American Sniper is the autobiography of Chris Kyle (1974-2013), a former U.S. Navy SEAL, considered the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history. Significant portions of American Sniper focus on Chris’s activities during combat in the Middle East, activities that range from busting into houses, to providing support fire, to successfully hitting faraway targets. The short, punchy paragraphs of Chris’s prose help to capture the fast, tense pace of the action. More than a record of adrenaline-fueled combat, American Sniper often turns away from Chris’s time in Iraq to consider his background, ideology, and competing loyalties.

Chris Kyle came from a close-knit Texas family; during his lifetime, he was an observant Christian and a devoted father, who by his own account, took his children hunting and taught them traditional values, such as respect for their elders. He also enjoyed an honest and affectionate relationship with his wife, Taya. One of the central conflicts in American Sniper involves Chris’s competing duties to his family and to his country. A celebrated serviceman and devoted family man, he was forced to choose which form of excellence would define his life and become his primary commitment.

In his military role, Chris was defined by contrasting qualities.