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American Sniper (book)

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American Sniper
Paperback cover
AuthorChris Kyle
Scott McEwen
Jim DeFelice
LanguageEnglish
SubjectPersonal memories
PublisherWilliam Morrow and Company, an imprint of HarperCollins
Publication date
January 2, 2012
Publication placeUnited States
Media typeHardcover
Audiobook
Paperback
Pages400
ISBN978-0062082350

American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History is a memoir by United States Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, written with Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice. With 255 kills, 160 of them officially confirmed by the Pentagon, Kyle is the deadliest marksman in U.S. military history. The book was published by William Morrow and Company on January 2, 2012,[1] and appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list for 37 weeks.[2]

The memoir has sold over 1.2 million copies across all formats (hardcover, paper, and ebook), including 700,000 copies in 2015 alone, making it one of the best-selling books of 2015.[3] It landed atop all the major best-seller lists including the aforementioned The New York Times, and Publishers Weekly, USA Today and No. 2 on Amazon.[4] Its film adaptation directed by Clint Eastwood and featuring Bradley Cooper as Kyle was released in 2014.

Plot overview

American Sniper tells the story of Chris Kyle, a Navy SEAL who completed four tours in Iraq from 1999-2009. The book describes Kyle’s upbringing in Odessa, Texas, Navy SEAL training, and combat experiences in Iraq.[5][6]

Kyle describes his role in the battle for control of Ramadi, events that led to Iraqi insurgents giving Kyle the nickname "Devil of Ramadi" and placing a bounty on his head.[7][8]

Kyle writes that after his first confirmed kill, "the others come easy. I don't have to psych myself up, or do something special mentally—I look through the scope, get my target in the cross hairs, and kill my enemy, before he kills one of my people."[9]

Controversies

Post-publication retraction

In July 2014, the sub-chapter "Punching Out Scruff Face" was removed from later editions of the book, after a three-week trial in U.S. Federal Court where the jury found that the author, Chris Kyle, had unjustly enriched himself by defaming plaintiff Jesse Ventura. In the book, Kyle described blackening the eye of "Scruff Face", whom he later identified in media interviews as Jesse Ventura.[10] The jury awarded $500,000 for defamation and $1,345,477.25 for unjust enrichment.[11][12] On June 13, 2016, the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit vacated the verdict on the defamation count, remanding the case for a new trial on that count, and reversed the unjust enrichment verdict outright.[13]

In December 2014, attorneys for Ventura filed a separate lawsuit against HarperCollins, the parent company of the publisher, for failing to check the accuracy of the story it used in publicity. The suit alleges that the false account used in publicity had "increased sales" and generated "millions of dollars for HarperCollins."[14]

False charity donation claims

Secondary sources said Kyle's family claimed he donated all his book proceeds to Veterans' Charity, but reports surfaced that he had kept most of the profit for himself.[15] National Review rebutted the reported claim that all proceeds of his book went to veterans' charities. According to reports, around 2 percent ($52,000) went to the charities, while Kyle's family took $3 million.[16]

Military record claims

In May 2016, The Intercept claimed that Kyle's autobiography “embellished” his military record, and that he had been warned by Navy officials about the inaccuracies before publication.[17][18][19][20] Others, including co-author Scott McEwen, disputed this.[21] On May 28, The Hollywood Reporter did an analysis, concluding that the newly released internal Navy documents were inconclusive — that the document that typically is the definitive record of military service matched Kyle’s claims and that the Navy had not yet publicly stated this document or the facts within it were incorrect. Kyle’s DD-214 lists a total of two Silver Stars and six Bronze stars, more than he claimed in his book.[22]

Film adaptation

A film adaptation of the book directed by Clint Eastwood and featuring Bradley Cooper as Kyle was released by Warner Bros. and had its world première on November 11, 2014, at the American Film Institute Festival, followed by a limited theatrical release in the United States on December 25, 2014. It received a wide release January 16, 2015.[23][24][25]

References

  1. ^ "A Wave of Military Memoirs With You-Are-There Appeal". The New York Times. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  2. ^ "Nonfiction - Best Sellers - The New York Times". The New York Times. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
  3. ^ Andy Lewis (February 6, 2015). "'American Sniper' Book Sales See Continued Bump From Movie's Success". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 4, 2015.
  4. ^ Andy Lewis (February 6, 2015). "'American Sniper' Book Sales See Continued Bump From Movie's Success". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 7, 2015. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Taylor Dibbert (27 April 2015). "Book Review: American Sniper". Huffington Post. Retrieved 6 October 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ Joshua Sinai (13 January 2012). "BOOK REVIEW: 'American Sniper'". Washington Times. Retrieved 6 October 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ Buiso, Gray (January 1, 2012). "Meet the big shot – SEAL is America's deadliest sniper". New York Post. Retrieved October 6, 2016. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  8. ^ Lindsay Deutsch (23 January 2015). "The fascinating life of Chris Kyle, the 'American Sniper'". USA Today. Retrieved 6 October 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Tony Perry (5 March 2012). "Book review: 'American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History' by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwen and Jim DeFelice". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 October 2016. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ "Jesse Ventura's $1.8M award in defamation trial ruled reasonable". St. Paul Pioneer Press. August 8, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  11. ^ "Jury awards Jesse Ventura $1.8 million in 'American Sniper' lawsuit". Dallas Morning News. July 29, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  12. ^ "Chris Kyle trial: Jesse Ventura wins $1.8 million in defamation case". Oregon Live. Associated Press. July 29, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2015.
  13. ^ Ventura v. Kyle, No. 14-3876 (8th Cir. June 13, 2016).
  14. ^ Holley, Peter (December 16, 2014). "Jesse Ventura sues HarperCollins over Chris Kyle's 'American Sniper'". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 14, 2015.
  15. ^ Jilani, Zaid (January 24, 2015). "7 heinous lies "American Sniper" is telling America". Salon. Alternet. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  16. ^ Delgado, A.J. (July 30, 2013). "Justice for Jesse: Ventura Was Right in His Lawsuit". National Review Online. Retrieved January 26, 2015.
  17. ^ "Report: Chris Kyle overstated his military medal record, documents show". Fox 5 San Diego. Retrieved May 26, 2016.
  18. ^ Gettys, Travis. "REVEALED: Conservative hero 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle grossly exaggerated his military record". The Raw Story. Retrieved May 2016. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  19. ^ Cole, Matthew; McNeill, Sheelagh (May 25, 2016). ""American Sniper" Chris Kyle Distorted His Military Record, Documents Show". The Intercept. Retrieved May 2016. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  20. ^ Lamothe, Dan (May 25, 2016). "How 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle's truthfulness is in question once again". Retrieved June 1, 2016.
  21. ^ "'American Sniper' Co-Author Defends Chris Kyle's Military Record Over New Controversy". We submitted the book for vetting with the DOD ... and certain parts of the manuscript were, at their request, redacted. [C]ertain other figures ... for example the number of Chris' confirmed kills —were agreed upon as something that could be released to the public.
  22. ^ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/american-sniper-chris-kyle-medal-898004
  23. ^ "Warner Bros. Dates 'American Sniper'; Moves 'Point Break', 'Man From U.N.C.L.E'". Deadline. August 12, 2014. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
  24. ^ Subers, Ray (January 15, 2015). "Lowest-Grossing Best Picture Nominees Since Category Expansion". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
  25. ^ Subers, Ray (January 15, 2015). "Forecast: 'Sniper' Sets Sights on January Record". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 17, 2015.
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