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Glock: The Rise of America's Gun Audiobook
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(3.03) - 554 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Based on fifteen years of research, Glock is the riveting story of the weapon that has become known as American’s gun. Today the Glock pistol has been embraced by two-thirds of all U.S. police departments, glamorized in countless Hollywood movies, and featured as a ubiquitous presence on prime-time TV. It has been rhapsodized by hip-hop artists, and coveted by cops and crooks alike. Created in 1982 by Gaston Glock, an obscure Austrian curtain-rod manufacturer, and swiftly adopted by the Austrian army, the Glock pistol, with its lightweight plastic frame and large-capacity spring-action magazine, arrived in America at a fortuitous time. Law enforcement agencies had concluded that their agents and officers, armed with standard six-round revolvers, were getting "outgunned" by drug dealers with semi-automatic pistols. They needed a new gun. When Karl Water, a firearm salesman based in the U.S. first saw a Glock in 1984, his reaction was, “Jeez, that’s ugly.” But the advantages of the pistol soon became apparent. The standard semi-automatic Glock could fire as many as 17 bullets from its magazine without reloading (one equipped with an extended thirty-three cartridge magazine was used in Tucson to shoot Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others). It was built with only 36 parts that were interchangeable with those of other models. You could drop it underwater, toss it from a helicopter, or leave it out in the snow, and it would still fire. It was reliable, accurate, lightweight, and cheaper to produce than Smith and Wesson’s revolver. Made in part of hardened plastic, it was even rumored (incorrectly) to be invisible to airport security screening. Filled with corporate intrigue, political maneuvering, Hollywood glitz, bloody shoot-outs—and an attempt on Gaston Glock’s life by a former lieutenant—Glock is at once the inside account of how Glock the company went about marketing its pistol to police agencies and later the public, as well as a compelling chronicle of the evolution of gun culture in America.
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"This book reads like a love letter from Barrett to the pistol. That is to its advantage; the early chapters describing the thought behind the design of the Glock 17 pistol gave me new appreciation for the machine, and the chapters that followed showing the rise of the Glock pistol in popularity from law enforcement to Hollywood are presented with a storyteller's aplomb."
— Benjamin (5 out of 5 stars)
Glock Listener Reviews
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VERY DISAPPOINTED, 3/15/2021
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" I thought that this book was entertaining and very well written. It was a bit boring in parts, but I thought that most of the book proceeded along at a nice pace. I thought that the internal dynamics of the company, including the crazy assassination bit, was pretty interesting and dramatic. "
— Pierre, 2/13/2014 -
" This book is a fascinating look into the history of GLOCK (gun and company) through the lens of American culture, business, politics, crime and entertainment and how it became the most popular handgun in the country. I'm not very knowledgeable about guns or a gun owner, but enjoy shooting on occasion. Even still I found this story to be very interesting. It is well researched and presented by Mr. Barrett. The narrator on the audiobook did a great job too. "
— Josh, 1/22/2014 -
" Informative and well organized. Whatever your position on firearms control is, it's definitely worth a read. "
— Will, 1/9/2014 -
" If one would like to know the history of Glock or how the gun industry is run, this is the book for you! Guns, money, politics, shady dealings, and women make this book run like a soap opera. Intrestingly enough it gives one a small view into how things are done behind the scenes. "
— Alford, 12/30/2013 -
" Interesting and detailed look at Glock's history as well as the modern transitions of firearms in America. "
— Ben, 12/22/2013 -
" The book does a great job of explaining to the uninitiated (me) where the gun came from and how it became so popular. Gaston Glock, the inventor and founder of the company, is highly unlikable, by the way. "
— Kim, 12/13/2013 -
" A fascinating history of the Glock, especially in the US. Well researched and engrossing book. "
— Judy, 12/8/2013 -
" Interesting history of a dominant handgun corporation. "
— Andrew, 11/14/2013 -
" Interesting and informative portrait of the company, its surprisingly short history, and principle players. "
— Ian, 10/12/2013 -
" Entertaining book overall. I enjoyed it. "
— Andrew, 9/8/2013 -
" The history was interesting. The political commentary was horrible. "
— Nathan, 3/24/2013 -
" Interesting, engaging and compelling. "
— Tom, 1/24/2013 -
" Very interesting read. Good for those interested in the history of the Glock in America, and how it became "America's handgun." This book is not my normal book fare, but I'm glad I read it. "
— Matthew, 9/17/2012 -
" This book was exactly what you'd expect from the title. A book about the glock, how it was developed and how it rose to the status of supergun that it has now in the States. It focuses on Gaston Glock the Austrian gun maker and how it was marketed in the States. Interesting read. "
— Chris, 5/26/2012 -
" It was a well written history of the gun. "
— False, 4/4/2012 -
" What an interesting look at marketing, people, and the industry. I was intrigued by how the semi-automatic industry grew, and even more so, I was amazed at the methods used to market this product. Fascinating. "
— Jana, 2/21/2012
About Paul M. Barrett
Paul M. Barrett is an assistant managing editor and senior writer at Bloomberg Businessweek. He is the author of the New York Times bestseller Glock: The Rise of America’s Gun; American Islam: The Struggle for the Soul of a Religion; and The Good Black: A True Story of Race in America. He lives and works in New York City.
About Kiff VandenHeuvel
Kiff VandenHeuvel, voice talent and audiobook narrator, is originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is an alumni of the Second City comedy theater. He is an accomplished improviser and sketch comedy director, and he teaches voice-over, improv, and directing at Second City Hollywood. He has appeared in hundreds of television and radio commercials and is well known in the video game community as the voice of Zachary Hale Comstock in Bioshock: Infinite.