By: Chris Kyle (With Jim DeFelice and Scott McEwen)Plot: Autobiography of Chris Kyle. He was a Navy Seal sniper and has the most recorded kills in U.S. history. The book focuses mainly on his time spent in the military, including multiple deployments to Iraq.
My Thoughts: It was kind of sad reading this with the knowledge that he has since passed away. To read about all the things that he went through and survived, only to be murdered back in the states when he was only trying to help someone out. So sad.
He starts out the novel with his background and how he got into the military. I thought it was interesting that he was turned away at first. The story really picks up when he starts training.
I loved reading the inserts from his wife's side of the story. The only problem is they were just so random and sometimes had absolutely nothing to do with what he was talking about at the time. So even though I enjoyed reading them, they kind of took me out of his story. I wish they had been better placed throughout the novel.
I'm not sure how I felt about his attitude throughout the novel. I can understand his views on all the lives that he took. I believe that he killed a lot of truly terrible people. He didn't (and probably couldn't) feel any regret. Which I think is understandable being in the position he was in, otherwise how could you live with all that remorse? I did wish he would have shown more compassion about certain things though. When he punch the mentally handicapped boy for example. But at the same time I've never been in a war and have no idea what it would feel like in that situation, so in his mind it was probably justified. It's not like he purposely did it. I mean when you hear about men who hide behind their daughters or send a child out to pick up a weapon it's understandable how he only saw them as the "bad guys".
I really didn't like how he made his wife feel. He seemed to have such a caviler attitude about death at first and didn't understand how much it would hurt his wife if he were to die. That definitely bugged me. It was also heartbreaking to read about how he would value his service over his family. Obviously he loved his family, but he loved being a Seal more.
Favorite Quotes: "Why a ball cap? Ninety percent of being cool is looking cool. And you look so much cooler with a ball cap."
"Great way to fight a war - be prepared to defend yourself for winning."
"I signed up to protect this country. I do not choose the wars."
Rating: 3/5 Very fascinating read. I learned more about what was happening in Iraq from this book than I ever could from any news broadcast. He is definitely an American hero in my eyes.