American Sniper

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

It's been censored by the publisher

Look, I love this book. I love Chris Kyle. But his publisher, in what can only be described as a complete chicken-shit move, and some bullshit censorship, removed the sub-chapter about Jessa Venture that resulted in the Kyle family being sued. This is not the book that Chris wrote!

Other than it being incomplete, it's a fantastic read. And it's absolutely nothing like the movie by the same name. If you enjoyed the movie, definitely read the book. You'll come to appreciate Chris Kyle in a new light. But that means rewarding the publisher for censorship. And that pisses me off. But it's too late now, they've already absconded with my money.

I can't reward this incomplete work with a 5th star. But it would be 5 stars if it hadn't been censored.

46 of 51 people found this review helpful

Tremendously Enlightening, could not put it down

I am a married Mother of 1 Son and 2 Step-sons. I have never served in the military and honestly do not have any close ties to the Military, other than my Father who served in Korea and a cousin who was killed in Vietnam during the TET offensive. Though I would prefer the world was all Love and Light with no war ever; that is just not how it is. I have strong feelings about the war on both sides of the issue, I respect others thoughts and opinions as their own; but no matter what I respect and support the courage, strength and patriotism of each and every member of our Military. I begin this review this way so that you can see I am a regular Jane.

This book is written from Chris Kyle a Navy SEal's perspective. It is about his life growing up in Odessa Texas and follows him through his life as a Navy SEal, from BUDS training to the war in Iraq and life during and after from his POV. If you are looking for fluff, BS and watered down opinions this book is not for you. Chris tells it like he saw it good, bad or indifferent from his POV. During the reading of this book I cringed, I smiled, I chuckled, I felt uneasy and a bit queasy, I cried and felt sad, but I was completely engaged the entire time. At no point did I feel lost or feel like I did not understand something. (Keeping in mind I am just a regular Jane); Chris explains acronyms, procedures and operations as the story moves along and talks in plain "Texan". Peppered throughout the book, Taya, Chris' wife gives us a heartfelt view of life with Chris. My heart could only bleed for her, Thank you Taya and "God Bless" you for all that you sacrificed for your country. And Chris for the record though you say (several times I might add) throughout the book that you do not consider yourself a "Bad Ass".........Uh Chris, you were a FEARLESS BAD ASS, period end of subject.

I am glad I decided to read this book; as honesty goes, Chris does not pull any punches and truly seems sincere in all his accounts of how things went down. I am not by nature one to believe everything I read and use quite of a bit of discernment as a rule, but at no point did I feel that anything but the truth as Chris saw it went from pen to paper.

Thank you Chris and every single person at home or deployed who Stand and Protect our great country. And thank you to all the Mothers, Fathers, Sisters, Brothers, Wives and Children who sacrifice so those brave men and woman can do just that.

This is a must read for anyone who wants to read a firsthand account of the sacrifices the men and women of our armed forces endure on a daily basis.

203 of 247 people found this review helpful

A must read for Active Duty, Veterans, and family

This book is a riot, Chris Kyle... I salute you. I am 82 ABN veteran, and this book sums up all the emotions that somehow Veterand cant figure out how to explain to anyone, even ourselves. This book made me laugh made me smile and made me understand, it also made me Proud to be an Amreican, something the Author would be proud to know. It also made me very proud to have worn the Uniform with pride and respect.

88 of 117 people found this review helpful

Rough and tumble Texas boy makes USA proud

This book is a fascinating account of someone that lived a horrifying scenario without blinking. A Navy Seal, a man, a dad, a patriot, and a Christian which laid his life on the line for his fellow fighting forces, and in his belief his country, all to prevent evil from succeeding. Say what you want to about agreeing with the man, but call him a true man and a hero in the process. He is non-political. He is just a man that answered a call to duty from his country, and was extremely lethal at the task given. This single minded soul, concentrated on the task at hand and accomplished what we asked of him.
If you are looking for a book that questions patriotism, the reasons the USA went to war, move on to another book. However, if you want a glimpse in to a well trained mind that had a little fun along the way, and a few hardships, then this is a great book for you.

73 of 99 people found this review helpful

An emotional and riveting biography.

Breaking down the wall and mystique behind the lives of America's warriors. The book brings you into the life of a warrior and patriot, not just on the side of combat, but the raw emotional side of his and his wife's life throughout multiple deployments. Emotional, personal, and revealing. RIP Chris Kyle.

7 of 9 people found this review helpful

Raw, Real, and flows well

I've read most of the audible books on SEALS. This is the best by far. It doesn't go into too much detail on SEAL stuff, but gives you just enough to tell the story. And oh what a story it is! Chris has lived a VERY exciting life. He gives insight into the way a SEAL thinks, and even criticizes the leadership quite a bit. This book is good for the military man, as well as the civilian; pretty much anyone who has an interest in the SEALS as people....not so much their tactics.

51 of 70 people found this review helpful

Good story but the narration killed it for me

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Could not recommend

What didn’t you like about John Pruden’s performance?

