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

American badass

The book was great but reading while knowing what happens to him shortly after the book came out was sad.

great insight into a military life

I think all Americans need to read this book. very few of us understand what isgoing on in the middle east nor the sacrifices being made by our servicemen and women and their families. while not everyone would make the same decisions as Chris kyle, it is a revealing and honest look at his life. I didn't love the reading but it wasn't enough to truly detract from the book.

A must read

I totally enjoyed this book and srory. Would highly recommended it. This takes you to the middle of the action and gives a real sense of the life.

Just great

this is a great story and would tell others to read this true and great story

Excellent military story

A raw and realistic look at how war affects a person. Kyle is an American hero, called upon by our chosen leaders to fight for our country. I have nothing but respect for our soldiers.

More like a chat and less like a book

Maybe as a member of the military at times I wanted more detail. I also understand leaving that detail out helps save future lives with tactics not being expressly told. In listening to the book it was more as if I was sitting down with him and having a chat about his career and life which in retrospect I kind of enjoyed.

I would imagine for those not in the military the lack of detail will come hard to some as they will have trouble visualizing just what was going on.. As an x fa18 aviator that experienced close air support from a different perspective, the book left it to my imagination as to the sights and sounds of battle.

if you are interested in having a "chat" read this book, but if you want a detailed account of shot after shot, this book will leave you wanting more and I would imagine the upcoming movie will give you more of what you seek.

Snipin' & talkin' like a Texan

I think someone coached the narrator poorly about how to do a Texas accent. Apparently they thought Texans are incapable of pronouncin' the 'g' sound at the end of -ing words. The narrator also sped up quite a bit when switchin' to Teya's voice. But otherwise the narrator was good.
I liked the story for what it was, especially the insights into how his career as a seal affected him & his family physically & emotionally. It was fun listening to all the action he experienced, but it went on a little too long.

Well written and well read

As 6 year non combat Marine, my military experience is very different from Chris Kyle's. His is the one I wish I'd had. If only if joined back in the early 2000's...

good story

narrator performed okay. but overall a great story for an American hero. sad we lost him, but he died doing what he believed.

Great book written by an amazing warrior

What an amazingly informative, inciteful book. has tought me a lot about the military, and life after a war from a true warriors eyes.