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

Great Book

Great perspective on how a SEAL thinks. There was quite a bit of flag waving, but that’s to be expected from a man who put his country ahead of everything and everyone else

Thank you

Thank legend! Great book and great perspective on life. Really help understand the day and the life of a seal at war and with family

entire book

entire book exceptional written and memorable happy with content sorry we lost mr Kyle

Great story, great American

Great but could have been ghost written to be more engaging. Gives great context about what happened over there

Someone did not do his job or stayed quiet.

As a Veteran of 63 years of age, I salute this young man for his service to the Navy and Country. I watched the movie last night, and cannot say I enjoyed it. This young man should have never been allowed to do as many tours as he did, and why the approvals for such were signed off on, is beyond me. The next statement will be controversial, but there are soldiers out there that can eliminate or kill children without a second thought if they are a threat to the unit, and there are some that will carry out that mission while it eats them up. This story is about one of the greatest patriots this country has ever seen, but why did these extra tours approved when it was apparent one was enough. A great read though, but a horrendous ending, well past the last chapter.

A great inside into how Sinper's work

If you could sum up American Sniper in three words, what would they be?

I love both fiction and non fiction book about snipers and this has got to be one of the best I've read.

awsome

Thanks Chris, for sharing yours and other soldiers experiences. Made me even prouder to be living in this great country, and knowing that good young men and women are still fighting for our freedom!

It was interesting

The novel was interesting, however there are much better works out there that pretty much cover the same material. Other than the Mr. kyle's kill count there is nothing really remarkable about this novel. The funny thing is you get the sense that the writing is shallow almost like he used a ghost writer.

A must read

This book is amazing and should be read and taken into account to help people see the lives our soldiers live.

Good for what it is.

What made the experience of listening to American Sniper the most enjoyable?

His non manufactured/ unapologetic tale of his life.

If you’ve listened to books by the authors before, how does this one compare?

I have not.

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

Chris Kyle, The narrator/main character.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Not sure but the "x amount of kills" tagline is totally insubstantial and sets the wrong mood for the book as well as the main character.

Any additional comments?

This isn't really a story. Its like a bunch of diary entrees. The book is really just you getting to know Chris. Its not a macho book about killing people nor is it american propaganda. Its just a guy telling you about his life. The sniping just happened to make him stand out but i would say that it is not the focus of the story by a long shot (see what i did there?)