close
From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant: A Novel Audiobook, by Alex Gilvarry Play Audiobook Sample

From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant: A Novel Audiobook

From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant: A Novel Audiobook, by Alex Gilvarry Play Audiobook Sample
FlexPass™ Price: $12.95
$9.95 for new members!
(Includes UNLIMITED podcast listening)
  • Love your audiobook or we'll exchange it
  • No credits to manage, just big savings
  • Unlimited podcast listening
Add to Cart
$9.95/m - cancel anytime - 
learn more
OR
Regular Price: $19.99 Add to Cart
Read By: Ramón de Ocampo Publisher: Recorded Books, Inc. Listen Time: at 1.0x Speed 6.17 hours at 1.5x Speed 4.63 hours at 2.0x Speed Release Date: January 2012 Format: Unabridged Audiobook ISBN: 9781464008207

Quick Stats About this Audiobook

Total Audiobook Chapters:

25

Longest Chapter Length:

56:44 minutes

Shortest Chapter Length:

12 seconds

Average Chapter Length:

22:32 minutes

Audiobooks by this Author:

2

Other Audiobooks Written by Alex Gilvarry: > View All...

Publisher Description

Norman Mailer Fellow Alex Gilvarry delivers a witty satirical gem with his debut novel From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant. Boyet Hernandez aspires to be a high-end fashion designer. But the night before he's set to make it big, he hears a knock on his door. Shortly after, he finds himself in a Gitmo prison cell-locked up as a suspect in a deadly terrorist plot.

Download and start listening now!

"This book is really easy to read, keeps you interested all the way through. It's not exactly what I thought it would be in that most of the story is not heartbreaking and tortuous. Until the very end where it gets real very fast. Usually endings are not the best parts but this is one of the best I've read in a while. Definitely worth reading."

— Bob (4 out of 5 stars)

Quotes

  • “It’s rare for a novel to tread so fearlessly into the political and yet to emerge so deeply funny and humane. Gilvarry is a young talent on the rise. Watch him gallop through the mess we’ve made of our civilization with style and panache.”

    — Gary Shteyngart, New York Times bestselling author of Super Sad True Love Story
  • “The narrative crackles with satire…You’ll be twisting a lip upward at the Bellowesque brio of Gilvarry’s language…A left-handed love letter to America.”

    — New York Times Book Review
  • “The deepest intelligence is poetic, incisive, and inordinately funny. Heads up, folks. Alex Gilvarry just walked through the door.”

    — Colum McCann, National Book Award–winning author of Let the Great World Spin
  • “[A] whirligig of a book [that] draws some striking parallels between the way we mythologize stars and the way we look at terrorists…From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant slices through these tropes, using Boy’s pure improbability as the skewering blade.”

    — Boston Globe
  • “A breezy, nervy novel…It’s a sparkling onion of a book as Mr. Gilvarry peels back layer upon layer of irony…This is a deadly serious novel that often makes one laugh out loud.”

    — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
  • “Gracefully tackles politically charged subject matter…Like his idol Coco Chanel (arrested in 1943 for her Nazi ties), Boyet is thrust into a political spectacle of good and evil. An engaging victim of uncertain times, he’s a protagonist who will appeal to readers of all political persuasions.”

    — Publishers Weekly
  • “From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant is sharply written and wryly witty, touching on the sensitivities and paranoia of post-9/11 America…Combining a Kafkaesque hero with a captivating ‘coming to New York’ story, Gilvarry’s debut is a timely and touching triumph.”

    — Booklist

Awards

  • Selected for the January 2012 Indie Next List
  • Recipient of the Barnes & Noble Discover Award

From the Memoirs of a Non-Enemy Combatant Listener Reviews

Overall Performance: 4.1 out of 54.1 out of 54.1 out of 54.1 out of 54.1 out of 5 (4.10)
5 Stars: 5
4 Stars: 1
3 Stars: 4
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Narration: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Story: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 (0.00)
5 Stars: 0
4 Stars: 0
3 Stars: 0
2 Stars: 0
1 Stars: 0
Write a Review
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I liked it more than I thought I would...a very different book! "

    — Shana, 2/5/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Creative out of the box story mixing cultures and lifestyles. I was challenged and unable to laugh when the author was intending this response. "

    — John, 1/20/2014
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I found the asides about fashion in this book dull and boring, but that's because I don't have an interest in fashion. Overall, the plot runs well and has some lol-inducing dialogue. Above-average satire. "

    — Matt, 1/9/2014
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Smart-alecky fashion upstart gets mixed up with terror suspects and ends up in Guantanamo Bay. Funny and almost ridiculously absurd, but yet somehow believable. The title is clunky, but it's memorable in a "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" kind of way. "

    — Alison, 12/18/2013
  • Overall Performance: 4 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 54 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " Found this on the Barnes and Nobles "books we recommend shelf". Glad I did. An entertaining, different kind of novel. "

    — Nanci, 11/10/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " No small thing - this is one of the funniest novels I've read in years. It's also a sad, beautifully crafted, weirdly relevant, and thoroughly original debut like no other, reminiscent of Gary Shteyngart, Max Frisch, and Saul Bellow. Can't wait for book two. "

    — Scott, 10/20/2013
  • Overall Performance: 3 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 53 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " I thought about this book a lot after finishing it, which is always a good sign. There were so many witty one-liners that made me laugh out loud. Great mixture of humor and insight. "

    — Jessica, 9/27/2013
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " That's right, I reviewed my own book. "

    — Alex, 11/16/2012
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " OMG! You have to read this book! It is HILARIOUS! You'll be quoting lines from this book to all your friends! "

    — Steven, 9/15/2012
  • Overall Performance: 5 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 55 out of 5 Narration Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5 Story Rating: 0 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 50 out of 5

    " This was just a ton of fun to read, even though the gist of the story is sobering. I found it to be a better book on the victims of the Patriot Act than Little Brother by Cory Doctorow simply because it was funny yet thoughtful and didn't hit you over the head with the message. "

    — Ellen, 5/1/2012

About Alex Gilvarry

Alex Gilvarry is a native of Staten Island, New York. He contributes to NPR’s All Things Considered and his work has appeared in the Paris Review Daily; he is also a founding editor of the website Tottenville Review, a book review collaborative. He lives in Brooklyn and Cambridge, Massachusetts.

About Ramón de Ocampo

Ramón de Ocampo, an Earphones Award-winning narrator, was a cowinner in 2018 of the Audie Award for Best Multi-Voiced Performance. A graduate of the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama, he has been seen on television, film, and stages all over the world, including recurring roles on such television shows as The West Wing, 12 Monkeys, Sons of Anarchy, and Medium. He is the winner of a prestigious Obie Award for his stage work.