Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account Of Operation Redwing And The Lost Heroes Of SEAL Team 10 (2007) - Plot & Excerpts
I already reviewed this on Amazon...but here's my take on it, anyway:Do not listen to 1-star reviews of this book by those taking on elitist attitudes towards the lack of flowery adjectives and fluff. It's more likely the writer's politics that bother them, so they assume the stance of literature snobs.#1 - It's written the way it is because it's the recounting of a tale, a war story. Imagine sitting down with a beer, a crackling fireplace and a friend who has a very fascinating story to tell. He starts recounting his tale, backtracking as he needs to fill in the holes, and before you know it, hours and hours have gone by and you are spellbound. Luttrell wrote things the way he would think and say them, sometimes it's even humorous, but more often than not, it is harrowing. Luttrell did NOT write things the way a stoned poet would. We do not think in similes and metaphors and neither does he. Luttrell let his wit and personality shine through. By the end of this book, you will feel as if you personally know him. #2 - "He's too political and anti-liberal"....In the first part of the book, Luttrell rants a little against the liberal media. At this point, some people closed the book and missed out on one hell of a great story. When you read further and "open your mind" (isn't that a favorite phrase of liberals?), it becomes very clear how Luttrell formed his opinions and solidified them on the battlefield. I can't understand how someone can read the book all the way through and then not see WHY he feels the way he does. Did they not read the heart-wrenching scenes where he watched his friends die? Did they not read about the numerous hells he faced? If any of us were in his situation and suffered the after-effects, we would also be centered on that ONE decision that could have changed everything. Luttrell is entitled to his opinions and he's more than earned the right to speak them. Too often we hear the opinions of those who have never been the very places they have such heated opinions about. Yet, when someone who has speaks honestly...he should be silenced? Honestly, who is more qualified to give their opinion? Marcus Luttrell? Or some group of rich idiots with guitars that somehow think this gives them political omniscience? #3 - "Too self-aggrandizing, too much testosterone"...Okay guys, it's bad when this reviewer is a mother and seems to have no problem with "testosterone" in this book. Would it be better if Luttrell had added some scenes where he and the Taliban throw down their weapons and perform a ballet number in an opium field? I don't think some of these reviewers have personally known military or they are military (so say a few reviewers) and are just jealous because Luttrell's experiences are not typical. Most military personnel are not put in the position to be called heroes by their brethren. One thing most service members share is pride. Why? Because pride is what gives you a purpose for living when things get tough. Pride of service and loyalty is not arrogance. It's a survival tactic that forms the bonds of military brotherhood. If some had no pride in their liberal views, some wouldn't be writing bad reviews on an otherwise great book. Everyone possesses it and the man who says he doesn't is lying. Do you think Marcus Luttrell wakes up every day, looks in the mirror, and tells himself how awesome he is? I highly doubt it. Anyone who knows someone who has had to endure a fraction of what these men have to endure can tell you that. I've watched the despair of someone close to me because his friend died in Iraq and he's still living. Texas, the United States, his SEAL training...Luttrell is proud of them. Does that make him arrogant? No. His pride helps keep him sane after all that's happened...and that battle goes on long after the battlefield is left behind. This book is not a dry, journalistic military recounting of events. It's full of heart and vigor. It's a military memoir whose heart lives on after the last page. The writing is raw and the overwhelming popularity of this book is because the events that transpire are told so realistically you will feel like they are happening to you. At times it's painful to read, at times you will laugh out loud, at times you will get angry, and you will cry no matter how tough you think you are, but when it's all said and done, you will feel like you just lived through these events alongside Luttrell. One of the last great American novels for true patriots.
