American Sniper, The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History was written by the late Navy Seal Chris Kyle. Because of my military background I found the book extremely interesting but I also believe it would be enjoyed by civilians having never served. Chris was an ordinary guy. He grew up of a middle class, Christian family in Texas. He went to high school, tried college and did some time as a real cowboy working on a ranch. He went on to join the military and become a Seal, a feat in itself considering that only 10% of the sailors who enter the rigorous training program go on to complete it. He continued on to be one of the best Seal snipers in history. Writing was not one of Chris's fortes though. His book is written in plain language and can be rough at times. I found that down to earth, every day, brutally honest, not sugar coated approach very appealing. Others, who are looking for a great literary piece may not.
American Sniper is not all blood and guts, as many war stories are. It is heartfelt. It has some graphic details but it also shows emotion, good and bad. Chris talks of his loves; God, Country and Family, even telling of the trouble he sometimes had with the order of Country and Family. It includes sections written by Chris's wife Taya that show the emotion the military family waiting at home experiences. My wife read the book and loved it. Having been a military spouse for many years and very politically involved she had heard Chris's story on the news, bought and read his book and recommended it to me. She could relate to many of the stories, having heard me tell similar ones. I served as a Seabee, performing some of the tasks for the Seals that Chris discusses. Our paths may have crossed somewhere in Kuwait or Iraq but I didn't know him personally. However, reading his story made me feel like I did. It is rare for someone with his experiences to relay them to others, especially the world in a book and especially to do it so well.
After a short introduction, the book chronicles Chris's life. It starts with his childhood in Texas, goes through his teenage years and on to college. He writes very candidly about the things he did and mistakes he made. He appears to have had a bit of a wild streak, getting into an occasional fight, riding bulls and then broncos in the rodeo before getting hurt, eventually giving up college to become a cowboy then joining the military. He tells of wanting to be in the action, not in a military job on sidelines. He details boot camp and then on to BUDS (Seal training). Chris is extremely patriotic and truly believed in his mission of defending our country. He takes the reader through each deployment, including the enemy, kills he made, his comrades, injuries he and others received, working with the Marines, the Seabees, the Polish Grom (special forces) and even the heartbreak of loosing friends to the war. Toward the end of the story he tells of the difficult decision he faced in leaving his career and his brothers in arms for his beloved family. Chris's story has action, emotion, patriotism, sacrifice and most of all the sense of a very humble man doing a job most could never even imagine. From where I served, supporting missions of men like Chris, I may have a little better understanding of the things he's done and experienced, but his story, told not in a format for military but for civilians truly gives the reader insight into the heart of warriors like Chris and many who serve our country. With chapter titles like; "The Devil of Ramadi", "Man Down", "The Punisher", "Family Conflicts", "Down in the Shit", "Dealing Death", "Mortality" and "Home and Out", it is evident that this is much more than a war story. I highly recommend it for everyone. It educates readers on what our military members do for our country and I hope gives them a greater appreciation for their sacrifice.

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