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

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Tony Perry (5 March 2012). "Book review: 'American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History' by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 6 October 2016. A SEAL who serves alongside Chris Kyle in Iraq, Ryan Job is an extremely likeable, funny man, and one of Kyle’s closest friends. In the middle of an operation, Kyle tells Job to stand in… This author was the Top Guy, the best shooter of them all, planning his missions carefully, executing them perfectly and - who knew - taking along his notepad (on big missions, there was someone there with a laptop detailing the action!) to make detailed notes about each killing so that he could justify it as was required. The British and Israelis have to do the same thing, Iraqi, Palestinian and Afghani insurgents aren't required to justify their killings. These Rules of Engagement are just one way, and you can be sure that a large amount of the public sympathy is going to go to those who never play by those rules but kill as many as they can. Not only that but it is interesting that Americans at least will also treat those they have just wounded, sending them to their military emergency hospitals which seems to say 'shoot to kill' but heal them if they don't die as, 'we can always have another go at killing them'.

The book touches on all aspects of his life, so not only do we get all the gory war details and the hardships faced during wartime but also the toll all the deployments had on his wife and family. It's not sugar coated, he did not try to make himself look good, it was real. The letters from his wife especially toward the end broke my heart, as a mother myself I can't imagine how difficult it was for her with an infant and a toddler, no help and constantly worrying if your husband is dead or alive. To begin with, I'm not sure who to credit for this bit of writing; I suspect that Kyle contributed little but the anecdotal accounts and his name to the effort, as two other names are listed with his on the cover. Interestingly, his wife is not given any co-author status although she provides significant input throughout the book.

The way this is written, I felt like I was in Chris's head or walking beside him as he explained things and showed us what he and his platoon and all of them went through.

So does this killing of bunch of evil savages hurt our humble hero conscience, of course not, i keep forgetting, because they all were pure evil savages + Jesus & God. This guy claims he even punched out Jesse 'body' Ventura, really? Pentagon and the war department, i mean, the defense department approves this book. For me, this was just a sad propaganda piece, there are far better books out there, couple comes to mind right away, My War: Killing Time in Iraq and The Good Soldiers that gives a far better and real picture of the current 'wars'.However, I’d like to begin by saying that I’m not going to base this review on my opinion on the (historical) events on which it is based on, my personal moral and belief system, or anything which could be considered a political position. This is my review on this book itself, and I’ll try to make it as honest as possible. One should never discard a book because of a personal position, and things should instead be judged based on their merits alone. Having read biographies on figures like Caligula, Goebbels, Trotsky, and Stalin; it's what seems fair. Having said this, I finally feel like I can begin my review of ‘American Sniper’. Chris never makes any mention of why he felt that he was doing the right thing by being in Iraq, besides an off-hand comment here and there about how he wanted to kill Saddam Hussein for planning 9/11. The abhorrent ignorances only continue throughout the book, and he adds to the loveliness by constantly reminding the reader how much he enjoys killing. In fact, he discusses his love for the marines, because they are a group of people who "just really love to kill." The irony in that statement is self explanatory. To start with this book is poorly written which makes it a pain to read, but the real point taken from this book is just how clueless the author can be. He was tough though. I don't think he needed to overly emphasize those facts. He wrote about hell week in the SEALs and that part of the book was excellent. So you knew he was "Badass" without him having to point it out to you. My only quibbles with the book are I wish he had used less profanity. I know that's how soldiers talk and I don't want to rob the book of Chris's personality (which comes out abundantly in the volume). I just thought it was a bit excessive.

Verrier, Richard (April 23, 2014). "Eastwood starts shooting 'American Sniper' at Santa Clarita ranch". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 5, 2014. American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History" is a gripping and powerful autobiography that provides a profound insight into the life of an American hero. With its compelling storytelling, raw emotions, and unflinching accounts of sacrifice and bravery, this book has far surpassed my expectations, leaving a lasting impact on my perspective. What about his slogan, "violence does solve problems". And to close out, Chris attempts to save face "I think America does a lot to support people". Yeah, sure, buddy. The writing quality is - I think everyone can agree - not Pulitzer material. He is writing in a "Hey, buddy, let me tell you what happened last time I was in Iraq!" way. This doesn't bother me, I don't care about that. He's not a writer by trade, and I don't expect him to be. This doesn't affect my rating at all.I'm very conflicted on reviewing this book. I almost just threw up my rating and walked away but I tend to forget the books I've read and I try and review for myself so that I can remember the book later. What the book does best is describe the role snipers played in Iraq. I have read several books on the war and American Sniper provided an unparalleled picture of snipers’ roles during the campaigns in Fallujah and Ramadi and how they supported other military units. To the left wing scolds reviewing the book on here who want to dismiss Chris as a "warmonger," stop playing so predictably to type with your tiresome self-righteousness. I have my doubts you even read the book. Chris isn't some blood thirsty fiend. He was a man who had a job to do and did it well and took justifiable pride in it--even if you don't understand that or agree with the Iraq War. He truly felt what he was doing made the world a better, safer place. Instead of simpering over people who'd gladly kill you and your family merely for being an American try thinking of the lives he saved, both American and Iraqi, by taking out the terrorist beasts who wanted to use Iraq to impose their nihilistic, oppressive and monsterous perversion of Islam on Iraq and the region. Who are those of you who never served and were never in Iraq to question Chris's motives? I felt I was reading a book written by 12 year old who could "shoot stuff real good." This was an incredibly shallow book without any show of moral struggle. 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 Kyle's 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.

Taylor Dibbert (27 April 2015). "Book Review: American Sniper". Huffington Post . Retrieved 6 October 2016.Cole, Matthew; McNeill, Sheelagh (May 25, 2016). " "American Sniper" Chris Kyle Distorted His Military Record, Documents Show". The Intercept . Retrieved May 27, 2018. The author comes across as an unsympathetic, often racist, gun-ho "shoot first, think later"-type - some of the best quotes: