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| Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 | 
 enlarge | Author: Marcus Luttrell
Creator: Patrick Robinson
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Category: Book
List Price: $15.99
Buy New: $9.46
You Save: $6.53 (41%)
New (38) Used (13) from $8.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  786 reviews
Sales Rank: 847
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 416
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.2 x 5.4 x 1.2
ISBN: 0316067601
Dewey Decimal Number: 958.1047
EAN: 9780316067607
ASIN: 0316067601
Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: 100% Brand New! - Ships Today! Identical to Amazon's book in every way. Flawless! Not a cheap Remainder or Book Club Copy! *We recommend Expedited Shipping option for much faster mail delivery
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| Customer Reviews:
 A Victorian Lady Comments August 16, 2007
29 out of 37 found this review helpful
How is it that a lady who reads Jane Austen and listens to classical music could have read this violent account of wartime heroism with rapt fascination? Because this is a story that speaks in unmistakeable human tones. It is a thrilling, terrifying, awe-inspiring tale of heroism at the limits of human endurance, and of a brotherhood of devoted men. An unforgettable story.
The Story of Four Great Amercian Heroes November 11, 2007
29 out of 35 found this review helpful
Lone Survivor is one of those books that you will either get, or you will not get. Retired Navy Seal Marcus Luttrell and British author Patrick Robinson have given us a spellbinding account of a Navy Seal mission in the mountains of Afghanistan in which 3 of Marcus' team members lost their lives. The minute-by-heart pounding-minute account of their ordeal will either grab you in the gut and make you thank God for the United States of Amercia, or you'll come away scratching your head wondering what the fuss is all about.
Because I am an ex-serviceman, I understand the warrior ethos with which the SEALs, and other special-forces type soldiers like them operate by. Luttrell is not shy about sharing his views about how those in the media, academia, and in politics have so much to say about "human rights" and "rules of engagement," without realizing what the stakes are on the battlefield.
Far from being "trigger happy Rambo-types," the account Luttrell and Robinson portray the SEALs in Lone Survior is of a group of men who are, at the core, deeply moral, patriotic men driven by love of God and country, not blood-lust. Their deliberation on whether or not to execute the goatherders brought me to tears.
It is easy for those of us who have never experienced war, being shot at,having our lives threatened by hostile action, etc. to say what we would or would not do in certain situations. But the fact remains that the Navy SEALS are highly trained combat specialists, mentally and physically, and those brave men who stories are told in Lone Survivor are owed a debt of gratitude from a nation who remains free because of their sacrifice.
Riveting & Heroism extraordinaire June 15, 2007
28 out of 37 found this review helpful
The book details the actions of 4 incredibly brave young men on the ground led by Navy SEAL Lt. Michael P. Murphy and the story of 8 other SEALs who jumped to the forefront to get their gun into the fight. Kudos to all these brave young Americans who show there are things worth fighting and dying for. We should honor them all as a grateful nation.
 Only part of the (real?) story.....Wasn't Mark Bowden available? August 20, 2007
28 out of 87 found this review helpful
I am a former member of the military and an avid reader of non-fiction accounts of military events.
Despite the fact that this incident did receive mainstream media attention, there are differing accounts and definitely some controversy (according to experts on the fighting in Afghanistan, U.S. military officials, and the goat herder who rescued the lone survivor of a gun battle that took the lives of three of the SEALs.) Lt. Michael Murphy (the senior ranking officer and member of this team) has been nominated for the Medal of Honor for his actions during this incident (based on the official investigation from what I understand ), however, the account of events portrayed in this book may now actually tarnish his credentials to receive this honor. I suppose another "look" at the incident ala the Pat Tillman incident may really get the story correct once and for all.
Having said this, this book could have been written much better. The author exhibits a clear lack of military familiarity (of weapons/tactical mindset as well as the modesty, innate patriotism, & selflessness of the typical member of any "special forces") and seems more concerned with sensationalism and the narcissism of the lone survivor.
Currently, it seems that no one will ever really know what exactly happened on that fateful day, but I will rely (and suggest) on more reputable military, news and journalistic sites to surmise the events of the day before I lend this version the credence it requests.
The only question left unanswered for the lone survivior is: Did you even try to contact Mark Bowden (author of Black Hawk Down)?
This Book Came Up Short November 18, 2007
28 out of 71 found this review helpful
When I finally found this book in the library, I read it in 2 days. But don't be misled. That was more owing to hopefulness than the content. I was hoping to see a transformation of the author and I was left with regret - both for the time I wasted and the fact that he learned only hatred from his ordeal. The author started out incredibly "patriotic" aka blowhard and kept getting further and further antagonizing towards muslims, the middle east, and liberals. Being two of the three, you can understand my frustration. But I thought that maybe he was just setting the stage to contrast his early naivety with later understanding. Wrong! Halfway through the book, he was still spewing diatribes about how everyone in that region are "savages of a fanatical god" as opposed to his own, always benevolent one. He says soldiers ought to be allowed to kill anyone they encounter on the road but also proclaims with great anger that afghans have killed american soldiers! He must believe his life is worth alot more. Judging by how often he praises Christianity and disparages Islam, I can understand why. He cannot stop proclaiming his superiority in terms of background (Texan), nationality (American) and religion (Christianity). His constant attacks upon liberals and neverending praise of Bush and the party line is also disturbing. "We were looking for the people responsible for 9/11 and to find WMDs, not occupy Iraq - the liberal media will hve you believe otherwise!" Rather than blame a bad situation on poor military planning, he will blame the media. Rather than understand WHY some afghans dislike Americans, he believes it is "that whole barbaric region and religion". And to praise yourself to no end about your own military service and machismo gets tiring. Who are you trying to convince? I can understand that he needs to justify the wars, but he goes way too far and this book left a really bad taste.
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