American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US Military History: A Navy SEAL's Memoir of War and Family

4.5 | 42,590 ratings

Price: 2.99

Last update: 07-28-2024

About this item

Get lost in the pages of this great summer read

The #1 New York Times bestselling memoir of U.S. Navy Seal Chris Kyle, and the source for Clint Eastwood’s blockbuster, Academy-Award nominated movie.

“An amazingly detailed account of fighting in Iraq--a humanizing, brave story that’s extremely readable.” — PATRICIA CORNWELL, New York Times Book Review

"Jaw-dropping...Undeniably riveting." —RICHARD ROEPER, Chicago Sun-Times

From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in United States military history. His fellow American warriors, whom he protected with deadly precision from rooftops and stealth positions during the Iraq War, called him “The Legend”; meanwhile, the enemy feared him so much they named him al-Shaitan (“the devil”) and placed a bounty on his head. Kyle, who was tragically killed in 2013, writes honestly about the pain of war—including the deaths of two close SEAL teammates—and in moving first-person passages throughout, his wife, Taya, speaks openly about the strains of war on their family, as well as on Chris.

Gripping and unforgettable, Kyle’s masterful account of his extraordinary battlefield experiences ranks as one of the great war memoirs of all time.

seabee1981

Great read for both military and civilians

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2013

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.

TUCSON ROBERT

Kyle covers in great detail descriptions of weapons and munitions he studied and ...

Reviewed in the United States on January 13, 2015

AMERICAN SNIPER, Autobiography by Chris Kyle, the most lethal sniper in U.S. military history. This book is not about grand military strategy; it is a detailed and very descriptive narrative on the life of Chris Kyle, an American warrior. Kyle devotes a lot of ink describing tactics peculiar to special operations as a sniper. He describes his participation in battles in Fallujah, Romadi and other hot spots of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. Kyle covers in great detail descriptions of weapons and munitions he studied and used in his profession—killing bad guys. He also discusses the equipment he carried on his person, emergency medical supplies, body armor, etc. He talks about the confidence he learned to have in the Air Force and Navy air depositing ordinance as close as a few hundred feet from friendly forces. He mentions his longest confirmed kill of 1,600 yards—the length of 16 football fields and admits there might have been a bit of luck involved. He talks about working closely with Army and Marines special ops and how he took it upon himself to help train them. Chris Kyle was a story teller. Some have criticized his writing as amateurish and crass. I found it candid, descriptive and often humorous. As someone said, Kyle writes like he talks. His dialogue is often laced with guttural profanity. His descriptions of various combat venues are so vivid I felt I was there with him. Some have characterized Chris Kyle as bloodthirsty and thoughtless when it comes to human life. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every military person who has been to war sees war and combat differently. Some thoroughly enjoy it, others despise and loath it. Chris Kyle liked what he did; he was good at it and couldn’t wait to get back with his fellow SEALS and to be a key player in killing bad guys—savages as he called them. He believed every savage he killed saved an American life. He does not apologize for liking his job. One thing I found surprising, Chris Kyle did not like water; he did not like being at sea. He particularly disliked submarines. He called shipboard duty the most boring part of his career. He admitted his Texas roots made him a land lover.
Chris’s wife, Taya, interjects her very welcome thoughts throughout the book. They both admit their marriage was a troubled one during the time Chris was in the Navy. Each deployment brought new issues and tensions to the marriage. Taya was left alone most of the time to raise a baby and a toddler. She resented it. She felt that Chris had more allegiance to the SEALS and his buddies than to his own family. As she put it, Chris’s priorities were—God, Country, Family; hers were God, Family, Country. I found Taya’s comments candid, honest and at times humorous. Her views provide a warm personal touch to understanding Chris Kyle and their family. If you read this book from cover to cover you learn a lot about the SEALS, their profession, their private lives and the camaraderie, trust and ironclad friendships inherent to their profession.
During his career, Chris Kyle earned two Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars, all for valor. Chris Kyle is a great American hero and should be remembered in that context. His wife, Taya, is a hero too. She is the embodiment of all military wives. Without them, military families could not survive. I know this to be true having spent 28 years in the military myself.
I give the book 5 stars.

Mark Lynott

Captivating Story of a Fearless American Hero

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2022

The autobiography, American Sniper, is an engaging story of Chris Kyle’s career as a Navy SEAL sniper. He goes over nearly everything about his life during the time he was a Navy Seal. With an astounding 150 confirmed kills, Chris Kyle broke the record for the deadliest sniper in history. The reader learns about Kyle's childhood along with getting into fights at bars, meeting the love of his life, trying to make it through Hell Week during SEAL training, and saving lives in the cities of Iraq.
With a captivating storyline and a wide array of topics, this story kept me hooked throughout the entire book. Chris Kyle has many near death experiences which keeps the plot suspenseful at all times. Mixed in with clever jokes and funny stories, Chris tells the reader detailed Navy SEAL information. The only drawback to this book is that some chapters are not for everyone. Some chapters get extremely gory and in others he just talks about different types of guns. Although I enjoyed these chapters I can see how some people may not appreciate them. Another reason I enjoyed this book is because I can relate to it personally. My father was in the Navy and even went through dive school. He was a surgeon and often worked with Navy SEALs. I was young at the time but still remember similar stories that my father told. I was motivated to read this book because I watched the movie and I had heard that the book was even better.
Overall, this book was fascinating and written extremely well. I would recommend this book to anyone even slightly interested in war stories. The story of Chris Kyle should be shared around the world for his bravery and skill.

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