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Summary: A true hero
Review: Pfarrar, a navy SEAL in the 1980s, has since become a screenwriter with several high-profile movies to his credit (e.g., Red Planet; Darkman). This highly selective look back at Pfarrar's life describes the intensive navy SEAL selection and training process and tells the story of some of the operations he participated in. Pfarrar is an excellent action writer who brings a strong sense of immediacy to his combat stories. He takes us from Lebanon in 1983, where he narrowly missed being in the explosion that killed 240 U.S. Marines; to the Achille Lauro hijacking; to trading shots with a Sandinista gunboat; and then to fighting terrorists in the Middle East. Along the way, he barely mentions three wives and devotes all of two pages to a serious bout with colon cancer. He does take time to express contempt for the clueless politicians, both U.S. and foreign, who risk soldiers' lives. Long on meditations about the soldier mind-set and spirit, this book is likely to be a popular choice in public libraries and subject collections.
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Summary: Finally, a biography that goes beyond ,"There I was..."
Review: Pfarrer does a terrific job of explaining what he was thinking and feeling, as well as doing, throughout his journey from college to his eight years as a Navy SEAL and out into the "real world" again. His time in SEAL team 6 was particularly revealing and insightful. As far as I know, it's the first time any officer besides Marchinko or Gormly has recounted his experiences in the unit. Being a veteran of a Marine Corps special operations unit, I really relate to how the author finds it difficult to explain what he did and why to anyone who hasn't had a similar experience. Pfarrer tells a great story of what happened and how everyone is scared to jump, dive, shoot, etc. The difference between those who make it and those who don't in the SEALs is an inner drive to succeed and an ability to not let fear overcome your ability to accomplish the mission. All in all, one of the best spec ops bios I've ever read.
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Summary: Fascinating and Fast Moving
Review: Pfarrer writes a fascinating and fast moving memoir of his experiences in the SEALs. His personal experiences lend an authenticity, credibility, and level of detail that other books lack. An excellent read.
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Summary: Real and personal
Review: So many books out there about the military carry the hollywood theme with them from the theatres. Its high adrenaline macho talk about some guy who thinks he is the best soldier there has ever been. However, Pfarrer's book goes completely the opposite direction. He seems to talk about combat the way it really was for him without any self-serving purpose. Beautifully written with many sections that just make you squirm with their realism. This book is about a man faced with the terrible realities of war especially his involvement with Beirut. It is not glitsy or glamourous. As a young man trying to figure out if I would like to be a part of our countries armed services, I appreciate such a realistic portrayal of what its really like.
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Summary: Stunning and Powerful
Review: Sometimes an author's work transcends the genre. Warrior Soul is one of those rare and wonderful surprises. Pfarrer has written the finest memoir to emerge from the SEAL Team experience. At times humorous and tragic, it never fails to grip the reader, and hits the target again and again. Without bravado or conceit, Pfarrer's silky, powerful prose puts the reader into the heart and mind of a SEAL operator on patrol through the streets of Beirut, during the storming of the aircraft containing the Achille Lauro hijackers and off the Mosquito Coast of Honduras in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a Sandinista patrol boat. Warrior Soul stands with its comrades in arms, Jarhead (Anthony Swofford), In Pharaoh's Army (Tobias Wolff) and The Hunters (James Salter), as three of the finest books on men in combat written in the last fifty years. Honest, troubling and emotionally rich. Mark my words: this book will become a classic.
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Summary: Auwesome Cover Photo
Review: The jacket photo is awesome-a real attention getter. Would make a great poster. The photo looks rough and ready, every bit a credit to and an excellent example of a Navy SEAL and what they stand for. Would love to have an autographed copy of the photo. I give 5 stars for the jacket photo, alone.
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Summary: One of the best books ever on this subject
Review: This is an absolutely fascinating tome. Extremely honest, direct and sometimes self-effacing, Pfarrer speaks very candidly of his time in the elite Navy SEALs. The author doesn't have the bombast and egotism of Richard Marcinko. Rather, there's much more of a human, emotional element to Chuck Pfarrer's writing. He's a person who volunteered for a job -- one of the most dangerous, action-filled and adventurous vocations imaginable. What he presents is part history lesson, part action-adventure, and it makes for an interesting read. The author reveals a lot about the special ops community, but not too much. He's careful not to disclose too much that might get people into trouble. but there's still enough for military afficionados to remain riveted. Any fan of Andy McNab, Tom Clancy or, yes, Richard Marcinko will love "Warrior Soul."
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Summary: A Thoroughly fascinating read!
Review: This is not a great book...it is a great, GREAT, book!
Rating:
Summary: First rate personal narrative of our new kind of warfare
Review: This riveting (and reflective) memoir vividly conveys modern Special Warfare in detail I've never seen before.
The book is filled with descriptions of operations. Its unique value, though, comes from the vivid portrayal of life in The Teams. It goes deep into the soul of a typical SEAL, a warrior's soul.
Rating:
Summary: Warrior Soul
Review: To start off, I thought this book was your normal memoir of someone who thought they were the greatest. This is unlike most of the other military memoirs. Mr. Pfarrer does not talk about how good he was, or how great a leader he was. Unlike most memoirs, Mr. Pfarrer talks about how good his team was, not how great he was. He says stuff the way it was, he admits to not being the best husband, he admits to screwing up. This story is amazing, the stories he tells of America's secret wars that the news glanced over. It puts a lot of stuff in perscpective. This is probably the best book I've read in the past year, and the absolute best book out there about the military, and special operations.
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