kickerdad - , reviewed on 12/28/2020 + 123 more book reviews

"The Heart and The Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL" by Eric Greitens was a straight-forward book about some of the life experiences of the author. The book is roughly divided into thirds, not necessarily by pages, but by concept. The first third is about his time as an international humanitarian worker in some of the toughest circumstances in the world. Even though some of the experiences are tragic and heart rending, I found myself smiling much of the time - probably because quite often they were places I know my brother has been and I was wondering how similar his experiences may have been. The middle part of the book was about becoming a Navy SEAL - the process of and the thoughts that led to the decision to try. The final part of the book relates post 9/11 experience in Afghanistan. Mr. Geitens focuses what seem to be disparate stereotypes into a picture of how a desire to serve others made a better warrior, and how warriors are sometimes needed to enable humanitarian efforts. The final pages are a brief introduction into a foundation he founded to provide direction for veterans. [4.5/5]

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