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4.08 AVERAGE
4.08 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
tense
Wonderful telling of such a terrible tragedy
I went into this book with no previous knowledge of the story. I was hooked after the first chapter. Other than a few curse words (an obvious part of war) this book was easy to get through and understand. Some might complain because of the bashing of the leftist media sprinkled throughout the book, but I wold expect nothing esle from a Navy SEAL from the heart of Texas.
I went into this book with no previous knowledge of the story. I was hooked after the first chapter. Other than a few curse words (an obvious part of war) this book was easy to get through and understand. Some might complain because of the bashing of the leftist media sprinkled throughout the book, but I wold expect nothing esle from a Navy SEAL from the heart of Texas.
The portion of the book that actually talks about operation Redwing is gripping. The rest of the book about SEAL training and politics is pretty poor. There are better books about both of those topics. Start with chapter six.
Thanks to Luttrell for doing what you do. Unfortunately, his co-author and editors didn't do their jobs. There was enough material about the operation to fill an epic narration of war chaos and operational conflict from a professional soldiers point of view. Luttrell has an incredible story to tell but his literary support network let him down.
Thanks to Luttrell for doing what you do. Unfortunately, his co-author and editors didn't do their jobs. There was enough material about the operation to fill an epic narration of war chaos and operational conflict from a professional soldiers point of view. Luttrell has an incredible story to tell but his literary support network let him down.
Read this for the Winter Reading Challenge as a suggestion from a co-worker.
I give it four stars because everything can always be improved. An excellent and heartbreaking read. As others have said, he goes on about the "liberal left," but considering he lost three of his team mates as a ripple effect of rules of engagement, I can hardly blame him for lashing out and blaming someone.
The story of Marcus Luttrell is truly an inspiring one that instills patriotism and love of country into anyone who encounters it. I first learned of his experiences when I saw the film of the same name starring Mark Wahlberg. I instantly admired his bravery and courage and wanted to read his own personal testament to what happened during Operation Redwing. While his recounts of the events are both heartbreaking and inspiring, it was a difficult book to read, not only because of the content, but the jargon as well. Not being a member of the military (although an Army brat) I constantly found myself backtracking and rereading passages in order to make sense of the military terms being used, as well as the history of the countries and conflicts described. I felt that these passages took away from being immersed in what Luttrell was experiencing and seeing in a moment when he became one of our nation's greatest heroes. I felt like I was experiencing whiplash a little while reading it. That being said, I absolutely admire the incredible amount of courage that Marcus Luttrell displayed during Operation Redwing, and I find inspiration and encouragement in his story. God bless America, and God bless Marcus Luttrell and all our Navy SEALs and military members.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Hard story but filled with military humor which I love.
dark
emotional
inspiring
tense
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
emotional
medium-paced
A few words of caution and my thoughts:
1) Like many reviewers said, there is a lot of animosity towards Liberals, media and politicians alike. Know that going into this book. I get where Luttrell is coming from and agree to an extent. However, he is a soldier and knows how to fight wars. I believe that is his approach to "fighting" with the Liberals but you can not fight that way. It's not that kind of war.
2) I recommend the audio. I have tried several war books before ("Blackhawk Down", "Jarhead") and I can't get through them. Besides the actual events happening (torture, death, fighting), I find the way other humans are described as extremely uncomfortable. I understand that this mindset needs to occur - it's war and all war is Hell. I don't think anyone is pro-war. So I give this book major props because I actually finished it and I'm thinking I need to try any other war books as audio.
3) Other reviewers say the book is poorly written. I disagree. I think Luttrell's voice comes out loud and clear. My only caveat is that I think Robinson could have reduced the amount of Liberal vitriol (and maybe he did).
4) The Navy Seal training was the most interesting part to me. Again, the suffering - not a fan and has made me stop reading several war books.
5) I agree with Luttrell that all of these people that are harsh on soldiers need to do some hard things. Doing push-ups is a start.
6) If you are not a Texan, you will likely get tired of all the Texan-ness. I am a Texan so, of course, I was all for it :D
7) It's a Navy Seal memoir. It's going to have a lot of patriotism, or others may argue, nationalism. Know that as well going in.
Overall, I'm glad I read it. It definitely has pushed me to do hard things while reading it. If those men can become Navy Seals, I can push through a Pilates workout.
1) Like many reviewers said, there is a lot of animosity towards Liberals, media and politicians alike. Know that going into this book. I get where Luttrell is coming from and agree to an extent. However, he is a soldier and knows how to fight wars. I believe that is his approach to "fighting" with the Liberals but you can not fight that way. It's not that kind of war.
2) I recommend the audio. I have tried several war books before ("Blackhawk Down", "Jarhead") and I can't get through them. Besides the actual events happening (torture, death, fighting), I find the way other humans are described as extremely uncomfortable. I understand that this mindset needs to occur - it's war and all war is Hell. I don't think anyone is pro-war. So I give this book major props because I actually finished it and I'm thinking I need to try any other war books as audio.
3) Other reviewers say the book is poorly written. I disagree. I think Luttrell's voice comes out loud and clear. My only caveat is that I think Robinson could have reduced the amount of Liberal vitriol (and maybe he did).
4) The Navy Seal training was the most interesting part to me. Again, the suffering - not a fan and has made me stop reading several war books.
5) I agree with Luttrell that all of these people that are harsh on soldiers need to do some hard things. Doing push-ups is a start.
6) If you are not a Texan, you will likely get tired of all the Texan-ness. I am a Texan so, of course, I was all for it :D
7) It's a Navy Seal memoir. It's going to have a lot of patriotism, or others may argue, nationalism. Know that as well going in.
Overall, I'm glad I read it. It definitely has pushed me to do hard things while reading it. If those men can become Navy Seals, I can push through a Pilates workout.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War