The Heart and the Fist

The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL

By: Eric Greitens

Narrated by: Eric Greitens

Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's summary

Like many young idealists, Eric Greitens wanted to make a difference. During college and afterward, he traveled to the world's trouble spots, working in refugee camps, serving the sick and the poor on four continents, from Gaza to Croatia to Mother Teresa's home in Calcutta, among others. Yet he could not prevent violence or save anyone from becoming a refugee; he could only step in afterward and try to ease the damage. So Eric joined the Navy SEALs and became an elite warrior.

In a moving and inspiring memoir, told with genuine humility, Eric offers something new in the history of military memoirs: a warrior who wanted to be strong to be good, only to discover that he had to be good to be strong. Throughout his SEAL training and deployments in Kenya, Thailand, Afghanistan, and Iraq, the lessons of his humanitarian work bore fruit. The result is a lesson for us all: the heart and fist together are more powerful than either one alone.

©2011 Eric Greitens (P)2011 Tantor

Critic reviews

"This tale of [Greitens's] dual military/humanitarian effort could be paired with Rye Barcott's It Happened on the Way to War." ( Library Journal)

Amazing and Inspiring Book

This book is inspiring me to serve. The first half seemed boring and normal after listening to special operations and humanitarian/terrorism books before, but the last half of the book was phenomenal. I loved the sharing of college philosophy as I myself am a philosophy major. The book truly does inspire. I want to serve after hearing the last hour of the book. Worth it but only after you hear the last like three hours.

Excellent

I highly recommend this audiobook. The narration is great and the story is well told. Very inspiring.

My favorite of the year

I feel like most citizens are very disconnected from those who are serving in the military overseas - so I am drawn to books that help me be more aware. This is my favorite book so far of the year. I love what this man has to teach about life, values, compassion, courage and vision. The audio version is read exceptionally well by the author.

Outstanding and Inspiring!

This book is one of the best I have listened too. I am amazed by the humanitarian wisdom and humility the author conveys. This book is hard to stop listening too. The author has a great writing ability and does a wonderful job conveying his life lessons.

very intelligent account of service

Where does The Heart and the Fist rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best audiobooks I've listened to. It is nonfiction, which I do not usually listen to or read. He gives an account of his personal experience in college, Rhodes Scholarship, working for international charities and then becoming and serving as a Navy Seal. It ends with description of his subsequent public leadership in founding the charity The Mission Continues to challenge wounded servicemen and women.

What about Eric Greitens’s performance did you like?

Palpably real, very intelligent.

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

He may personally inspire you to find more meaning in your life through service.

Any additional comments?

This account should not be missed.

An Extraordinary Life

A wonderful mix of military romp and humanitarian introspection. I enjoyed every moment. I would listen to it again someday.

One of the best military memoirs I've read

This is one of the best military memoirs I've read, many try to be macho, but this shows the humanitarian goals of military service. Incredible story.

A New Way to Fight Terror

Any additional comments?

I'm a glutton for Navy Seal stories and this one delivers a different angle of what the Green Berets do by winning hearts and mind.

nice narravtive of Navy SEAL training

Like many others may have done, I downloaded this just after OBL was killed to find out more about the men who carried out that mission. I usually enjoy hearing books read by their authors but Mr. Greitens voice seems 'dry' to me and does take a little getting used to.

The story began slowly and I almost stopped listening but I am glad I continued. Mr Greitens descriptions of the people he encountered even before he joined the Navy are one of my favorite parts of the book. His narration of his SEAL training helps you appreciate how difficult the whole course is (without actually participating yourself). I love some of the instructor stories, especially the one about the hokey-pokey which bring a bit of humor into the mox

I enjoyed hearing that a normal kid grew up to be not only a Rhodes scholar but also a member of one of our nation's elite military units. The most refreshing part of the story is hearing how Mr. Greitens has used his talents to help others after leaving the Navy.

I gave this 4 stars because I felt the story moved too slowly at times and because of the voice performance. Overall I am very glad I decided to listen to this book.

Good read

Overall a great story! I respect that he saw the need to go beyond the reactionary humanitarian work to a more proactive role in serving others.