American Sniper – Week 3

What an adventure we are on this week! This is a non-stop, detailed account that keeps you on the edge of your seat! Chris Kyle does not mince his words when he comes to dealing with anyone. It is fair game for those who come into his cross-hairs.

This week we have seen the rise of the Iraqi Army, and their supposed role in taking back Ramadi, as well as other areas in Iraq. We are seeing the good and the bad. Most of them wanted to be a part of something, but honestly had no idea what they were doing or how to start. It is hard to get anyone to do something that you want them to, especially if they are fighting back against you.

As we move through the houses, the hides, and the war, we are seeing something more come to light. While Kyle enjoys his what he does, and you have to admit that he is very good at it, he always brings it back to country. What he does is for his country, and his family. Most soldiers would agree that is why they join. They do not want to see this come near their family. But Taya seems to be having a hard time reconciling herself to the lifestyle. She talks about the distances between them, and sometimes does not seem to understand the drive that Chris Kyle has for doing what he does.

The roles that the services play seem to get fair aplomb and disgust as we work through the book. As he points out, you have your good, and your not so good. He gives credit where it is due, and points out what he feels to be shortcomings or just plain stupid. The balances between duty and family are always hard, and Chris Kyle is pretty direct when it comes down to saying what he felt the issues were and why they were there.

This week is some pretty heavy reading, and there are several on the edge of the seat moments. I will admit, that I have not yet seen the movie, as I prefer to wait until after I read the book to watch. I just feel like I miss something if I see the movie first. I struggled through parts of the reading this go around and I wasn’t sure why, until I had to sit back and think about it for a while. I had to start skipping over the excerpts from Taya. They were only serving to make me a little angry, and I felt missing some of the point of the book. Once I quit reading those, I enjoyed the chapters quite a bit more, and then when I would finish the chapters, I would go back to read her small pieces. As a soldier and army wife myself, I felt as though there were things that she could have done different. I can’t talk for the way people feel, but I wanted so much for her to find someone to talk to, another spouse that could have helped her along.

I got an email from someone asking why I chose this particular book, and why now. While they are enjoying the read, I felt it was a fair question. I chose this book, because I embrace all sorts of literature, (except romance, I cannot sit through a romance novel), but because having a view point on something that we are some what familiar with, who was in the thick of it, is always different. Chris Kyle has been on the news a lot lately, and while I try and stay away from popular reads, I felt that this one was calling out to be read. We are in a time of upheaval and sometimes looking back on what we have already done and accomplished is refreshing, and yet reading about it through another’s eyes, we get a new perspective. I have wanted to do this book for a while, and this month just seem fitting to read it, as we remember not only September 11 2001, but as we move through the POW/MIA ceremonies. We remember the brave men and women who gave their all for us.

This week we are reading Chapters 7-10.

Some things to consider while we read this week:

1. What did you find most disturbing, eye-opening, or fascinating about Chris’ story?

2. Were you surprised by the  startling contrasts in the worlds that Chris and Taya lived in when he would call her on the phone; he in a firefight and she outside a hospital?