The Warrior's Heart: Becoming a Man of Compassion and Courage

The author Eric Greitens was a Rhodes Scholar who studied at Oxford, who also went on many global treks where he worked with the poorest of the poor around the world. From war-torn Rwanda to the incredible poverty of orphans in Bolivia. He saw where help was needed and realized that these people needed more than food and shelter...they needed someone to stop the genocide. So he became the best of the best--a Navy SEAL.Eric is modest..just tells his story with love, empathy, and incredible compassion. These are NOT the three adjectives when you first think of our fighting forces. He brings humanity to the world that most of us dismiss...We hear that 8 MILLION people were killed in the Congo genocide--tribe vs tribe, then just move on to the next story that catches our eye.THEN Eric returns from active duty overseas and finds that our vets are being “thrown away”, discarded by the USA and Veterans Affairs. (To be fair now that CEO Robert A. McDonald is the new secretary of the VA, we are seeing great improvements.) Many vets committing suicide, many homeless or unemployed. What do you do with the skills you learned fighting in Fallujah? Where you faced constant death from an enemy from many different sides. The Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Boka Harum, and ISIS much less the enemy hidden in the craggy mountains of Afghanistan or in crumbling buildings and desert of Iraq. Unwinnable wars. And Eric decides to DO something. He created “The Mission Continues.” A support group AND a trust to help these returning vets NOT with charity but teaching them skills to learn to be someone else than a soldier, marine, airman or sailor. and not just skills, but a brotherhood and sisterhood where Vets could relate. Because only a returning vet truly understands what war does to your mind, spirit and mind. Eric now has three books. Read them all. Then help our returning vets. A “Thank you for your service” does nothing to help our vets return to society. This is a GREAT book!

After hearing Eric Greitens speak at a university commencement earlier this year, I was eager to read The Warrior's Heart: Becoming a Man of Courage and Compassion, an adaptation of his book The Heart and the Fist. Mr. Greitens is an engaging speaker - someone whose words challenge, uplift and inspire. He is refreshing, sincere and really quite remarkable. I worried that his book would not come close to the "real life" version of his message, but I was wrong.The Warrior's Heart is a thoroughly captivating narrative of Mr. Greitens' journey to become "a man of compassion and courage." It is a quick read, pulling readers in by putting them into various "what would you do?" scenarios. Woven throughout the book are examples of civic engagement as well as character lessons. Integrity, duty, service, perseverance, kindness, commitment, and yes, courage and compassion, are illustrated in Mr. Greitens' experiences from China to Croatia, Bosnia to Bolivia and eventually in his Navy SEAL training. The message never comes across as preachy, only illuminating and enlightening. This book is action-packed, yet poignant and thought-provoking.Mr. Greitens asks readers to "be more than just good, and better than just strong" by doing more than just "living for ourselves." I enjoyed this book and its message immensely. As a community leader charged with promoting civic and character education in our schools, I am excited about sharing this book with educators and students throughout my state. It has the power to motivate and inspire young people to become men and women who make a difference - people of compassion and courage.

I teach youth and I bought this book because I thought that it might interest them. Well, I found it very interesting too. We all have things to learn from hard experiences and I found it uplifting and strengthening to read from the experiences of Eric Greitens. I was definitely born in a different place and time than Eric, and it amazes me the opportunities that came his way and that as he followed his heart, he accepted them. I would call that "following his life's mission" which he does so well. We get to travel to Bosnia, Rwanda and the streets of Santa Cruz and see things as he did and not through the eyes of someone with an agenda. To see life as it really is, and to recognize what we can do to make a difference. We all have a choice to pick up the pieces or to prevent pain. Eric's book will allow you to see and understand those choices in a clearer way. I love the "What would you do?" chapters. It's a great way to draw the youth into a discussion. Great read.

Each story that Eric Greitens tells connects to the lesson that he took from the experience. From when he got called out for a job done poorly we learned that you need to pay attention to detail and take pride in your work to when he visited a homeless shelter we learned that simple and quiet gestures of kindness go a long way. Those are just a couple of stories there are much more stories and lessons that I learned that are essential to use in everyday life and to be a good humanitarian. It’s a great book!

My son is over forty. I sent him this for Christmas, writing only that "some of this is not for you" so he would get that I did not consider him a teen.Eric Greitens might write in short chapters, even as Dan Brown did in "The Vinci Code." But what he tells and how he tells it of personal enounters with real hard challenges, most ones he has chosen for growth, rivets a reader.This is a brief review and if it is to serve anyone, it has to help someone decide if this is his cup of tea. Don't buy this book if you cannot be inspired when you are too old to even dream of becoming a Navy Seal. I was a conscientious objector when Vietnam was raging. Eric Greitens is a conscientious and compassionate warrior way far along a path as humanitarian. I nominate him for a Nobel Prize for Peace.

Bought for my son in law, so haven't read it myself, but it arrived swiftly and in good condition. Cannot say I like it myself as it's not my book.

Really enjoying reading this book with my boys. Great lessons, simply communicated in bite size chunks.

great