Book Review: American Sniper

Everyone that I know has read American Sniper, or has at least seen the movie. It’s honestly not my kind of book, but this summer I decided I really needed to branch out. Trashy romance novels and professional development books probably shouldn’t be the only thing I read. I do love them though!

I bought my copy this summer while visiting family, and figured I could read at the beach or on the plane. I had anticipated it taking some time to really get into, but I have to tell you, I really liked it! It was so well written, and he interspersed the military and war aspect, with his wife’s feelings and perspectives. This made the book so much more interesting and “real” to me.

Chris Kyle was an incredible person, and his wife was also amazing. It takes a strong person to love someone through all the scary stuff they had to deal with. I think one of the things that I enjoyed the most about this book was that the reader could feel his honesty. Everything that he said and described in the book just seemed real. He didn’t sugarcoat or glorify war; he just described it as almost addictive. He was there with his brothers doing his job, and he liked and believed in his job.

I really love how he was able to take his experiences from being a SEAL, and translate it into a job that he loved, and which also served a greater purpose. Beginning a sniper school was a really cool idea, and probably provided a lot of people with practical knowledge and practice. I love that he become involved with helping vets to recuperate from the war. He never used that word, but he that’s what he did. He did it in a way that the war vets could understand and relate to, and made them comfortable. Sitting around telling stories, hiking, and going to a shooting range were all amazing ways to help the guys to relax and feel comfortable.

The main thing I took away from this story is that no matter how Americans feel about war from a personal or political standpoint, we need to stand by our soldiers. They are out there everyday fighting and experiencing things that I can’t even imagine, because they believe in us. They believe in America.

Now that I’ve finished American Sniper, I’m moving on to Paper Towns! Has anyone here read it? What did you think?