Review: American Wife by Taya Kyle #Memoir

Title: American Wife: A Memoir of Love, War, Faith, and Renewal
Author: Taya Kyle
Publisher: William Morrow (HarperCollins)
Release Date: May 4, 2015
Acquired Via: TLC Book Tours
The widow of "American Sniper" Chris Kyle shares their private story: an unforgettable testament to the power of love and faith in the face of war and unimaginable loss—and a moving tribute to a man whose true heroism ran even deeper than the legend

In early 2013, Taya Kyle and her husband, Chris, were the happiest they ever had been. Their decade-long marriage had survived years of war that took Chris, a U.S. Navy SEAL, away from Taya and their two children for agonizingly long stretches while he put his life on the line in many major battles of the Iraq War. After struggling to readjust to life out of the military, Chris had found new purpose in redirecting his lifelong dedication to service toward supporting veterans and their families. Their love had deepened, and their family was whole, finally.

Then, the unthinkable. On February 2, 2013, Chris and his friend Chad Littlefield were killed while attempting to help a troubled vet. The life Chris and Taya fought so hard to build was shattered. In an instant, Taya became a single parent of two. A widow. A young woman facing the rest of her life without the man she loved.

Chris and Taya's remarkable story has captivated millions through Clint Eastwood's blockbuster Academy Award-winning film American Sniper, starring Bradley Cooper as Chris and Sienna Miller as Taya, and because of Chris's bestselling memoir, in which Taya contributed passages that formed the book's emotional core. Now, with trusted collaborator Jim DeFelice, Taya writes in never-before-told detail about the hours, days, and months after Chris's shocking death when grief threatened to overwhelm her.

And yet throughout, friendship, family, and a deepening faith were lifelines that sustained her and the kids when the sorrow became too much. Two years after her husband's tragic death, Taya has found renewed meaning and connection to Chris by advancing their shared mission of "serving those who serve others," particularly military and first-responder families. She and the children are now embracing a new future, one that honors the past but also looks forward with hope, gratitude, and joy.

American Wife is one of the most remarkable memoirs of the year—a universal chronicle of love and heartbreak, service and sacrifice, faith and purpose that will inspire every reader.

My Review

This has to be far and away the most difficult review that I have ever written. I've always tried to challenge myself as a reader, so I decided to go outside of my normal reading zone and read American Wife. I do like the occasional memoir because it's so fascinating to learn about someone's life. To an extent, seeing into Taya Kyle's life was no different - she's an interesting lady. However, the difficulty in reviewing American Wife comes with disagreeing with the book without seeming to attack the author, who it is about.

Joint Review: Night by Elie Wiesel

Back to the Classics Challenge



Title: Night
Author: Elie Wiesel
Publisher: Hill & Wang
Acquired Via: Library (Kayla) & Personal Collection (Amber)
Release Date: 1960
Night is Elie Wiesel's masterpiece, a candid, horrific, and deeply poignant autobiographical account of his survival as a teenager in the Nazi death camps. This new translation by Marion Wiesel, Elie's wife and frequent translator, presents this seminal memoir in the language and spirit truest to the author's original intent. And in a substantive new preface, Elie reflects on the enduring importance of Night and his lifelong, passionate dedication to ensuring that the world never forgets man's capacity for inhumanity to man.

Night offers much more than a litany of the daily terrors, everyday perversions, and rampant sadism at Auschwitz and Buchenwald; it also eloquently addresses many of the philosophical as well as personal questions implicit in any serious consideration of what the Holocaust was, what it meant, and what its legacy is and will be.

Our Review

Night by Elie Wiesel is the first book that we have chosen to read for our Back to the Classics Challenge.

Kayla: I'm glad that we read Night first because it was the book I was most likely to put off reading. (I swear I didn't - January was a busy month.) The Holocaust always makes me extremely emotional, but I was surprised by my lack of reaction to Night. Don't get me wrong, I was horrified by the situations Elie Wiesel faced, but I never cried. How did the book make you feel?

Amber: Mostly I felt sad and angry while reading it. Obviously sad about everything that Wiesel went through, but also just that it happened and it happened to so many people. But also sad for the things that Wiesel lost besides his family and his possessions. He lost his faith in himself and in his God. He also lost a little of his humanity. I'm also angry that there are still people in the world that believe that the Holocaust never happened. Then, I just thought it was so crazy that at the beginning of Night, Wiesel talks about how the people he knew were saying that they didn't believe that Hitler was really going to kill the Jewish people. Then they let the Nazis into their homes, then they let the Nazis kick them out of their homes, etc. I wonder if it was because they wanted to believe that human beings couldn't be that awful. Or if they, like most people, think that something bad will never happen to them.

Do you think that your lack of reaction was due to how Night was written? To me, it seemed very matter-of-fact and almost clinical.

