Saved: A War Reporter's Mission to Make It Home
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- Create Date：2024-03-15 13:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Benjamin Hall
- ISBN：006330967X
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Summary
AN INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "An affecting， singular story。。。a bracing tale of life on the edge of death。" — Kirkus Reviews When veteran war reporter Benjamin Hall woke up in Kyiv on the morning of March 14， 2022， he had no idea that， within hours， Russian bombs would nearly end his life。 As a journalist for Fox News， Hall had worked in dangerous war zones like Syria and Afghanistan， but with three young daughters at home， life on the edge was supposed to be a thing of the past。 Yet when Russia viciously attacked Ukraine in February 2022， Hall quickly volunteered to go。 A few weeks later， while on assignment， Hall and his crew were blown up in a Russian strike。 With Hall himself gravely injured and stuck in Kyiv， it was unclear if he would make it out alive。 This is the story of how he survived—a story that continues to this day。 For the first time， Hall shares his experience in full—from his ground-level view of the war to his dramatic rescue to his arduous， and ongoing， recovery。 Going inside the events that have permanently transformed him， Hall recalls his time at the front lines of our world’s conflicts， exploring how his struggle to step away from war reporting led him back one perilous last time。 Featuring nail-biting accounts from the many people across multiple countries who banded together to get him to safety， Hall offers a stunning look at complex teamwork and heartfelt perseverance that turned his life into a mission。 Through it all， Hall’s spirit has remained undaunted， buoyed by that remarkable corps of people from around the world whose collective determination ensured his survival。 Evocative， harrowing， and deeply moving， Saved is a powerful memoir of family and friends， of life and healing， and of how to respond when you are tested in ways you never thought possible。 Benjamin Hall’s memoir includes a 16-page color photo insert。
Reviews
Josully3
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 True story with a happy ending。
Rachel Bauldree
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I listened to the audiobook version of this novel where I could listen to Benjamin Hall describe his journey。 I was captivated during it's entirety， not only by his injuries and experience on the battlefield but about his family， doctors， friends， and colleagues。 He allowed this book to speak for everyone involved， not just his journey and that is something I noticed and greatly appreciated。 This novel and American Dirt were ones that opened my eyes to the impact of people's generosity。 We as hu I listened to the audiobook version of this novel where I could listen to Benjamin Hall describe his journey。 I was captivated during it's entirety， not only by his injuries and experience on the battlefield but about his family， doctors， friends， and colleagues。 He allowed this book to speak for everyone involved， not just his journey and that is something I noticed and greatly appreciated。 This novel and American Dirt were ones that opened my eyes to the impact of people's generosity。 We as humans would not be able to make it without the compassion of others。 It is deeply inspiring。The strength and sheer will Benjamin Hall had to have while enduring all that he did is remarkable。 Not only from the pain and lengths that had to be taken to travel to safety but even the hallucinations he highlights while undergoing medication is fascinating。 This book will keep you intrigued and lay out the realities of life from both sides of the spectrum。 Forever grateful for the brave soldiers who willingly endure the world's violence to keep us safe。 The word， soldier， has many layers and I truly believe one of them is that of a war reporter。 Thank you for all you do for all of us。 。。。more
Kathy
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Well written， eye opener about the ongoing horrors of the war in Ukraine。 Helped me understand the innate drive and passion for news that allows men and women to want to report from the front lines of dangerous areas。 Hall writes his about his love for journalism， his close relationships with colleagues and how he questions his risk taking lifestyle once married and a father。 Surviving catastrophic injuries， an unbelievable rescue， amputation and years of rehab made me wonder how many would not Well written， eye opener about the ongoing horrors of the war in Ukraine。 Helped me understand the innate drive and passion for news that allows men and women to want to report from the front lines of dangerous areas。 Hall writes his about his love for journalism， his close relationships with colleagues and how he questions his risk taking lifestyle once married and a father。 Surviving catastrophic injuries， an unbelievable rescue， amputation and years of rehab made me wonder how many would not have the resources of the military to survive this tragedy of war。 Hall's ability to focus on living and deal with pain is amazing。 He is one of many unrecognized war heroes。 。。。more
Ondre
