Area 51 - Annie Jacobsen

Area 51

By Annie Jacobsen

  • Release Date: 2011-05-17
  • Genre: Military History
Score: 4
4
From 1,027 Ratings

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

  • A Thorough Glimpse Into the Greatest Secret

    5
    By Screamer29
    This 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....

    5
    By Just_the_Facts
    That 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

    1
    By INFJ-male
    time 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

    5
    By Jordan1553
    I loved this book. It was well written and very captivating. This book has me wanting to read more about the subject.
  • Interesting Read

    5
    By BrianJamesH
    Very interesting and informative book. Would recommend to anyone interested in the early years of black projects.
  • Bruin28

    4
    By Florida Bruin
    A great read. Very interesting and factual.
  • Must read about Area 51

    5
    By JosefAK
    From 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 read
  • Amazing

    4
    By Jdminix
    The 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 Minix
  • Agreed, compelling, but flawed

    3
    By TheBearAk
    I 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.

    4
    By TIckelbaum
    For 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.

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