American Sniper

The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History

By: Chris Kyle, Scott McEwan, Jim DeFelice

Narrated by: John Pruden

Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

He is the deadliest American sniper ever, called "the devil" by the enemies he hunted and "the legend" by his Navy SEAL brothers.

From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history. The Pentagon has officially confirmed more than 150 of Kyles kills (the previous American record was 109), but it has declined to verify the astonishing total number for this book. Iraqi insurgents feared Kyle so much they named him al-Shaitan ("the devil") and placed a bounty on his head. Kyle earned legendary status among his fellow SEALs, Marines, and U.S. Army soldiers, whom he protected with deadly accuracy from rooftops and stealth positions. Gripping and unforgettable, Kyle’s masterful account of his extraordinary battlefield experiences ranks as one of the great war memoirs of all time.

A native Texan who learned to shoot on childhood hunting trips with his father, Kyle was a champion saddle-bronc rider prior to joining the Navy. After 9/11, he was thrust onto the front lines of the War on Terror, and soon found his calling as a world-class sniper who performed best under fire. He recorded a personal-record 2,100-yard kill shot outside Baghdad; in Fallujah, Kyle braved heavy fire to rescue a group of Marines trapped on a street; in Ramadi, he stared down insurgents with his pistol in close combat. Kyle talks honestly about the pain of war - of twice being shot and experiencing the tragic deaths of two close friends.

American Sniper also honors Kyle's fellow warriors, who raised hell on and off the battlefield. And in moving first-person accounts throughout, Kyle's wife, Taya, speaks openly about the strains of war on their marriage and children, as well as on Chris.

Adrenaline-charged and deeply personal, American Sniper is a thrilling eyewitness account of war that only one man could tell.

©2012 Chris Kyle (P)2012 HarperCollins Publishers

Military review

As a retired Army colonel, I found it filled with specifics of current weaponry. A good audio book.....go for it

Terrific!!

Where does American Sniper rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Number one

Who was your favorite character and why?

Chris Kyle, of course! He always showed extreme courage but was still humble.

Which character – as performed by John Pruden – was your favorite?

Chris Kyle

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I enjoyed hearing from Taya Kyle. I now understand a little of what the family has to go through while the spouse is deployed.

Any additional comments?

I feel with this book, we the public, can get a sense of what being in the military is like. I could Feel a little of what being in war is like. I appreciate the courage of Chris Kyle to write this honest version for the public to read. I highly recommend this book. Now as it written from a soldiers perspective it does contain some strong language.

Powerful.

this was a true insight to a person that I think anyone could deeply respect just based off of his movie or seeing him in the public sphere after reading this I only respect him more

Straight talk from one in the know

Would you consider the audio edition of American Sniper to be better than the print version?

Not necessarily

What was one of the most memorable moments of American Sniper?

Calling out the current administration's policies as debilitating and dangerous to our armed forces and our country.

Have you listened to any of John Pruden’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

No

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Family life and struggles, especially now that Chris has been killed while helping others recover from war damage.

Any additional comments?

Support Chris' family and legacy by listening to his story.

Such a great book!!

This is a great book and an unbelievable story of the hardship that Chris Kyle lived through. A must read!!

Great read!

This was honest, if yet,hard to hear story of a great American hero. Bravo Chris Kyle, you will be truly missed.
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Patriotic, it enjoyed it, saw the movie also.

good book to read. it keep me from l stopping to hear it for another day. ok ok ok

Amazing story by a true patriot!

This was an awesome audio book. It's crazy to hear about the life this American patriot lived. He placed his country before everything but God. Thanks Chris Kyle for your service!

Great story great guy great woman!

This is a small taste of the great and terrible issues in war and a fantastic inclusion of how his participation in the military affected his marriage.

I was won over!

Because of this book I plan on making a true effort to finding fresh ways of actively supporting our troops. We can all do more for those who have and are serving.