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

Chris Kyle, a U.S. Navy SEAL, has the highest career sniper kill total in American military history from 1999 to 2009. Over 150 of Kyle's kills have been officially certified by the Pentagon (the previous American record was 109); but, the astounding overall figure for this book has not been verified. Because of their extreme terror of Kyle, Iraqi militants called him "the devil," or al-Shaitan, and put a price on his head. Among his fellow SEALs, Marines, and U.S. Army forces, Kyle became famous for his ability to defend them from rooftops and covert positions with lethal precision. One of the best war memoirs ever written, Kyle's gripping and fascinating story of his incredible adventures on the battlefield is a brilliant narrative.

Before enlisting in the Navy, Kyle, a native Texan who learned to shoot on family hunting excursions, was a great saddle-bronc rider. He was thrown into the War on Terror after 9/11 and quickly discovered that he was a superb marksman who excelled in hostile environments. Outside of Baghdad, he fired a personal best 2,100-yard kill shot; in Fallujah, he risked intense gunfire to save a group of Marines who were stranded on a street; and in Ramadi, he used his handgun to subdue rebels in close quarters. Kyle speaks openly about the suffering caused by battle, including his two gunshot wounds and the loss of two close comrades.

In addition, American Sniper pays tribute to Kyle's fellow soldiers who went above and beyond in both combat and off. Additionally, Taya, Kyle's wife, candidly discusses the toll that the war has had on Chris, their marriage, and their kids in a series of compelling first-person narratives.

American Sniper is a very intimate and adrenaline-fueled firsthand account of battle that only one soldier could provide.