I recently listened to the audiobook version of this terrific nonfiction book. The story of Area 51 goes back nearly to World War II. Talk of this legendary site often gets sidetracked into discussions of aliens and conspiracy theories. The facts Jacobsen provides go a long way to explaining why: for eighty years the northern test ranges in Nevada have been utilized to build and test some of America’s most secret projects. The U-2, the SR-71, and the F-177 Stealth Fighter were all birthed in its secretive hangars. The narrative is compelling in this first-rate read.