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Sometimes I finish a book and realize I'd like to read it again in a few months。 Not so this one！ I just finished it and now can't wait to reread it。 I'd watched Benjamin's broadcasts for some time and when I first heard the news of Fox reporters missing and then injured， my thoughts and prayers went to Benjamin and his crew。 He has told an almost unbelievable account of the determination and heroism of so many to get him out of Ukraine and then the collaboration of so many doctors， nurses， p t' Sometimes I finish a book and realize I'd like to read it again in a few months。 Not so this one！ I just finished it and now can't wait to reread it。 I'd watched Benjamin's broadcasts for some time and when I first heard the news of Fox reporters missing and then injured， my thoughts and prayers went to Benjamin and his crew。 He has told an almost unbelievable account of the determination and heroism of so many to get him out of Ukraine and then the collaboration of so many doctors， nurses， p t's， friends and family to help him get to the place he's at now。 Inspiring， heartwarming， and so much more！ Thank you Mr。 Hall！ 。。。more
Dull_Reader
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A Ukrainian here。 I picked up this book hoping for an informed， detailed， thought-out account about the author’s experience reporting war in my home country and his evacuation after being wounded。 What I got instead: yet another confirmation of a yawning gap in thisworld between the privileged （mostly white and rich and with the right passport） and the rest of us。 The scope of resources used to evacuate one journalist from Ukraine—dozens of people involved， nepotism， all sorts of personal connec A Ukrainian here。 I picked up this book hoping for an informed， detailed， thought-out account about the author’s experience reporting war in my home country and his evacuation after being wounded。 What I got instead: yet another confirmation of a yawning gap in thisworld between the privileged （mostly white and rich and with the right passport） and the rest of us。 The scope of resources used to evacuate one journalist from Ukraine—dozens of people involved， nepotism， all sorts of personal connections （including calls to the US minister of defence while he was en route to Brussels）—are mind-boggling。 The same goes for the author’s recovery and hundreds of people （and hundreds of thousands of dollars） involved in that。 All this time I was thinking of military and civilians in Ukraine and elsewhere， the level of care they were receiving or could expect to receive with equally terrible or even worse traumas。 Two Ukrainian soldiers were killed when accompanying the author on his mission。 I only hope that Fox corporation paid at least a fraction of their reporter’s evacuation costs to the families of those soldiers in Ukraine。 Most probably they also had children！ The same goes for the 21-year-old fixer Oleksandra who to a great extent enabled the reporting mission on the ground only to be killed。 The second half of the book with its self-centered， pathetic whining over and over about the author’s family was nauseating。 All Icould think about was the children and families of Ukrainiansoldiers and civilians—and of millions of people worldwide， from Syria to Gaza to Guatemala。 I hope the author at least understands his privilege—and actually does something to help “third-class” people on the ground who enable his “adrenaline-junkie” trips to war zones。 One would think that the experience of documenting human suffering would make you humble and more conscious of your privilege and help you put things in perspective—but no， in this case， it just pushes you to churn out a book dropping a slew of names and flaunting the fact that you belong to a higher caste， all while adding another neat sum to your bank account for royalties。 。。。more
Lynn Patrick
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Compelling story！
Alyssa Cruz
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I really enjoyed this memoir， and I admire how Benjamin Hall went about writing it。 His gratefulness and appreciation for the help he received shown through the pages， and the entire book felt like one big acknowledgment。 I think he did a good job honoring lives lost in the conflict， as well as seemingly remaining hopeful。 I would have given it five stars， but I can't help but critique his viewpoints surrounding Fox News。 I understand he has probably worked with many talented journalists from th I really enjoyed this memoir， and I admire how Benjamin Hall went about writing it。 His gratefulness and appreciation for the help he received shown through the pages， and the entire book felt like one big acknowledgment。 I think he did a good job honoring lives lost in the conflict， as well as seemingly remaining hopeful。 I would have given it five stars， but I can't help but critique his viewpoints surrounding Fox News。 I understand he has probably worked with many talented journalists from the network， but I simply can't subscribe to the notion Fox is this beacon of free press and journalism because it simply is not。 。。。more
Arthur
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Inspiring
Peter Zhang