Review (Giveaway): Paperboy by Tony Macaulay

Title: Paperboy: An Enchanting True Story of a Belfast Paperboy Coming to Terms with the Troubles
Author: Tony Macaulay
Publisher: HarperCollins
Acquired Via: Publisher
Release Date: September 3, 2013
It’s Belfast, 1975. The city lies under the dark cloud of the Troubles, and hatred fills the air like smoke. But Tony Macaulay has just turned twelve and he’s got a new job. He’s going to be a paperboy. And come rain or shine - or bombs and mortar - he will deliver…

Paperboy lives in Upper Shankill, Belfast, in the heart of the conflict between Loyalists and Republicans. Bombings are on the evening news, rubble lies where buildings once stood, and rumors spread like wildfire about the IRA and the UDA.

But Paperboy lives in a world of Doctor Who, Top of the Pops and fish suppers. His battles are fought with all the passion of Ireland’s opposing sides - but against acne, the dentist and the ‘wee hoods’ who rob his paper money. On his rounds he hums songs by the Bay City Rollers, dreams about outer space and dreams even more about the beautiful Sharon Burgess.

In this touching, funny and nostalgic memoir, Tony Macaulay recounts his days growing up in Belfast during the Troubles, the harrowing years which saw neighbor fighting neighbor and brother fighting brother. But in the midst of all this turmoil, Paperboy, a scrappy upstart with a wicked sense of humor and sky-high dreams, dutifully goes about his paper round. He is a good paperboy, so he is.

Paperboy proves that happiness can be found even in the darkest of times; it is a story that will charm your socks off, make you laugh out loud and brings to life the culture, stories and colorful characters of a very different - but very familiar - time.

My Review

Paperboy is Tony Macaulay's memoir that describes his experiences as a paperboy for the "Belly Telly" (Belfast Telegraph) in the 1970s during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Though it did not seem like a book that I would want to read initially, I decided that I wanted to give it a try after some thought. I had a very dear friend from Northern Ireland, and my fond memories of him tipped the tables in favor of Paperboy.

Review: Si-cology 1 Tales and Wisdom from Duck Dynasty’s Favorite Uncle by Si Robertson

Title: Si-cology 1: Tales and Wisdom from Duck Dynasty’s Favorite Uncle
Author: Si Robertson
Publisher: Howard Books (Simon & Schuster)
Acquired Via: Publisher
Release Date: September 3, 2013
You know him from the hit A&E show Duck Dynasty — now you can enjoy Uncle Si’s tall tales, crazy exploits, and quirky one-liners in one raucous collection!“These hands are so fast, I can get your wallet before you know it. In a minute, you’ll be standing there buck naked and won’t know what hit you!” “Look here—if it wasn’t for my tripped knee, I’d be playing in the NBA today.” “Hey, Jack!” Any of these sound familiar? If they do—or even if they don’t—you’re in for a good laugh. The brother of patriarch Phil Robertson, Uncle Si has a limitless supply of stories about his childhood, duck hunting adventures, his days in Vietnam, and everything in between. Now the best of those tales are gathered into this roaring book.

And as Uncle Si recounts his outlandish tales, he weaves in an up-close look into his personal life. You'll learn about his childhood life as the youngest son in the Robertson family, his college days, and his time in Vietnam. Si shares stories of the scores of marriage proposals he’s received in the mail (some with photos!), how he came to use a green Tupperware cup for his ever-present sweet tea, and how his cigarette smoke made a deer cough (he’s since quit smoking). And in many of these never-before-heard tales, Si openly talks about his wife Christina and two children, Scott and Trasa—who are never seen and rarely mentioned on the show.

Sure to please die-hard fans and curious newbies alike, Si’s one-liners are presented alongside fun, expressive photographs, as well as photos of his family. As you learn about his behind-the-scenes life, this smattering of zany stories will have you falling over with laughter and retelling them to all your friends.

My Review

Okay, I think now is the time to admit it - I watch Duck Dynasty. I'm not a die-hard fan of the show, but I've progressed from a fan-by-default (Mister and Bug love it) to someone who looks forward to the show each week. Trust me when I say that it sneaks up on you. Si Robertson is pretty much the sole reason that I watch the show, and his book did not disappoint the fan in me.

Blog Tour (Excerpt): My Journey as a Combat Medic by Patrick Thibeault

My Journey as a Combat Medic is a no-holds-barred look at the modern medic in the US Army, allowing us a glimpse at the training as a soldier and as a specialist, as well as deployment and front line duties and the impact of service on civilian life, including an honest look at PTSD, from the author’s own personal experience. Rather than a technical manual, My Journey as a Combat Medic is a detailed firsthand account, concluding with a letter to new medics, providing a career’s worth of advice and knowledge as they begin their journeys. This book is about the soldiers who bring compassion and humanity to the battlefield.

