Not for everyone, but this book lit up nearly every one of my "favorite" buttons. Read it as a travelogue, adventure, people management, goal setting, inspiration, or unvarnished insight to Christian missionaries, NGO's, and the military elite. It's one of the few books I may read again. ( )

I can no longer in good conscience recommend this book.



A very worthwhile read. This is not a gungho description of military action but is the story of a man's personal experience as a humanitarian and a US Navy SEAL. The gist of his story was not so much an autobiography but a story of a journey to understanding. The author as a young man travels the world doing humanitarian work and begins to understand that helping after the fact is not the answer but that the horrible acts of man that lead to the necessity of humanitarian aid need to be stopped before they happen. That is the reason that he becomes a SEAL. The author explains his philosophy of ways that humanitarians and the military alike could make changes and be better at both ends of the dilemma. During the course of the book, he also illustrates what it means to be a man whether he intends that message or not.

This is a book that anyone who is searching for some way to serve, to have an impact on the world, to achieve something important with their life would benefit from reading. I believe that a person searching for such meaning could come away from this book with a reinforced commitment to finding their personal mission and following after it.

As to the book itself, it was well written and easy to read. Each episode was interesting and full of details that made the episodes easy to visualize. It did not bog down anywhere and the reader got a very broad view of the different types of humanitarian efforts that go on in the world as well as a very good overview of what the SEALs and other special operations soldiers do.

This book was provided for me free for review from the publisher. ( )

The Heart and the Fist is an autobiography by humanitarian and Navy SEAL, Eric Grietens detailing his experiences and his endeavors as a volunteer and a soldier in various communities around the world. From refugee communities such as Rwanda and Bosnia to orphans and abused children in Bolivia to caring for the disabled in Mother Theresa’s home in Calcutta and even as a trainee in BUD/S and OCS and finally as a soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan. One similarity that really struck me from all the communities is that no matter where you are there will always be people willing to help you no matter how dire their own situation is – the man who shared a biscuit with him in Mother Theresa’s home to the teamwork and camaraderie with his team at BUD/S. We need communities to help one another.
One of the challenges that I really related to are the ones he faced in his SEAL training. He mentions having to uphold pointless and redundant cleaning standards and having to go through various grueling exercises and training situations that pushed his body to the very limit. But, he did all this with a team, his team, a group he called his brothers. They all went through the same thing day in, day out and formed a bond that cannot be easily replicated in any other situation or community. The first time this bond was tested was during “Hell Week”, - the toughest challenge in his journey to becoming a Navy SEAL. His teammates were tired and frustrated and constantly argued with each other. Though they argued a lot they made it through the week, albeit there were a lot of drop-outs, and managed to graduate the course together.
Overall, this was an excellent read and I highly recommend this book. ( )

Greitens, a Rhodes Scholar and humanitarian whose work took him to Rwanda, Albania, Mexico, India, Croatia, Bolivia, and Cambodia, recounts his unexpected decision to join the Navy SEALS. “We can certainly donate money and clothing, and we can volunteer in the refugee camps. But in the end these acts of kindness are done after the fact. They are done after people have been killed, their homes burned, their lives destroyed. Yes, the clothing, the bread, the school; they are all good and they are all much appreciated. But I suppose we have to behave the same way we would if any person – our kids, our sisters, brother, parents – were threatened. If we really care about these people, we have to be willing to protect them from harm”(64). Very well written, Greitens also includes his BUD/S training, deployment experiences, and founding The Mission Continues. ( )

The first half (approximately) of the book was five star excellent. In it, the author talks about being in refugee camps in several places around the world. A bit about his school and the philosophy of helping those in need around the world. He asks some hard questions and tells some sad stories. Well written and moving.

The second part of the book tells the author's experiences going thru Navy Seal training. Fascinating and difficult. The latter section of the book has a few stories of his Seal experience and then a little about a charity for vets the author started. It was a little disjointed and didn't have the same flow and depth as some of the previous material. ( )