The Texas accent that the narrator adopted felt forced, wasn't that good and was unnecessary. After several hours of listening to words pronounced without the trailing letter G, I couldn't take it anymore. Messin and drivin and divin and shootin got old.

70 of 97 people found this review helpful

This Guy is No Marcus Luttrell

I am sure glad Chris Kyle is on our side, but I wouldn't want him to be my neighbor. This is where Chris Kyle and Marcus Luttrell differ. Luttrell seems like a very humble and all around great guy. Chris Kyle comes off like a bit of an a**hole who seems to want to be a celebrity. He also goes through great detail to let the reader know how much of a bad a** he is. Sure, he says things to the contrary multiple times, but that just makes it seem worse. That said, he is a bad a** warrior deserving of respect and gratitude for his service, he just is not very humble about letting the reader know it.
I did like the book very much though. It is your basic autobiography format and goes through a brief pre-Navy history and a more detailed accounting of his life as a SEAL. His story is a good one. Very entertaining.
The narrator was average. There are parts in the book were Chris Kyle's wife steps in to write her point of view from whatever time is being discuss at that point in the book. Here the narrator uses what I guess is what he thinks is a female voice. It sounds really stupid. There is one or two other times in the book where I guess he thinks the writer would cry and he starts to break down and cry a little. It's bad. Luckily, there is not much of that.
All and all I was happy with the book and I no way regret reading it. I would recommend this book.

37 of 51 people found this review helpful

Not the best Seal book out there...

I found myself hurrying this book along towards the last few chapters. I've read some other books by Navy Seals out there, and this one is my least favorite. It wasn't boring, but nothing exactly stood out. I'd advise giving "Lone Survivor" a try first before listening to this book.

29 of 40 people found this review helpful

Bad Narration

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

Nope

Would you be willing to try another one of John Pruden’s performances?

No

Any additional comments?

Ok, this will probably do no good since this is so prevalent in audiobooks but just because your main character is from Texas; that does not mean you need to perform a bad imitation of Will Ferrell doing a bad imitation of George W. Bush.

As a native Texan, the narrator's accent was just so irritating. Or should I say

82 of 115 people found this review helpful

Entertaining listen.

I really enjoyed this book, it's very entertaining, however I ended up detesting Chris Kyle!
He really comes off as a jock Red-neck and confirmed to me why America gets such a bad rep overseas. I find it very frustrating that he could not see the irony in his complete lack of empathy with the Mujahideen. I could not help but draw some huge parallels with a man who sported a Crusaders cross on his forearm and who's priorities were listed "God, Country and then Family" with the Muslim extremist he was gunning down.
Don't get me wrong, I think they were doing a job that had to be done, however I think Chris Kyle and other Americans felt they were fighting a holy war as much the Jihadists!
If like me your view of The SEALS has been tainted by this guy, check out Adam Brown's book, he really does completely renew your faith!

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

Almost like being there.

A great listen, John Pruden's narration is spot on, his drawl is exactly what I would imagine Chris Kyle's voice is like. Every step of the way your alongside Chris listening to the thoughts of a proud and patriotic man giving an insight into his war. Theres a bit of technical detail but not too much to turn people off. In the end it's all about what he was feeling when he was doing his job, killing insurgents and watching colleagues die.
Thanks for sharing Chris.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Humm ok

After reading a few reviews I purchased. One thing that sticks in my mind is he is almost as extreme as the people he is shooting. I think something of this was mentioned elsewhere in another review. I like America very much but he love of the country and zeal for it was a bit too much for me. Some very good parts very well told.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Respect to the fallen

A heroic account of a snipers life, such a shame Chris Kyle is no longer with us. A life taken so needlessly after surviving countless tours of duty. Rest in peace "The Legend"

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Excellent.

Great book and brilliantly narrated. I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to know the real story of Chris Kyle, it makes you see even more how well Bradley Cooper portrayed him.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Okay

You will like this if you like books written by seals as opposed to books written by trained writers. Good story.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Inspiration

I watch the movie first and now the book as this man story as he and his wife struggle to keep together is so amazing story of this man and A inspiration to join the military as as I am going to
join the Royal Marines so can you get into the SBS

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Didn't enjoy it as much

Too much cussing. I know it's a soldier's recount of his life. But cussing for the sake of cussing took away some of the seriousness of this book.
The late Kyle's attitude towards taking life made me cringe but that was his life experiences at the time.
What did I take away from this book. War is not nice. People die or come back changed.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Interesting

An engaging account of war and his attitude to killing. I empathised with his viewpoint but didn't always agree. That's not a criticism of him or the book though. Tough times need tough characters, and Kyle was who you needed to get the job done.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Outstanding!!!

This one kept me listening for hours, love this, one of my favorites, probably the best one, Chris Kyle rest in peace mate, I saw the movie first and I just had to see his story, and a few bits were blown out of purportion, wish they could of fit more things in, how he saved marines, but I like it how he doesn't see himself as better as everyone else.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful