Not a Bad Read, But....

If you have read the book American Sniper by Chris Kyle, then you are familiar with the story of Ryan Job.  Kyle goes through that story in-depth and how the SEAL team rallied around for the medical evacuation.  Ryan, despite the gruesome wound and pain, would leave the battlefield under his own power so that his brothers in arms could fully fight against the insurgency.  The wound would cost him his eyesight.  Later on in that book, Kyle would have a cursory mention of Job's marriage and his unfortunate demise.

This book, A Warrior's Faith by Robert Vera, picks up where Kyle's book left off.  It unveils some of Job's accomplishments in mountain-climbing and adjustments in daily life.  The author is good at capturing real life moments with all their humor -- wait till you read about the mall shopping experience -- and he has a cleverness about him.  For instance, he speaks of his fascination with the book of Job, how God tested that man's faith, and the irony of this Navy SEAL's experience -- another man named Job!  He goes on to tell more of the story regarding Job's death due to a medical mistake and how the family responded to this situation.

The book is a pretty quick read.  It also has some solid passages in the book dealing with servant leadership and offering thought-provoking quotes like this one by poet Mary Oliver on page 165 -- "What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"  Despite those positive issues, I just did not thoroughly enjoy the book.  It was okay, and I struggle to articulate why.  Look at the words on the back cover, and I did not see how they matched the text I read -- "Ryan Job didn't just live his faith.  He lived it ruthlessly."  I do not doubt the veracity of those statements; however, the book did not dwell upon them enough.  His faith was mentioned in passing without much else regarding detail.  If the author spent as much time with Ryan in training and hiking these mountains, then more detail should have been there.

When I finished reading the book, I struggled with the title -- A Warrior's Faith.  The book appeared to be more about the author than the SEAL Ryan Job.  He seemed to invoke that he was part of the "extended family" of the SEALs and named dropped just about any of them there were associated with the book/movie American Sniper. The storyline regarding the medical mistake that led to Job's death was all about the author's intuition and his role in making it right.  Even the conclusion of the book, which the author says was four years after Job's death, makes the case that this book was more about the author than the SEAL.  It provides an awkward story entitled "Another Blind Guy" that has no connection to Job at all.

Please do not misunderstand me -- I know that Ryan Job was an American hero.  He suffered on a foreign battlefield to keep us here at home safe.  I just think the author missed out on a grand opportunity to make the story about the SEAL rather than the author's experience with the SEAL.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLookBloggers.com review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”