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Compelling story， simplistic writing， relevant perspective to current events。Compelling story of war and survival told from a unique perspective of a journalist that became the story。 It's simplistic writing makes it a quick read， but at times the details are so intense that you would want to slow down to have the picture emerge in your mind。 With that said， I feel as though there is not enough depth in exploring the author's own emotions and how that influenced his philosophy beyond the surface Compelling story， simplistic writing， relevant perspective to current events。Compelling story of war and survival told from a unique perspective of a journalist that became the story。 It's simplistic writing makes it a quick read， but at times the details are so intense that you would want to slow down to have the picture emerge in your mind。 With that said， I feel as though there is not enough depth in exploring the author's own emotions and how that influenced his philosophy beyond the surface level analysis。The book can be summed up in three parts: 1） backstory of Ben's career that led him to the faithful day of his journalist team's tragedy， 2） the people and events that took to get him out of Ukraine， and 3） his initial recovery journey to get him to the point at which he can return home to his family。 True to the title， the journey to "make it home" includes the time in the hospital recovering in the last third of the book。 However， that portion does not rise up to the level of intrigue as the first two parts， and therefore dragged at the end。 To me， the real story ends at the two third mark when he's out of Ukraine with a true climax and resolution。 The last third， while important part of the author's story， to me， can be excluded。Overall， I enjoyed this book and would recommend。 。。。more
Brenda
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AudiobookIt was interesting to hear about the start of the war in Ukraine and incredible to hear about his rescue。
Gav Smith
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Over the past summer I had told my dad I was interested in combat journalism as a potential career path and in return he bought me this book。 I was initially skeptical as the book is a memoir by a Fox News journalist and my dad happens to be a Fox News dad， but I was pleasantly surprised。 This memoir takes no political stance and is an uplifting tale of a man who nearly lost everything， but persevered and came out on the other end a better person。 There are somethings that kinda threw me off lik Over the past summer I had told my dad I was interested in combat journalism as a potential career path and in return he bought me this book。 I was initially skeptical as the book is a memoir by a Fox News journalist and my dad happens to be a Fox News dad， but I was pleasantly surprised。 This memoir takes no political stance and is an uplifting tale of a man who nearly lost everything， but persevered and came out on the other end a better person。 There are somethings that kinda threw me off like getting the names of cities or countries wrong。 For instance， there is an entire Chapter titled “Misrata” about Hall’s experience in Libya， but later claims it to be a Syrian city。 That’s neither here nor there though， I really enjoyed this book and combat journalism feels like it’s my calling despite the great risk and little pay offered within the profession。 。。。more
Kimberly Ann
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4。5 stars， which I am rounding up to 5 stars overall （Goodreads needs to put in half star ratings）。 When I picked up this book， I didn't know anything about Benjamin （Benji） Hall。 I had to look him up to understand that he had been injured in the early days of the Russian's invading Ukraine in 2022。 I thought this book would be similar to Bob Woodruff account of his injuries。 However， I feel like Benjamin's account is different， perhaps because it is a different war。 To start， I think Benjamin's 4。5 stars， which I am rounding up to 5 stars overall （Goodreads needs to put in half star ratings）。 When I picked up this book， I didn't know anything about Benjamin （Benji） Hall。 I had to look him up to understand that he had been injured in the early days of the Russian's invading Ukraine in 2022。 I thought this book would be similar to Bob Woodruff account of his injuries。 However， I feel like Benjamin's account is different， perhaps because it is a different war。 To start， I think Benjamin's account of his early life， and what drove him into wanting to be a war correspondent was excellent。 I had to appreciate the fact that Benjamin started our his career rough。 He was that classic kid who did not know what he wanted to do， and then decided to venture out with a friend to see where he could find stories。 Benjamin does talk about many of the stories he covered， both as a freelance journalist and as a Fox News reporter。 I think Benjamin tried to focus on the bigger stories of his career; the ones that showed the real danger he was putting himself into before he became a father and a husband。 I think those stories were enough here。 I think if he talked about every story in his career， this book would have been far too long and， frankly， a little boring。 I like that he hit on the biggest ones and， I think he did that to prove the point that he was putting himself into a lot of danger earlier in his career。 I think it also showed the reader that being a war correspondent is a very dangerous job to do。The later half of this book is all about Benjamin's recovery。 I will admit， at times here， the recovery sections seemed to go on far too long。 That is the reason for my 4。5/5 star review。 While I think it is important to explain the trauma he went through from the attack， and what he had to so afterwards to get home， I do think that some chapters were a little drug out。 Overall， an excellent book that I am glad I picked up 。。。more
