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The Dawn Prayer (or How to Survive in a Secret Syrian Terrorist Prison)
- Narrated by: Michael David Axtell
- Length: 9 hrs and 47 mins
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Publisher's summary
A photographer captured in Syria and imprisoned for seven months recounts his story and how he became the first American ever to escape al-Qaeda.
"What is your name?" asked General Mohammad.
"Matthew," I said. I had stopped saying Matt a while ago because it means "dead" in Arabic.
On New Year's Eve in 2012, Matthew Schrier was headed home from Syria, where he'd been photographing the intense combat of the country's civil war. Just 45 minutes from the safety of the Turkish border, he was taken prisoner by the al-Nusra Front, an organization the world would come to know as the Syrian branch of al-Qaeda.
Over the next seven months he would endure torture and near starvation in six brutal terrorist prisons. He would face a daily struggle just to survive. And, eventually, he would escape. In this gripping, raw, and surprisingly funny memoir, Schrier details the horrifying and frequently surreal experience of being a slight, wisecracking Jewish guy held captive by the world's most violent Islamic extremists. Managing to keep his heritage a secret, Schrier used humor to develop relationships with his captors - and to keep himself sane during the long months of captivity.
The Dawn Prayer (or How to Survive in a Secret Syrian Terrorist Prison) is a tale of patriotism and unimaginable bleakness shot through with light, of despair and friendship, sacrifice and betrayal, in a setting of bombed-out buildings and shifting alliances. It's the story of the first Westerner to escape al-Qaeda - not a battle-hardened soldier, but an ordinary New Yorker who figured out how to set his escape plan in motion from a scene in Jurassic Park. From the prisoners' fiercely competitive hacky-sack games and volleyball tournaments (played using a ball made of shredded orange peels and a shoelace) to his own truly nail-biting breakout, Matthew Schrier's story is unforgettable - and one you won't want to miss.
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- By: Roger Dean Kiser
- Narrated by: T. Ryder Smith
- Length: 2 hrs and 31 mins
- Unabridged
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Hidden far from sight, deep in the thick underbrush of the North Florida woods are the ghostly graves of more than 30 unidentified bodies, some of which are thought to be children who were beaten to death at the old Florida Industrial School for Boys at Marianna. It is suspected that many more bodies will be found in the fields and swamplands surrounding the institution.
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A Haunting Reality.
- By William and Anna Truax on 07-28-18
By: Roger Dean Kiser
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Cold City
- Repairman Jack: Early Years Trilogy, Book 1
- By: F. Paul Wilson
- Narrated by: Alexander Cendese
- Length: 11 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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If you've never read a Repairman Jack novel, this is the place to begin. It's 1990. A twenty-one-year-old named Jack has dropped out of college, leaving his old life behind to build a new one in New York City. Manhattan's rough edges are jagged enough to shred any unwary newcomer, but perhaps not one who is determined to stay off the grid, at any cost, in the busiest metropolis on earth. And to do so, he'll have to take jobs of a less than legal nature.
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Fun, as long you don't think too much
- By Andrew Pollack on 01-17-14
By: F. Paul Wilson
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The Plantation
- Payne & Jones, Book 1
- By: Chris Kuzneski
- Narrated by: Dick Hill
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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The first to disappear is a ski instructor in the secluded mountains of Colorado. Hours later, a pregnant woman is abducted from a crowded hospital. Two places, two incidents, a single motive. And so it begins....
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Incredible Story
- By Char on 07-11-09
By: Chris Kuzneski
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The Unsung Hero
- Troubleshooters, Book 1
- By: Suzanne Brockmann
- Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor, Melanie Ewbank
- Length: 15 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
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After a near-fatal head injury, Navy SEAL lieutenant Tom Paoletti catches a glimpse of an international terrorist in his New England hometown. When he calls for help, the Navy dismisses the sighting as injury-induced imaginings. In a last-ditch effort to prevent disaster, Tom creates his own makeshift counterterrorism team, assembling his most loyal officers, two elderly war veterans, a couple of misfit teenagers, and Dr. Kelly Ashton.
