Argo

How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History

By: Antonio Mendez, Matt Baglio

Narrated by: Dylan Baker

Length: 9 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

The true account of the 1979 rescue of six American hostages from Iran

On November 4, 1979, Iranian militants stormed the American embassy in Tehran and captured dozens of American hostages, sparking a 444-day ordeal and a quake in global politics still reverberating today. But there's a little-known footnote to the crisis: six Americans escaped. And a midlevel agent named Antonio Mendez devised an ingenious yet incredibly risky plan to rescue them.

Armed with foreign film visas, Mendez and an unlikely team of CIA agents and Hollywood insiders - directors, producers, actors - traveled to Tehran under the guise of scouting locations for a fake film called Argo. While pretending to find the perfect scenery and backdrops, the team succeeded in contacting the escapees and smuggling them out of Iran without a single shot being fired.

Antonio Mendez finally details the mind-bogglingly complex and dangerous operation he led more than three decades ago. A true story of secret identities and international intrigue, Argo is the gripping account of the history-making collusion between Hollywood and high-stakes espionage.

©2012 Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio (P)2012 Penguin Audiobooks

Critic reviews

“Fresh and engaging…A solid choice for fans of thrillers and international intrigue.”(Kirkus)

“James Bond’s Q comes to life. This gripping, true story of a white-knuckle operation by a little known part of the CIA reads like a thriller. Full of authentic detail and characters, of bravery and drama, it’s a must-read for all spy enthusiasts and CIA watchers.” (Dame Stella Rimington, former general director, MI5, British Intelligence)

“The CIA and Hollywood in cahoots, a painter turned spy, an impossible rescue mission with no guns and only one chance at success - Argo has everything. This remarkable white-knuckle spy story is torn from the pages of real life, and will have you up past your bedtime to discover its thrilling endgame.” (Eric Blehm, author of Fearless)

Great story

This was a great story with great Americans! It was a little drawn out though.

Great story, annoying narration

Narrator ruined this for me. Especially his use of fake accents and over pronunciation of the T and Ss in “houseguests”.

Play it again, Sam

Although a familiar plot, ergo the Casablanca tag line, the book provides deeper understanding of the covert agencies of yesteryear. Very well read and an excellent companion to full fledged spy stories. A must ‘read!’

Great Book

What did you love best about Argo?

If you remember the Iran crises this is a very telling story of what happen to some of the people in Iran at the time. No question this book is so superior to the movie which leaves out much and puts in too much.

It's a must listen.

Which scene was your favorite?

Getting through the Airport

If you could give Argo a new subtitle, what would it be?

Unsung hero's of the CIA

better than fiction

So Good! why is this not how we learned history in school. loved the attention to detail. never boring.

First Rate Story.

Could not turn it off. I had first learned of the adventure by seeing the movie. Fantastic.

Amazing story, the narrator can be annoying

This is such a wild story, and extremely well written by Mendez. The way Dylan Baker pronounces “houseguests” and any word ending in -sts is grating. Otherwise he’s great, but since the hostages were called the houseguests you get it a lot.

Loved the movie, love the book

I did not know much about Argo prior to seeing the movie. I really enjoyed the movie. But I figured there was more to the story, and boy is there a lot more to tell. Mendes is one of those outstanding American characters that seems more fiction than fact. Now granted everyone likes to pain themselves in a positive light but I get a feel that he is for real. So if you liked Argo and want to know the details inbetween then definitly listen to the book. If you have not seen Argo then listen to the book and you will get a treat that sheds light on the evergoing complicated world of espionage, government and the Middle East.

Very Informative

While the movie was an edge of your seat movie, I left the movie wanting to know more details and background, so I got the book. It is well written and narrated, and certainly does give you the background, without going into unnecessary and boring details. Highly recommend it.

Amazing story!

Love this story - makes me want to be a spy! Just make sure you listen to it at 1.25x b/c I almost returned it due to the narrator.