If you are excited about the recent release of the film Zero Dark Thirty then this is the novel companion you are looking for.

“No Easy Day: The Autobiography of a Navy SEAL” is written by a former U.S. Navy SEAL. That SEAL was a team leader in the operation in which the terrorist Osama Bin Laden met his end and used the psuedonym Mark Owen to protect classified information. The novel itself has met controversy, due to claims from the Pentagon that it leaked classified information. However, Owen claimed that it does not reveal secrets, as he changed many names and details for the novel.

In the novel, Owen detailed his career as a Navy SEAL, from his childhood to his training to his various missions in the Middle East. The beginning portion of the book was spent explaining how Owen came to be a member of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group (DEVGRU), also known as SEAL Team Six. SEAL Team Six is the most elite of the elite, and Owen endured brutal training to earn his position among them.

The book then went on to cover some of the more memorable missions in Owen’s career, with intense action mixed in with useful background for those not so knowledgeable in military subjects. Owen then used the remaining half of the novel to recount the events of the nighttime raid of Osama Bin Laden’s compound, from a helicopter crash to the eventual demise of the terrorist leader himself.

Owen described the military life as a “speeding train,” and his novel certainly reflects that mentality, from its title to its thrilling combat scenarios. Overall, “No Easy Day” is a must-read for anyone truly interested in seeing the demise of the famous terrorist leader Bin Laden from the perspective of a real-life Navy SEAL.