Shooter: The Autobiography Of The Top-Ranked Marine Sniper (2005) - Plot & Excerpts
Book Review for "Shooter" By Jack Coughlin and Casey KuhlmantThis book, for me, was one of the greatest war stories ever to be told. It was so in depth, and used so many little details to really paint a picture. You should definitely read this if you're into very detailed books about war.tJack Coughlin was a staff sergeant over in Somalia. He was one of the best snipers there. Since looking through the scope, he could really see and describe the things he saw, which really came out in his writing. The descriptions he gave about the people he was soon going to pull the trigger on was almost creepy in a way. It was really interesting reading about the more action filled parts of this book, but what I really like is the stealthy missions. tJack Coughlin is a pretty tough guy, especially for a sniper. He won't back down from anything. Even when the guys above him begin to talk down to him, he doesn't back down. He just stands up straight, and says what he believes is right. He's got two little girls, and one wife who doesn't seem to love him all that much. But, admittedly it would be pretty hard for a military wife, especially during a war right after 9/11 because everyone was really scared. Jack Coughlin and his family live in a really hot desert in California on a military base called Palms 29 (this sort of prepared Coughlin and his men for the deserts of Iraq when they were deployed). One thing that proved how pushy and persistent Jack is, is the fact that he wanted to change the way snipers worked. He was tired of the way people perceive snipers. Everyone thinks they should just find a good hide, and support other fire teams from a distance. Coughlin wants to prove that wrong. He wanted to develop a mobile sniper team, but other people were not being very supportive. He had to pretty much do this himself. He kept pushing through the opposition until he finally got what he wanted.tJack Coughlin's main goal in life, was to just always be in the fight. He couldn't wait to get out into the war. He had to fight his way into the fight. But like I said before, he is very persistent. To me, he is one of the bravest war heroes ever. He just kept practicing, and practicing his shooting until he became the top-ranked marine sniper, which is truly amazing. He is not only one of our nations heroes, but one of my heroes. I want to be just like him when I get into the marines because I too want to be a marine sniper. tThis is one of my new favorite books. You should definitely read it just because it is an all around good book. It's not your average, ordinary, everyday autobiography. Somehow, it's just different. I loved every minute of this book, and every page.
While I don't think this book is for everyone, I do think it deserves 5 stars (though it should have spent more time with the copy-editor, as there are some obvious errors). It was a fascinating, first-hand, account of the war in Iraq from the perspective of a Marine sniper. It was written very honestly and bluntly, a style that typifies most military men, yet Jack was able to infuse the book with humor and emotion. It was truly amazing to hear this story told from a first-hand, military perspective rather than the spun and inevitably distorted version pumped over the airways by different media channels. I never appreciated how quickly our tropps progressed through Iraq to liberate Baghdad... and it seems that while that part of the mission was well planned and successfully executed, it was when they arrived at Baghdad that communication broke down and they were asked to do a job they had no business doing--policing the Iraqi people.Honestly, I gained a whole new respect for what our troops endure. They face challenges and decisions that no human should have to make, but they're put in life-and-death situations where the safety of themselves, their friends, loved ones, and even strangers are at risk. It was hard to read about the loss of civilian lives, but encouraging to know that everything possible was done to prevent it, and that it wasn't taken lightly by our soldiers and Marines. It was times like that the humanity of these warriors really crept into the story, and it was strangely comforting.
What do You think about Shooter: The Autobiography Of The Top-Ranked Marine Sniper (2005)?
I'm keeping my two star rating - I finished the book this weekend, really could have been one chapter - that goes like this..."I am the best Marine in the sniper world, I have a crappy relationship with my wife, I go to training and change the entire system for the snipers, we go to war, I am the only sniper the commander above me wants on the battle field, commander Bob is a dweeb so I disobey him and go to the war front to kill bad guys, I come home and the marriage is over, I am the best Marine in the sniper world - end of story"================It's okay so far, guy out shooting people, comes home to be with family instead of the bars, lack of communication because missions are secret, we will see if much more changes in the next few chapters. Still reading this one, painfully. I'm getting a bit tired of the repeated theme "I'm the best - everyone else is mediocore - the Marines are just lucky I chose to be one of them". I keep plugging along refusing to give up, but now I see that the missions were what must have kept hubby and son going - I am not that captivated.I even guessed that he doesn't stay married - BIG surprise there - it's got to be hard to find someone as perfect as yourself, no one could possibly compare.
—Carolina
There was a part of me that wanted to like this book very much.It is clear from this book and others like it (ie. Ambush Alley) that the Marine Corps has evolvedgreatly from my days of service (1960-1964) and the technology and combat trainingis certainly superior to that of my time.I found it hard to feel much affinity with GySgt Coughlin as he seemed to come acrossas egotistic and arrogant in pursuing a course of action that others had rejected (mostlyhis superiors). On the other hand, he came across as an extremely dedicated Marine and one who was trying to take careof his men while accomplishing the goals of his unit. The kind of Marine who make up the backboneof the corps. I think I could have liked the book better if I could have felt more empathy for the Gunnery Sargentand his particular situation. Overall his account of Iraq has a truthfulness to it that made it hard to put down.
—Rob
The book "Shooter" was about a marine snipers first hand account of his Iraq tour after 9/11. He talks about all of his difficulties both in the army and in his personal life back home. It goes into details on training they had previously to 9/11 and then all the little battles and towns they went through on their way to Baghdad. Throughout the story he keeps track of his kills and details like what was going through his head during the time of the shot. He also talks about how he is trying to get more important roles for snipers in today's military, and show that they can be just as effective in the urban terrain as they can anywhere else. He describes all the hardships of being in the military, like going days without sleep, not always having food or running water and also losing friends or members of your squad. Overall I think that this was a really good book that shows details in the military that a lot of people don't know or that people never hear about. I liked how it also described not only the difficulties of being in war but also the difficulties you face at home while raising a family. It shows that it's hard sometimes to keep your family life and military separate. I thought that this was a realistic action packed book. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes the military or is thinking about enlisting. I think that it has an accurate representation of what it would be like in the military. I think that if you like snipers or action books this would be a really good book to read. It shows not only the hard times but also the fun times that you experience in the military. This book is highly recommended for someone wanting a good book to read.
—Andrew Miller