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New narration breathes life into this for me
- By Kindle Customer (VH) on 06-21-16
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23 Hours
- A Vengeful Vampire Tale
- By: David Wellington
- Narrated by: Bernadette Dunne
- Length: 9 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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When vampire hunter Laura Caxton is locked up in a maximum-security prison, the cop-turned-con finds herself surrounded by countless murderers and death-row inmates with nothing to lose and plenty of time to kill. Caxton’s always been able to watch her own back—even when it’s against a cell-block wall.
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This LBGTQ hero is a must read or listen
- By DK R. on 03-26-22
By: David Wellington
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The Rise of Io
- By: Wesley Chu
- Narrated by: Soneela Nankani
- Length: 14 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Ella Patel, thief, con-artist and smuggler, is in the wrong place at the wrong time. One night, she happens upon a man and woman being attacked. The man freezes, leaving the woman to fight off five attackers at once, before succumbing. As she dies, to both Ella and the man's surprise, the sparkling light that rises from the woman enters Ella, instead of the man. She soon realizes she's been inhabited by Io, a low-ranking Quasing. Now Ella must help the alien presence to complete her mission.
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14 plus hours that I'll never get back.
- By Pachypanchax on 11-08-17
By: Wesley Chu
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The Death
- A Post Apocalyptic Novel
- By: John W. Vance
- Narrated by: Guy Williams
- Length: 7 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
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The Death will find you... Devin Chase was just living his life, when the world changed in an instant. In the matter of a week a deadly virus known as The Death ravages the world killing over 90% of those infected. After six months in a self-imposed quarantine, he emerges into a new world. As he travels, he discovers others like him who are immune, but he also discovers that the world he knew is gone. It has been replaced with a savage and brutal one where the only rule is kill or be killed.
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Unintentionally hilarious!
- By Steve Welch on 06-18-15
By: John W. Vance
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The Power of the Dog
- By: Don Winslow
- Narrated by: Ray Porter
- Length: 20 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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This explosive novel of the drug trade takes you deep inside a world riddled with corruption, betrayal, and bloody revenge. From the streets of New York City to Mexico City and Tijuana to the jungles of Central America, this is the war on drugs like you've never seen it.
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Gripping Drama
- By Deborah on 01-06-11
By: Don Winslow
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Newjack
- Guarding Sing Sing
- By: Ted Conover
- Narrated by: Ted Conover
- Length: 11 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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As he struggles to be a good officer, Ted Conover angers inmates, dodges blows, works to balance decency with toughness, and participates in prison rituals - strip frisks, cell searches, cell "extractions" - that exact a toll on inmates and officers alike. The tale begins with the corrections academy and ends with the flames and smoke of New Year's Eve on Conover's floor of the notorious B-Block. Along the way, Conover also recounts the history of Sing Sing.
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THE BEST BOOK ON PRISON LIFE I HAVE EVER READ!!!
- By Steve on 06-27-09
By: Ted Conover
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The Devil in Silver
- By: Victor LaValle
- Narrated by: Victor LaValle
- Length: 13 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Pepper is a rambunctious big man, and, suddenly, the surprised inmate of a budget-strapped mental institution in Queens, New York. He's not mentally ill, but that doesn't seem to matter. On his first night, he's visited by a terrifying creature who nearly kills him before being hustled away by the hospital staff. It's no delusion: The other patients confirm that a hungry devil roams the hallways when the sun goes down. Pepper rallies three other inmates in a plot to fight back: Dorry, an octogenarian schizophrenic; Coffee, an African immigrant with severe OCD; and Loochie, a bipolar teenage girl.
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Not a horror/thriller
- By Matilda Luk on 03-17-18
By: Victor LaValle
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The Dirty Streets of Heaven
- Volume One of Bobby Dollar
- By: Tad Williams
- Narrated by: George Newbern
- Length: 15 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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Bobby Dollar is an angel - a real one. He knows a lot about sin, and not just in his professional capacity as an advocate for souls caught between Heaven and Hell. Bobby’s wrestling with a few deadly sins of his own - pride, anger, even lust. But his problems aren’t all his fault. Bobby can’t entirely trust his heavenly superiors, and he’s not too sure about any of his fellow earthbound angels either, especially the new kid that Heaven has dropped into their midst, a trainee angel who asks too many questions.
