Books & more: American Sniper

"We slaughtered them," those are strong words when it comes to the battle for Ramadi and Fallujah. Chris Kyle, after several deployments in Iraq, is the most successful American sniper: 160 confirmed kills (the number of unconfirmed kills is not mentioned anywhere).

And Kyle is a Navy SEAL. He claims he is not the best sniper. He was just where there was a lot to hit: that's how his book reads. It gives an interesting, open insight into the inner life of a team and also into Kyle's, who in the value system of "God, Country, Family" always puts the latter last. But he is very honest about it, because even his (sometimes very discontent) wife extensively speaks in the book, we learn about massive post-deployment health problems, alcohol as a coping mechanism for stress, the difficult farewell to the SEALs.

Overall, a very sincere book with significantly less pathos than expected. As a SEAL, one enters "the dark side of life," confesses Kyle - but without remorse. Just doing his duty. The video for the book can be found HERE. All images from the book can be found HERE.

"American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History", by Chris Kyle, William Morrow Verlag, 2009, 400 pages. The book costs Euro 15.95 in bookstores or on Amazon.