Chris Kyle’s: American Sniper

book-binding-mustreadAfter looking over some past reviews of mine, I have concluded I don’t review enough nonfiction. This time, I am taking a look at Chris Kyle’s American Sniper. This book details the exploits and experiences of Chris Kyle, the record-holding U.S. Marine sniper with over 150 confirmed kills in Iraq, effectively making Kyle the deadliest sniper in American history. What really catches my eye about this book is that it is not just some glory-seeking cry for attention: Kyle in no way makes his actions out to be heroic, and he makes a point to say that he was merely acting on instinct, trying to make sure that the soldiers beside him weren’t killed. A review for this kind of book is somewhat tricky. The “plot” is the entire book. As far as writing goes, the book flows nicely and I never encountered any segments that felt awkward to read or were difficult to understand. In short, the writing does its job, but don’t expect much beyond that. As I pointed out earlier, the real shining aspect of this book is how real it makes the content feel. It is easy to talk about grand war exploits. It is another thing entirely to actually convey the feelings a soldier would have. One of the major points of the book revolves around how you perceive someone who is the enemy in such a situation. It can be a very simple task to forget that the enemy is even human. This powerful evocation of emotion is really what sets this book apart from other war biographies I have read (that is not to say ALL war biographies: there are many that are powerful pieces of literature). Ultimately, Chris Kyle’s American Sniper probably won’t be remembered as a shining example of technical writing. On the other hand, American Sniper tells an all-too-true story with deep messages that should not be forgotten. If you like biographies/autobiographies centered around war, or you enjoy nonfiction that allows a deeper look at some of the psychology of such situations, then check out Chris Kyle’s American Sniper.

Source: Jake Depew, Assistant Editor