American Spirit: Profiles in Resilience, Courage, and Faith

by Taya Kyle, Jim DeFelice, Taya Kyle (Read by)

Overview

From Taya Kyle, New York Times bestselling author of American Wife and widow of “American Sniper” Chris Kyle, an inspiring collection of stories, both personal and drawn from American history, that showcase the resilience of the “American spirit.”

After losing her husband, “American Sniper” Chris Kyle, Taya Kyle entered a period of immense pain and grief. She was able to pull herself from the depths of that devastation with the help of family and friends—and also many strangers across America, who shared their own stories of suffering, survival and triumph. Bolstered by their resilience, Taya began a new career as an inspirational speaker and foundation leader, spreading her message of hope and love across the country.

Now, in American Spirit, Taya gives back to those who helped her along the way, by sharing the stories of Americans who inspired her. Working again with trusted collaborator Jim DeFelice (coauthor of American Sniper and American Wife), she tells the remarkable stories of more than 30 Americans, young and old, rich and not-so-rich, famous and unknown, who have done extraordinary things for their communities and for the national at large. There is the 9/11 survivor who became a senator, the reality TV star who helped the homeless when everyone else wanted to send them out of town, the young man who went trick or treating for a local food bank—and many other veterans, ministers, reporters, football stars, pilots, and teachers who show the very best side of America.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062985521
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/05/2020
Edition description:	Low Price CD
Product dimensions:	0.00(w) x 0.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Taya Kyle is executive director of the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation. Chris and Taya’s story was the subject of Clint Eastwood’s blockbuster film American Sniper, starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller. She is a featured speaker on the Patriot Tour, with Marcus Luttrell, David Goggins, and Chad Fleming. Taya is the New York Times bestselling author of American Wife. She lives in Texas.

Jim DeFelice is the co-author, with former U.S. Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, of the multi-million-copy bestseller American Sniper, the source for Clint Eastwood’s film starring Bradley Cooper. His other books include Omar Bradley: General at War; Rangers at Dieppe; and West Like Lightning: The Brief, Legendary Ride of the Pony Express. He lives in upstate New York.

Taya Kyle is executive director of the Chris Kyle Frog Foundation. Chris and Taya’s story was the subject of Clint Eastwood’s blockbuster film American Sniper, starring Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller. She is a featured speaker on the Patriot Tour, with Marcus Luttrell, David Goggins, and Chad Fleming. Taya is the New York Times bestselling author of American Wife. She lives in Texas.