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Angel Noir
- By Michael on 10-17-12
By: Tad Williams
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Becoming Quinn
- Jonathan Quinn Series Prequel
- By: Brett Battles
- Narrated by: Scott Brick
- Length: 6 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Meet Jake Oliver. The day will come when he's one of the best cleaners in the business, a man skilled at making bodies disappear. At the moment, however, he's a 22 year old rookie cop, unaware his life is about to change. In a burning barn a body is found--and the fire isn't the cause of death. The detectives working the case have a pretty good idea about what went down. But Officer Oliver thinks it's something else entirely, and pursues a truth others would prefer remain hidden - others who will go to extreme lengths to keep him quiet.
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Battles and Brick - a great combination
- By AudioAddict on 04-24-14
By: Brett Battles
What listeners say about The Dawn Prayer (or How to Survive in a Secret Syrian Terrorist Prison)
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Anonymous User
- 09-23-18
My favorite book
I enjoy audio books and I listen to them weekly. This one stands out as one of my, if not my, all time favorite. Not only was the authors words so personably presented, but the readers voice made it feel like you were there. What a story!
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1 person found this helpful
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- Crystal Matthews
- 01-01-22
Incredible
I very rarely write reviews but I haven’t listened to a book I was so drawn into for a long time. And the narrator was beyond perfect. I Highly suggest this book to anyone and everyone.
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- alexandria
- 09-08-18
Great Read
He spoke at my graduation from SERE. The guy is the real deal and he is hilarious so I made it a point to read his book. Loved it. A modern story of perseverance and grit. It’s written in a way that mirrors his “New Yorker” humor and swagger which is quite a humorous contrast with the jihadis’.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Brandon F.
- 05-28-21
An Amazing Tapestry
This is my first review here, and I am glad to write it. This book was incredible. The narrator is easily one of the best of the whole site. The emotion, the accents he uses, the natural way he reads the story overall like it was coming out of his own experiences was very touching.
The rich mixture of feelings the reader/listeners go through was masterfully crafted between Matthew Schrier's story and Michael Axtells voice acting. I read and listen to a lot of POW and capture accounts and they're always really interesting but they only really bring you through all the terrible stuff they went through. In The Dawn Prayer, Schriers account has multiple places where humanity bleeds through and really shows both mans inhumanity to man, but it also contains a pretty good amount of humor which is something that is very rare for accounts like this.
One of the best books I've ever gone through.
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- stormy
- 05-13-22
Excellent!
Masterpiece! Could not stop listening. Frightening story that could potentially save someone else’s life one day.
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- jennifer arguello
- 12-29-21
Stellar Narration!
This is an incredible book. It was made even better with the chosen narrator.
I loved this book and laughed out loud at times.
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- Jeremy
- 11-09-20
My First Review
This is the first book I've felt compelled to write a book for. The story contained within this book is absolutely incredible and very well conveyed by the narrator. This story has been one of the best audiobooks I've had the opportunity to listen to. I can not recommend this book enough.
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- Hugh Jafro
- 01-10-23
Edge of my seat reading
This was a great read. An unbelievable story of overcoming adversity, learning from mistakes, and managing relationships in a crisis.
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- Jack
- 10-07-22
It’s a breakdown of one’s humanity
This was an amazing story. I felt that I could relate to the author in my experience in the Marine Corps. In the treatment received from all the terror groups was absolutely terrible but it really breaks down one’s humanity once they treat you like an animal. One’s morals and principles come out then you start to see who people really are. Lines are drawn in the sand and it’s interesting to see the mindset into his captors. You’re learning about a whole new world. It’s culture is otherworldly .
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- Paul Menard
- 05-27-21
Awesome Story
I’m sure Matthew has had plenty of critics for going there in the first place, but what an incredible story!!
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