13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi

Author	Mitchell Zuckoff with the Annex Security Team
Language	English
Subject	Counter-terrorism
Genre	Non-fiction
Publisher	Twelve
Publication date	September 9, 2014
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardcover)
Pages	352
ISBN	9781455582273
OCLC	882187556
Dewey Decimal	363.32509 (Alameda County Library)

13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi is a 2014 historical book by American author Mitchell Zuckoff that depicts the terrorist attack by Islamist militants at the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012.^[1] The book is an account from the point of view of the compound's defenders and does not address any of the political controversy surrounding the attacks.^[2]

Karen DeYoung of The Washington Post stated, "Like other recent bestsellers of the Special Operations genre — "Lone Survivor," about a Navy SEAL mission in Afghanistan, or "No Easy Day," about the raid that killed Osama bin Laden — "13 Hours" is an action story that does not dwell on matters of U.S. foreign or security policy, or even the specific cauldron of Libya. Roman Augustoviz of Star Tribune wrote, "'13 Hours' is a jarring narrative at times, but well-flowing. It dwells mostly on the six security operators, who they were, how they prepared for their jobs and how they reacted in a crisis and depended on one another."^[3] Glenn C. Altschuler of The Boston Globe commented, "Zuckoff focuses on the Benghazi security men... 13 Hours is a suspenseful (and often violent) account of their competence and courage, written with the hope that their actions will be "understood on their own terms, outside of partisan or political interests."^[4]

In 2016, the book was adapted into a major feature film directed by Michael Bay and starring James Badge Dale, John Krasinski, and Max Martini.^[5] The film received mixed reviews based on its perceived political stance,^[6] but nevertheless grossed a total of $69.4 million worldwide against a production budget of $50 million.^[7]

• Counterterrorism Center
• Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 (2007), a similarly themed book written by Marcus Luttrell.