Sandra
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I want to hide in shame but I didn't love this book。 😬 You know how some times it would just be a better piece in a magazine or something and not necessarily a whole book？ It just felt unnecessarily long。 And the timelines got muddled for me trying to figure out where Hall was in each year and why。 I want to hide in shame but I didn't love this book。 😬 You know how some times it would just be a better piece in a magazine or something and not necessarily a whole book？ It just felt unnecessarily long。 And the timelines got muddled for me trying to figure out where Hall was in each year and why。 。。。more
Jen Shuck
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A story of survival and grit and determination， and also about learning what's most important in life。 I enjoyed this， though it seemed repetitive at times and I would have loved a deeper dive into the origins of the Ukranian conflict， though that clearly wasn't the author's objective。 A story of survival and grit and determination， and also about learning what's most important in life。 I enjoyed this， though it seemed repetitive at times and I would have loved a deeper dive into the origins of the Ukranian conflict， though that clearly wasn't the author's objective。 。。。more
Kim
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Benji Hall is a journalist who was gravely injured while reporting from Ukraine。 This book starts as a memoir and then becomes more of a story of survival after a drone attack。
Sarah Edwards
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Whew！ What a listen。 Definitely recommend if you enjoy memoirs or stories of current events and journalism。 The author reads the audiobook and does a great job （makes sense since he’s a reporter）！
Michelle Grose
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Restores faith in humanity to see how many people selflessly came to his aid！ And how he fought so hard to stay alive and recover！
Hessah
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I didn’t want to sympathize with a fox reporter。 Doesn’t Fox Co。， manipulate the media and with biased news reports on a daily basis？ These factors and more made this read unpleasant initially。 Politics aside， Ben went through multiple highs and lows in his freelance journey， until his desire to settle with a family lead to full time secured job which took across Europe to no other than Ukraine to report on the Russian–Ukraine conflict。 The consequences were dire and irreversible with heartbreak I didn’t want to sympathize with a fox reporter。 Doesn’t Fox Co。， manipulate the media and with biased news reports on a daily basis？ These factors and more made this read unpleasant initially。 Politics aside， Ben went through multiple highs and lows in his freelance journey， until his desire to settle with a family lead to full time secured job which took across Europe to no other than Ukraine to report on the Russian–Ukraine conflict。 The consequences were dire and irreversible with heartbreak losses。 I’m at awe with the rawness of the autobiography， it felt like deconstructed diary in which everything was laid openly。 The journey of healing was soothing with a sense of relief that civilians were generally safe。 Despite me enjoying the pace that was devoid of boredom， I was hesitant to embrace his accounts completely。 Ben appears to think and acts like Russians have no shame attacking civilians which was proven to be incorrect。 He didn’t take a moment to question both parties accounts so， it was frustrating to read about the barbaric Russians while Mr fair reporter didn’t dare to question Ukrainian authorities accounts。 It is infuriating in this era with social media accounts to notice that reporters claim ignorance and can get away with it。 。。。more
Lexie
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First half of this was really good， but the second half felt really boring。
Donna
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It started off a bit slow as he laid the foundation of his life as a journalist， son， husband， father and friend。 Once he got to the bombing， his rescue， survival and recovery， his story took off。 He’s truly an inspiration。 War correspondents are a different breed。 Thank God for them。 Otherwise， we might never know the truth in war。
Skylar Blackburn
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Interesting insight on the life of a war reporter。 Ben shares all his neat stories of meeting wonderful people from all over the world， while also sharing the vulnerabilities of life after his injury and the recovery from a bombing in Ukraine。 Loved the book even if it took me a while to finish， it was worth it。 Raw。 Real。 Vulnerable。
Lindsey Honea
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SAVED is about one war reporter whose luck ran out in Ukraine when his car was hit by a bomb。 You get a little backstory of his life， how he ended up there， and the fight to get him out and save his life。 At times the story is bogged down by a lot of geography， political-ness， and name dropping， but in all it was a good read。
Gerald Matzke