I REALLY wanted to like Lone Survivor. I mean, it's theoretically about a guy who survives an ambush by the Taliban when his teammates do not, goes on to receive shelter and protection from a brave Afghan village, and then writes about the bravery of his teammates who fought to their deaths.But... the book is essentially Marcus Luttrell patting himself on the back. For more than 100 pages, he writes about training to become a Navy SEAL and how tough he is. I'm not saying that it is a small thing to get through that. I could never ever ever be that tough. But these anecdotes are only about him, not the mettle shown by the rest of his SEAL class. And anyway, the book is supposed to be about the bravery of his lost teammates. About 100 pages are eventually dedicated to his interaction with the team. And he does laud their bravery and determination in the face of horrific injuries. However, it seemed like most of his recollections are of the teammates making bad decisions when Marcus knew better, or of Marcus doing heroic things. And I'm sure he did. I'm not making light of his service to his country, his willingness to risk his life for his country. But again, he himself says the book is supposed to be about the bravery of his teammates.The rest of the book is about Marcus bravely evading capture - barely mentioning his friends, until he comes to the end where he talks about how he very graciously tours the country comforting the families of his lost teammates. Again, it's an admirable thing to do, but it seems like he's pointing out the fact that it was an admirable thing to do.And while he bravely evaded his trackers for one night, he is also taken in by an incredibly brave Afghan village, who protect him from the Taliban forces in the face of terrifying threats. He acknowledges the risk this village has taken, but more than anything, he complains that they gave him a dirty water bottle and that the goat's milk tasted bad. And that there was a rooster crowing outside his room.The book is interspersed with diatribes about "the liberal media" and the liberal lies they perpetrate. He says the liberal media seeks to make Americans hate US troops. This alone seems incredibly wrong to me. It is my perception that criticism of the military by the media is nearly always directed at: a) incredible atrocities, like Haditha or Abu Ghraib or b) poor military decisions by the higher ups. Instead, Marcus also says something to the effect of, The Geneva Convention is a bunch of liberal bullshit made up by liberal politicians who have never experienced war; it's also something the liberal media uses to incriminate US troops. He says, If you don't want to see the loss of innocent life, don't go to war. By association, he thinks the "liberal media" has no right to criticize, or even report, innocent loss of life in war due to US activities.I can see where he's coming from, to a degree. The havoc that was wreaked on his teammates spawned primarily from a decision to extend mercy to a few unarmed goatherds who happened upon the SEAL's position. The goatherds reported that position to the Taliban, who sent hundreds of men to attack the group of 4 Navy SEALs. In hindsight, it's understandable that Marcus would regret that seemingly humane decision. However, this does not mean that unarmed civilians should generally be killed. The US is not supposed to be ruthless.Again, I really do not wish to criticize the service Marcus dedicated to his country. In fact, his valor is real. Despite his injuries, he turned around and asked to complete his deployment. His family and his country should be proud of his service. However, it just doesn't sit well with me that he is billing this book as a tribute to his brave teammates, when they really seem to be minor supporting characters to Marcus' lead man, providing a sympathetic plotline to enhance the like-ability of the main character. I believe that his intentions were probably good, but his severe lack of humility prevents Lone Survivor from being the tribute his team deserves.Note: other Goodreads users have notified me that Marcus is contributing the profits from the sale of this book to a trust benefitting troops and their families. While this does not alleviate my concerns that the book does not do justice to his teammates, I think he is honoring their legacy and their service by refusing to profit from the book.
What do You think about Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account Of Operation Redwing And The Lost Heroes Of SEAL Team 10 (2007)?
Mindless garbage. This in no manner conceptualizes the essence and true madness of war. I have no tolerance for this mind-numbing bellicose crap. Honestly, books like this scare me. On a personal level, I was drawn into the military out of insecurity and false notions of what patriotism was. Besides its blatant agenda, (liberal media this, how the liberals hate the troop etc) it's also terribly written. As a veteran military officer, It frightens me that our young service member read this crap as opposed to novels which really bring to life the true horrors of war. War is a necessary evil at times, but the decision to go to war should never be glamorized or taken lightly. This mindless drab offers nothing in the way of an empirical study of war. Early in 1963, right around the time U.S Army HELO pilots were first being used surreptitiously in combat, Admiral Harry Felt lambasted an Associated Press reporter when asked a tough question about the South Vietnamese (3 Americans were killed) failure at the Battle of Ap Bac in 1963; he exclaimed to the reporter, "Get on the team!" It's quite apparent we haven't learned everything we could from that dreadful experience.
—Alex
This book makes me want to punch myself in the face. As a former Army medic and the spouse of an Army Ranger who was actually on the mission that saved this "Great American" who is the lone survivor because he was looking out for himself not his comrades. I barely made it past the introduction of him boasting about how Navy Seals are all but Godly beings. I have nothing against Navy Seals or any other service member who puts their lives on the line. They are my brothers and sisters. It simply sickens me that this coward has made so much money off of Americans who don't know the real story...
—Brittany
This book kicked glutes. It was written by a Navy seal who grew up outside Houston and briefly dated a colleague of mine. She says there's no way (from the intelligence she discerned in a week of dating) he could have written this book, which includes French phrases and plausable-sounding summaries of Pashtun history and culture. Therre is an "as told to" co-author so give that guy credit.Nonetheless this is a great adventure/rescue/tragedy written by someone who believes what George Bush tells him. Or maybe not. Early on the author makes plenty of disparaging comments about ragheads and heathens in Afghanistan. Later in the book, rural villagers cut from basically the same cloth as the Taliban save his bullet-ridden arse and put their own lives on the line to do so. You can almost feel a glimmer of understanding and appreciation behind Marcus's patriotic bluster. Subtext aside, this is an amazing and improbable tale of survival that is apparently true. I'd put it up there with A Thousand Splendid Suns or the book by Rory something (someboddy hep me here) about walking across Afghanistan as a culture journey, or somewhat perverse armchair traveler.Hey it's, what, 10:45 pm, just read the dang thing when you're done with Interpreter of Traveling Pants.
—Michael
