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Reviews tagging 'Violence'
No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden by Mark Owen
1 review
martysdalton's review
adventurous
informative
tense
fast-paced
2.5
The autobiography tells the story of a truly remarkable military career. I had no idea that the men who helped kill Osama Bin Laden were the same men of some other famous missions in recent American history, including the rescue of Captain Phillips. The description of the planning, the raid, and the conclusion of the mission(s) were fascinating and fast-paced. Wow! But I am also struck by how radically different the author's worldview is from my own. He's extremely black-and-white about the world. There are good guys & bad guys. There are heroes and villains. For me, his calloused worldview is grating to observe between the lines. How overly simplified, how uneducated it is, how unempathetic it is. I've been a pacifist most of my life, I don't know if I still am in my late 30s (unrelated to this book). In contrast, the author grew up with a gun in his hands in Alaska, hunting & fishing, dreaming of becoming a soldier. We couldn't be more opposite in so many ways.
Yet, I recognize that the world does need people like him, because there are, in fact, some villains—violent ones who have even more destructive worldviews. I am about as far as a guy can get from being ooh-rah about the military. I view the US military primarily as exploitive of the poor & uneducated and responsible for an enormous amount of harm. But part of the point of reading is to expose yourself to other viewpoints; this autobiography did that. I'm interested in history, American history in particular, and that's what drew me to the story. I'm surprised to find myself saying here at the end of the book that I do have a great appreciation for the dedication of the Navy Seals that were involved in this--as opposed to pity for the culture that brought them into service, which is what I normally feel towards our service men and women.
I'd encourage everyone to lean into their biases and find other viewpoints, but I can't say I'd recommend this book.
Yet, I recognize that the world does need people like him, because there are, in fact, some villains—violent ones who have even more destructive worldviews. I am about as far as a guy can get from being ooh-rah about the military. I view the US military primarily as exploitive of the poor & uneducated and responsible for an enormous amount of harm. But part of the point of reading is to expose yourself to other viewpoints; this autobiography did that. I'm interested in history, American history in particular, and that's what drew me to the story. I'm surprised to find myself saying here at the end of the book that I do have a great appreciation for the dedication of the Navy Seals that were involved in this--as opposed to pity for the culture that brought them into service, which is what I normally feel towards our service men and women.
I'd encourage everyone to lean into their biases and find other viewpoints, but I can't say I'd recommend this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Gun violence
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