Published on July 24, 2012 by Osprey Publishing


Excerpt

The Ranger Battalion Chief Medical Officer was a hardcore physician assistant. He had been a Special Forces medic before he went to school to become a physician assistant. He deployed on several combat operations throughout his career. The training was physically intense, and as predicted I was getting into pretty decent shape. It was an honor to be in the presence of these Rangers. Many of the medics from the Ranger Battalion had parachuted in Panama back in December, 1989. I was still wet behind the ears compared to these medics, but none of the medics gloated about having a combat jump or about having the Combat Medical Badge. (The Combat Medical Badge is awarded to combat medics during war who do their job while being engaged or engaging the enemy.) They had to go through Expert Field Medical Badge just as I was doing.

Book Blast (Giveaway): A Hard Act to Follow by Henry Bushkin

A Hard Act to Follow
by Henry Bushkin

A Hard Act to Follow is a non-fiction literary account of Henry Bushkin's tenure as Johnny Carson's lawyer, business partner, and friend. The book gives genuine insight into the 'Carson behind Johnny' with candid personal vignettes about the two, during the rollicking years when Johnny was the undisputed king of television. This is an engaging, eye-opening, anecdote-packed story about a young lawyer and his client, one of the biggest celebrities in the country. This funny, unfiltered account gives readers a look at the Johnny Carson that none but a select few really knew.



A Hard Act to Follow by Henry Bushkin provides a stirring account into Johnny Carson’s world—as told by Carson’s closest confidant. A New Yorker article by Kenneth Tynan from 1978, included the following question and answer:

Tynan: When you’re at home, whom do you entertain?
Carson: My lawyer, Henry Bushkin, who’s probably my best friend.

Carson360 Facebook | Website | Carson360 Twitter
Praise for A Hard Act to Follow

"I loved the book." - Wayne Newton

"No one would describe Johnny as easy going-there was an edge to him that Bushkin always managed to soften. He continues to do that in this book. There was that challenging side of Johnny which is also captured in the book. Henry was Johnny's closest friend for many years, which becomes clear through many of the wonderful chapters of the book. All in all a great book to read." - Bob Trapenberg

Guest Post: Stephen Paul Register (MEANTIME: The Aesthetics of Soldiering)

STEPHEN PAUL REGISTER moved around often as a child in the American South. He settled in Nashville before joining the Tennessee National Guard. He was deployed to to Baghdad, Iraq and Kuwait for over 16 months from 2003 to 2004. He served in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and also had the duty of supporting Border Patrol in Yuma, Arizona. Stephen attended Belmont University in Nashville from 2005 to 2008 where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and the Arts. He then went on to Yale University to earn his Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School, where he graduated in 2011. He now lives with his wife Anna in Nashville.

Several months ago, I interviewed Stephen Paul Register about his memoir, MEANTIME: The Aesthetics of Soldiering, and invited him to do a guest post about the sudden surge in popularity of dystopian and post-apocalyptic literature and how he felt about it personally. Since he's spent time in situations and areas that many of us would see as dystopian, I was very interested in reading his thoughts on the matter. Since some of the books he mentions in the post are controversial, I thought this would fit well with Banned Books Week.

I hope you enjoy his guest post as much as I did.

Dystopias
by Stephen Register
What is the obsession with dystopias these days? The Hunger Games has become a hands-down dominator in the market recently (LeBron is even reading them), Nashville has recently invited Margaret Atwood to do a citywide speak on The Handmaid’s Tale (Nashville high schools have controversially made The Handmaid’s Tale a mandatory read for students this year—and The Handmaid’s Tale is not even Atwood’s most recent dystopian novel! Oryx and Crake and The Year of the Flood are much later dystopian releases), and the films Dredd and Total Recall are rereleases of dystopian films released within the past twenty years. (Questions of these films’ quality remain).

Author Interview: Stephen Paul Register (MEANTIME: The Aesthetics of Soldiering)

STEPHEN PAUL REGISTER moved around often as a child in the American South. He settled in Nashville before joining the Tennessee National Guard. He was deployed to to Baghdad, Iraq and Kuwait for over 16 months from 2003 to 2004. He served in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts and also had the duty of supporting Border Patrol in Yuma, Arizona. Stephen attended Belmont University in Nashville from 2005 to 2008 where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Religion and the Arts. He then went on to Yale University to earn his Master of Divinity degree from Yale Divinity School, where he graduated in 2011. He now lives with his wife Anna in Nashville.

Stephen, thank you so much for stopping by the blog to answer questions about your book. Would you please tell us a little bit about MEANTIME: The Aesthetics of Soldiering in your own words?

This book is about what it means to be a soldier. If you really want to know what it means “to soldier” in the modern era, then MEANTIME is the book for you. The book is about me being deployed in three different capacities: as a warfighter in Iraq in the early days of Operation Iraqi Freedom; as a sentry in support of U.S. Border Partol where we patrolled for illegal immigrants on the Arizona/Mexico border; and as a disaster relief aid worker in Gulfport, MS, where my unit was deployed just four days after hurricane Katrina devastated that place.

What inspired you to write MEANTIME?