Book: American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History by Chris Kyle
Size: 434 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins (January 29, 2013)
My Rating: ***
Category: Autobiography, Military
Summary: Chris Kyle is a true American Hero. He served four tours in Iraq and was called the most lethal sniper in American history. After returning home he was murdered while reaching out to a serviceman with PTSD.
My Review: I needed to use an audible credit and chose this book based on the large number of reviews. I love biographies because they give me a peek into someone’s life I wouldn’t normally encounter. I doubt I’ll ever visit Iraq, I doubt I’ll ever be in the military and I doubt even more I’ll be a sniper. So, I loved hearing the details of Chris’s deployments. His love for our country shined throughout the book. I respected the way he strove for excellence. The book moved quickly and kept me engaged.
The military just released the accurate number of valor awards. There is speculation as to Chris exaggerating his awards. I don’t feel this in any way discredits his book and life. The article says, “It’s not uncommon for a DD214 to be revised. A Navy spokesman told The Navy Times more than 3,800 forms were corrected in 2015 alone”. It may have been the military’s mistake. Even if he did exaggerate – he still sacrificed more and was award more awards than many Americans will.
A movie was released in 2014, which I don’t plan to watch because I’d rather read about violence than see it. If you have seen it, leave me a comment below and let me know what you thought of it.
What I liked: It made me pause and be thankful for sacrifices many make for our freedom.
What I didn’t like: I know it’s just how Chris probably spoke, but there was a lot of hardcore swearing.
I would recommend this book to: Older teen or adult who is interested in the daily life of military and war.
Sum it up: Thank you to those who sacrifice for our country, it’s easy to forget what freedom costs.