Table of Contents

Introduction Hoping

The Pioneer Spirit Lives On 3

1 Growing a Future

Our Kids as the Future 11

Trick, Treat, Triumph: Nick Blair 13

When Life Gave Him Cancer, He Made Lemonade: Ulises 16

Toward a Sweetish Cure: Alex's Lemonade Stand 20

The "Sweet Feet" Girls: Caressa and Marlee 32

Everyone Deserves a Family: Jim and Lori Word 36

Not Abandoned: Dream Makers 43

2 Getting Them There

Movers and Shakers 53

Soaring for Others: Angel Flight West 55

Bound for Glory-and Service: Brandon Gosselin 66

The Easy Way Kills You: Micah Fink 78

High Risk, Higher Reward: GearUp 86

3 To Help Others

Being Different 93

Getting Past Barriers: Jesse Saperstein 95

The Blind Bikers of Central Park: InTandem 104

You Belong Here: Brian Blackwell 115

Flipping the Pig: Amanda Kloo 121

Called to Be a Hero: Mona Ratelle 130

4 Moving Past Grief

Beyond Our Burdens 137

Finding Meaning in Loss: Lorraine Ash 141

Don't Be Inspired; Be Exceptional: Barbara Allen 153

Helping Families Recover: Erin's House 164

5 A Roof Over Their Heads

Giving Shelter 175

Little Houses, Big Hearts: Safe Haven 177

Get Up, Suit Up, Show Up: Solutions for Change 184

He's So Fly: Melanie and Marcus Luttrell 198

6 Giving Back

What Do We Owe? 205

Partying for Hope: Jay and Amy Novacek 207

MVP at Giving Dysphagia: Randall Telfer 212

Tie One on for a Cause: Dhani Jones 216

Bad-ass with a Heart of Gold: Jesse James 221

Summer Song: Zac Brown and Camp Southern Ground 227

Junking for Joy: Amie and Jolie Sikes 232

7 Honor, Memory, and Angels

Precious Resources 239

Honor and Heal: Veterans Memorial Museum 241

Perseverance and Remembrance: Kim Roller and the Indy 251

For Kids and Country: Angels of America's Fallen 258

Mr. Perseverance: David Goggins 267

8 Belief

Matters of Faith 277

Lead with Love: The Collins Family 279

Out of the Fire: Mel and Brian Birdwell 291

9 Spirit's Wings

Without Boundaries 307

Into Satan's Lair: The Exodus Road 309

Pioneer Abroad: Leslie Schweitzer 322

10 CKFF

My Motto and Goal: Do More 335

Acknowledgments 347

Editorial Reviews

★ 02/25/2019

Kyle follows up American Wife, about her Navy SEAL husband Chris Kyle (author of American Sniper), with this moving and passionate collection of essays in which she shares her experiences with people she has met as a public speaker. At events, she writes, strangers told her “stories about the good things their neighbors are doing, accounts of how they were helped or inspired by others.” Kyle focuses on 30 of those “tales of heroism” in an effort to show the power of the American spirit and “brighten a sometimes very dark world.” Writing with DeFelice, who coauthored both her and her husband’s previous books, Kyle includes stories from a young girl suffering from cancer whose idea of raising money for research by having a lemonade stand in her hospital led to a million-dollar foundation for childhood cancer; a blind veteran whose work with disabled bike riders inspired a volunteer organization that takes blind bikers on rides through New York City; and another vet whose individual efforts to help the homeless led to the formation of a California nonprofit. Once again, Kyle and DeFelice inspire with touching stories of compassion. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

A cheerily aspirational celebration of Americans who are making a difference.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Moving and passionate. … Kyle and DeFelice inspire with touching stories of compassion.” — Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review

From the Publisher

2019-02-04

A cheerily aspirational celebration of Americans who are making a difference.

At the beginning of their latest collaboration, Kyle, widow of "American sniper" Chris Kyle, and DeFelice (co-authors: American Wife: A Memoir of Love, War, Faith, and Renewal, 2015) proclaim that "the pioneer spirit built America," with apologies to the Native and African peoples who paid the bill ("there is much we regret in retrospect"). Just what that spirit constitutes is a little fuzzy, but the phrase seems to translate as community-building altruism, its proponents "doing their own part to bring order to chaos and to show up for other people." Allowing that clichés such as "our kids are our future" are just that, clichés, the authors argue that the pioneer spirit is built on the premise that we sacrifice now for a better future. You might not know it from the behavior of the boomers and Gen Xers, but as for the kids themselves, many are doing important things. One example is Alexandra Scott, a victim of neuroblastoma who used part of her short life to operate a lemonade stand that raised thousands of dollars to help children like her—and, now that she's passed, the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer raises millions. "All of this," write the authors, "because one little girl decided to open a lemonade stand in her front yard…and because thousands of other kids decided to copy her." The authors also discuss the work of veteran Micah Fink, a New Yorker who takes fellow veterans on horseback rides in the Montana wilderness to work through PTSD and "guilt at not being ‘O.K.,' whatever that means." Other profiles concern an autistic Appalachian Trail hiker and a blind marathon runner, with many others centering on veterans of recent wars.

Though a rather ordinary book, the narrative is relentlessly optimistic and a good source of ideas for merit badge projects.

Kirkus Reviews