the story was leading up to the one mission, the compound raid, and the death of Osama Bin Laden, the world’s most known and targeted terrorist.

“No Easy Day” really gives you input on all the missions in the last 10-18 years of hunting down terrorists, and tracking down all of the terrorists involved in the 911 attack. I liked all the intense detail of combat in the book. I would not recommend this book to people older than 13. It can be detail, but it is a great story. I give this book 5/5 stars for intense story, great detail, and a great topic!

[lieto70 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The book ‘No Easy Day’ by Mark Owens is a personal account of the Navy Seal experience from the soldier himself Mark Owens. This book takes you from training to the ultimate mission to take down the top leader of Al Qaeda network Osama bin Laden. It will never let down the tension and excitement this book holds from page to page.

What’s great about the book, No Easy Day, it really explains in a simpler version of how this mission went down. It makes it much more clear and understandable without jeopardizing the leaders of the operation. Barack’s account of the Osama bin Laden killing is far different than the first hand action fulfilled event given by Mark Owen the Navy Seal, who was there when the Osama bin Laden fatal shots were fired. Normally all actions under specialized missions are secret and completely hidden from the people and due to Obama’s thought this mission wasn’t exactly kept secret. News and media were all over this subject as soon as bin Laden was killed.

“Since my first deployment as a SEAL and the attacks on September 11, I’d dreamt of being involved in the mission that would kill or capture Osama bin Laden. I was lucky enough to play a role.”

Another great aspect to this book is that Mark Owen’s reflects back and forth from his current
operation to the acts of 9/11 and how he felt at each and every situation led up until the “Day.” He goes into depth of each time period over the last 12 years. Also the strategic training for months of how the mission would go down. Although this mission was insisted to be a “capture” mission it ended up being an assassination. This book really takes you to the edge of where certain information should not be released.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested with current wars and our government today. I give Mark Owens a lot of respect for releasing his point of view and information that most did not know. Overall this book is action packed and thriving with exclusive information to keep you flipping pages.

[twylyghtbay · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book and recommend it to others. I look forward to the day when the classified information becomes non-classified and is released to the public. It's disgraceful that the authors true identification was leaked because he authored a biography about his experience as a Navy SEAL , disclosing only his personal opinion and did not include any information that was not available from outside sources. The White House has leaked more classified information and endangered American military personnel at times in the past, so I'm not clear on why the government made such a huge issue regarding this book. Osama bin Laden had two weapons at hand reach and the team had already taken live fire. How could anyone expect the SEAL team members to be aware of the fact a that a known terrorist, responsible for the death of thousands of Americans, had unloaded weapons. Captain Obvious needs to visit these complainers. Kudos to "Jen"and her team for years of dedication and work. Kudos to all the government agencies and personnel who worked together so that Operation Neptune Spear was successful with zero American causualties. Some parts of the book do seem slow, but the book is written in a manner that non-military personnel, such as myself, can easily understand the sequence if events. Read the book in one day. I hope the person who leaked this mans name was appropriately consequenced.

[hubert2smits · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

The author is so adamant to not reveal any secrets that the story gets bland, there is no detail, nothing interesting in the book.

[dalecogdell · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

THE book on the Osama Bin Laden raid. Government tried to stop the release of this book.Written by one of the seals present in the raid.

[realbigcat · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An exciting and interesting book on the 2011 mission that killed the most horrible terrorist Osama Bin Laden. This book is by one of the actual Seal team 6 members that was on the mission Mark Owen (not his real name). In addition to a very complete telling of the actual mission the book contains stories of life as a Navy Seal and stories of many missions Owen was on. The book is a great insight to a more secret group of soldiers and shows the tremendous training and sacrifice each Seal team member makes just to be part of the team. I found the book very interesting and exciting.

[joeteo1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"No easy day" is the story of the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. Only the last third of the book details the events of that day and the first part of the book details the early life, training, and other missions of the author, who was a member of the SEAL team that carried out the mission. Overall it was a well paced and enjoyable book. I do not understand the fit raised by the DoD over the contents of the book as it reveals frustratingly few details. Overall the actual story is quite anticlimactic from the crazy stories that were carried by the major news outlets. The book is a well written glimpse into the workings of the elite anti-terrorist SEAL team and the events that took place during one of the most important covert operations in the last 30 years.

[arielfl · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I picked this up wanting to know more about what went down the day bin Laden left this earth. My problem is not with the author himself who along with the other men who participated in the raid are genuine American heroes but rather with his flat emotionless writing style. Ex. I shot some guys, drank some beer, shot the bull with my buddies, killed some more enemy combatants, drank more beer. The whole book drones on like that. Another thing I didn't quite get was the original plan was to bring Osama bin Laden in alive to stand trial. If he did not pose a threat he was not supposed to be killed. Personally I would have liked to see him stand trial. When he was killed he was in a bedroom unarmed with two of his wives. I don't see what threat he was posing and that was never clarified in the book.

The best part of the book for me was when the author related meeting CIA operative "Jen" who was responsible for tracking bin Laden over the course of five years and providing the intelligence that brought him down. I love that a woman was responsible for bin Laden's take down. The Taliban's treatment of woman as if they are beneath them is well known so it is especially fitting that it was a woman who was ultimately responsible for ending his reign of terror. If "Jen" ever writes a book that is the one I want to read. This book didn't provide anything past the facts that the team trained, they were sent in, bang band he's dead.