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

New York: William Morrow and Company, 2012. Sixth Printing. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. [14], 381, [3] pages. Endpaper illustrations. Map. From 1999 to 2009, U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle recorded the most career sniper kills in U.S. military history. Following his combat deployments, he became chief instructor for training Naval Special Warfare Sniper and Counter-Sniper teams. Christopher Scott Kyle (April 8, 1974 February 2, 2013) was a United States Navy SEAL veteran and sniper. Kyle served four tours in the Iraq War and was awarded several commendations for acts of heroism and meritorious service in combat. He was awarded one Silver Star Medal, four Bronze Star Medals with "V" devices, a Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal and numerous other unit and personal awards. Kyle was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy in 2009 and published, American Sniper, in 2012. An eponymous film adaptation of Kyle's book, directed by Clint Eastwood, was released two years later. On February 2, 2013, Kyle was murdered by Eddie Ray Routh at a shooting range near Chalk Mountain, Texas. A former Marine with PTSD, Routh was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison without parole. Clint Eastwood's film American Sniper (2014) is based on Kyle's autobiography. Kyle is portrayed by Bradley Cooper, and his wife Taya Kyle is portrayed by Sienna Miller. Cooper received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, and the film was nominated in five other categories. Derived from a Kirkus review: Memoir of America's most prolific sniper, with an emphasis on the unpredictable nature of contemporary warfare. With more than 250 confirmed kills in Iraq and several citations for bravery, including two Silver Stars, Kyle may well nave been the "most lethal" soldier in American military history. This memoir takes his improbable journey from a modest Texas childhood to becoming a sniper with SEAL Team 3 and serving four deployments in Iraq. Kyle is unapologetic about his own conservative persona. The highlights of the narrative are the grim yet often funny accounts of Kyle's violent battles all over Iraq. The author describes his participation in numerous urban battles, such as the protracted struggles for Ramadi and Fallujah, and asserts that elite operators like himself contributed to Iraq's evolving stability. Kyle writes eloquently about his fellow veterans, including SEALs killed or wounded in battle. Kyle's wife offers her counterpoint narrative in italicized passages, driving home the surreal life of difficulty bestowed on professional warriors' loved ones.