Synopses & Reviews
Chris Kyle — fallen hero and #1 bestselling author of
American Sniper — reveals how ten legendary guns forever changed U.S. history
At the time of his tragic death in February 2013, former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, the top sniper in U.S. military history, was finishing one of the most exciting missions of his life: a remarkable book that retold American history through the lens of a hand-selected list of firearms. Kyle masterfully shows how guns have played a fascinating, indispensable, and often underappreciated role in our national story.
"Perhaps more than any other nation in the world," Kyle writes, "the history of the United States has been shaped by the gun. Firearms secured the first Europeans' hold on the continent, opened the frontier, helped win our independence, settled the West, kept law and order, and defeated tyranny across the world."
Drawing on his unmatched firearms knowledge and combat experience, Kyle carefully chose ten guns to help tell his story: the American long rifle, Spencer repeater, Colt .45 revolver, Winchester rifle, Springfield 1903 rifle, Thompson sub-machine gun, 1911 pistol, M1 Garand, .38 Special police revolver, and the M-16 rifle platform Kyle himself used as a SEAL. Through them, he revisits thrilling turning points in American history, including the single sniper shot that turned the tide of the Revolutionary War, the firearms designs that proved decisive at Gettysburg, the "gun that won the West," and the weapons that gave U.S. soldiers an edge in the world wars and beyond. This is also the story of how firearms innovation, creativity, and industrial genius has constantly pushed American history — and power — forward.
Filled with an unforgettable cast of characters, Chris Kyle's American Gun is a sweeping epic of bravery, adventure, invention, and sacrifice.
Review
"Chris Kyle embodied what it meant to have a heart both strong and soft, and a commitment to country, family, and God....Kyle will continue to inspire anyone paying attention to his example." Dallas Morning News
Review
"Chris Kyle was incredible, the most celebrated war hero of our time, a true American hero in every sense of the word." D Magazine
Review
"A true hero." New York Times
Review
"A celebration of Kyle's voice and life: It's like sitting down with him in some funky Texas roadhouse just off the interstate after a hot but fulfilling day at the range, ordering up a tableful of Lone Stars and just talking guns for a few hours." USA Today
Synopsis
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING FOLLOW-UP TO AMERICAN SNIPER
Join Chris Kyle on a journedy to discover "how 10 firearms changed United States history" (New York Times Book Review)
Drawing on his legendary firearms knowledge and combat experience, U.S. Navy SEAL and #1 bestselling author of American Sniper Chris Kyle dramatically chronicles the story of America--from the Revolution to the present--through the lens of ten iconic guns and the remarkable heroes who used them to shape history: the American long rifle, Spencer repeater, Colt .45 revolver, Winchester 1873 rifle, Springfield M1903 rifle, M1911 pistol, Thompson submachine gun, M1 Garand, .38 Special police revolver, and the M16 rifle platform Kyle himself used. American Gun is a sweeping epic of bravery, adventure, invention, and sacrifice.
Featuring a foreword and afterword by Taya Kyle and illustrated with more than 100 photographs, this new paperback edition features a bonus chapter, "The Eleventh Gun," on shotguns, derringers, and the Browning M2 machine gun.
About the Author
SEAL Team 3 chief Chris Kyle served four combat tours in Operation Iraqi Freedom and elsewhere. For his bravery in battle, he was awarded two Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars with Valor, two Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medals, one Navy and Marine Corps Commendation, and numerous other citations. Following his combat deployments, he became chief instructor for training Naval Special Warfare Sniper and Counter-Sniper teams, and he authored the Naval Special Warfare Sniper Doctrine, the first Navy SEAL sniper manual.
Kyle is the author of the New York Times #1 bestseller American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History. He became president of Craft International (www.craftintl.com), a world-class leader in training and security, and cofounded the FITCO Cares Foundation. He lived with his family in Texas, where he devoted much of his spare time to supporting veterans.
As this book was being completed, Chris Kyle and his trusted friend Chad Littlefield died while trying to help a troubled veteran. Chief Kyle lived by a personal motto that "it is our duty to serve those who serve us," and he and Littlefield died honoring this creed.
William Doyle is an award-winning author based in New York. His 2011 book A Soldier's Dream: Captain Travis Patriquin and the Awakening of Iraq was hailed by Fox News as "a phenomenal book, staggering," and by the Huffington Post as "a truly inspirational story about an American soldier who epitomized our country's values." In 2012 he coauthored A Mission from God, the memoir of civil rights giant James Meredith. He also served as director of original programming and executive producer for HBO.