''13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi'' is a 2014 historical book by American author

Mitchell Zuckoff Mitchell S. Zuckoff (born April 18, 1962) is an American professor of journalism at Boston University. His books include '' Lost in Shangri-La'' and '' 13 Hours'' (2014). Mitchell is a graduate of John F Kennedy High School in Bellmore, New Y ...

that depicts the

terrorist attack Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of criminal violence to provoke a state of terror or fear, mostly with the intention to achieve political or religious aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violen ...

Islamist militants ''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' ( ar, مُجَاهِدِين, mujāhidīn), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' ( ar, مجاهد, mujāhid, strugglers or strivers or justice, right conduct, Godly rule, etc. doers of jihād), an Arabic term th ...

at the American diplomatic compound in

Benghazi Benghazi () , ; it, Bengasi; tr, Bingazi; ber, Bernîk, script=Latn; also: ''Bengasi'', ''Benghasi'', ''Banghāzī'', ''Binghāzī'', ''Bengazi''; grc, Βερενίκη ('' Berenice'') and '' Hesperides''., group=note (''lit. Son of he Gha ...

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Su ...

on September 11, 2012. 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.

Reception

Karen DeYoung of ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'' stated, "Like other recent bestsellers of the Special Operations genre — "

Lone Survivor ''Lone Survivor'' is a 2013 American Biographical film, biographical war film based on the Lone Survivor (book), 2007 nonfiction book of the same name by Marcus Luttrell with Patrick Robinson (author), Patrick Robinson. Set during the War in A ...

," 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." Glenn C. Altschuler of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' 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."

Film

In 2016, the book was adapted into a major

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

directed by

Michael Bay Michael Benjamin Bay (born February 17, 1965) is an American film director and producer. He is best known for making big-budget, high-concept action films characterized by fast cutting, stylistic cinematography and visuals, and extensive use o ...

and starring

James Badge Dale James Badge Dale (born May 1, 1978) is an American actor. He is known for playing Chase Edmunds in '' 24'', Robert Leckie in ''The Pacific'', State Trooper Barrigan in Martin Scorsese's ''The Departed'', Luke Lewenden in '' The Grey'', Eric Sav ...

John Krasinski John Burke Krasinski (; born October 20, 1979) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his role as Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom '' The Office''. He also served as a producer and occasional director of the series throughout its ni ...

, and

Max Martini Maximilian Carlo Martini (born December 11, 1969) is an American actor, writer, and director known for his roles as Corporal Fred Henderson in ''Saving Private Ryan'', Wiley in '' Level 9'', First Sergeant Sid Wojo in '' The Great Raid'', and as ...

. The film received mixed reviews based on its perceived political stance, but nevertheless grossed a total of $69.4 million worldwide against a production budget of $50 million.

References

{{Reflist 2012 Benghazi attack 2014 non-fiction books Non-fiction books adapted into films Twelve (publisher) books

Reception

Film

See also

References