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This the a remarkable account of God’s direction over the series of events that led to finding， treating， transporting and rehabbing someone who was near death after a bombing in the Ukraine。 Benjamin Hall was always one to go the extra mile to tell the story as a war correspondent even if it meant putting himself in danger。 The reader gets a real sense of the brutality of war and the courageous strength of those who treat the wounded in order to bring them back to a new normal in their lives no This the a remarkable account of God’s direction over the series of events that led to finding， treating， transporting and rehabbing someone who was near death after a bombing in the Ukraine。 Benjamin Hall was always one to go the extra mile to tell the story as a war correspondent even if it meant putting himself in danger。 The reader gets a real sense of the brutality of war and the courageous strength of those who treat the wounded in order to bring them back to a new normal in their lives no matter how long it takes。 One of the realities is that not everyone makes it as far as Ben Hall did。 This was a fascinating book。 I would recommend it to anyone especially for someone who is facing challenges in life that seem beyond control。 。。。more
Kelsey
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I enjoyed listening to this story， how he told it， and gave credit to the heroes who participated in his rescue and recovery。 Loved the final chapter; in how he made sense of the reoccurring WWII dreams with that of the combined experiences from those of his and his father’s。 I loved hearing about the various people who helped Benji， how each of them were driven to participate in either his rescue or recovery。 Thank you for the beautiful tribute to Pierre， his cameraman who died。
Susan K。 Martin
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One of the best books I’ve ever read。 We all saw him on the news when Russia invaded Ukraine。 He went where a lot of journalists didnt dare go。 He did everything to bring us the facts of what was happening in this war torn country。 The children and families he saw walking for miles and miles to get to safety and his conversations with them are just heartbreaking。 Your heart will feel like its beating out of your chest one minute and the next you are crying like a baby。 I urge everyone to read th One of the best books I’ve ever read。 We all saw him on the news when Russia invaded Ukraine。 He went where a lot of journalists didnt dare go。 He did everything to bring us the facts of what was happening in this war torn country。 The children and families he saw walking for miles and miles to get to safety and his conversations with them are just heartbreaking。 Your heart will feel like its beating out of your chest one minute and the next you are crying like a baby。 I urge everyone to read this book。 It will change you。 One billion stars for Saved: A War Reporter’s Mission to Make It Home by Benjamin Hall。 A captivating and thrilling story of the struggles he endured to stay alive。 。。。more
Julie S。 Dale
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True HeroesThis is a gripping emotional tale of true heroes， teamwork， love and endurance。 There is a lot of good in this troubled world。
Louie B
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What can I possibly say about this book other than you absolutely must read it？ Ben tells personal experiences of war atrocities， injustice， ground combat， medical practice， rehab and recovery， strategic extractions， trust， psychology， family， career， journalism， dedication， life itself， death…Just speechless。 As incredible of a story as you’ll ever read。 Won’t be long before this is a movie and even then， it’ll seem like fiction。 Left this book eternally more grateful for our military， journali What can I possibly say about this book other than you absolutely must read it？ Ben tells personal experiences of war atrocities， injustice， ground combat， medical practice， rehab and recovery， strategic extractions， trust， psychology， family， career， journalism， dedication， life itself， death…Just speechless。 As incredible of a story as you’ll ever read。 Won’t be long before this is a movie and even then， it’ll seem like fiction。 Left this book eternally more grateful for our military， journalists， medics， and those remaining with a moral compass that we often come across in life。 I felt compelled to hug my kids tighter， thank a soldier when I see them， and cherish friendship more so than I ever have。 What else could you want out of a book？ 。。。more
Cathy Salvato
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Very inspirational。 Emotional and moving。
Ruth
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Incredible memoir。 Very moving and inspiring。If you can， listen to this memoir narrated by Ben Hall。
Nancy
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I found this so gripping that I listened to it just over 2 days。 It's not just about the unbelievable rescue after his catastrophic injuries， though that is obviously compelling。 The background starts with his father's WWII story， which is itself quite a saga。 The author's development into a war correspondent and his career arc are really interesting too。 I found this so gripping that I listened to it just over 2 days。 It's not just about the unbelievable rescue after his catastrophic injuries， though that is obviously compelling。 The background starts with his father's WWII story， which is itself quite a saga。 The author's development into a war correspondent and his career arc are really interesting too。 。。。more
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