The Heart and the Fist is an inspirational and motivating story by Eric Greitens. It gives us a closer look into the heart of a man who loved people so much, and whose heart was so broken by the devastation he saw, that he had to do something with his life to make a difference.
While Eric was in college, and for some time afterwards, he saw parts of the world that most of us never have the chance to see. He traveled to some of the poorest, most down-trodden regions of the world, including Calcutta, the home of Mother Teresa. What he saw there, and in other parts of the world, changed his life in more ways than one. He needed to find a way to help the people in the refugee camps. He needed to be able to do something for them; to serve them in a greater way. So, he did the only thing that made sense.
He became a Navy SEAL.
Through his training, and through the experiences that would follow, Eric learned valuable lessons about life. He shares those lessons with you in his heart-wrenching memoir. For a man who only wanted to find strength within him to do more for the world around him, he realizes that it's his desire to do good that gives him strength.
Some might call Greitens an idealist. Others refer to him as a humanitarian. Once you read The Heart and the Fist: The Education of a Humanitarian, the Making of a Navy SEAL, you'll know Eric as a hero. However, it wasn't his service as a Navy SEAL that created that heroism within him. It was his heart, and his love for people. It was his willingness to lay down his life in an attempt to make a difference for a few people, thousands of miles away. This is a story you'll love and cherish for years to come.
"This book was one of the best books I've ever read. I'm not interested in going into the military but this book almost made me want to join. All of the things this guy, Erik Greitens, went through was amazing. He is almost my hero. I want my personality and character to be just like this guy. During the toughest week for BUD/S, Hell Week, he is cracking jokes. And if it's too easy for him, he tries to make himself better by making it harder for himself. For me, when I walk into baseball try outs in March, or when I walk into the weight room, I'm going to try to have the attitude of Erik. He is on my list of five people I'd love to sit down and have a conversation with. This book is about Erik, going to different countries, like Bosnia, Rwanda, and Bolivia, to volunteer at interment camps. And he was so smart he went to Oxford. He also went to China for schooling but while he was there someone told him to try karate, so he did. And then he tried boxing. So he ment one of the most wisest men I've heard of, Earl Blair. At the time, Earl was training a pro boxer, Derrick Humphrey. So Erik gets to train with a pro. Everything Earl says is something to remember. On one of his missions, Erik decides that all the work he's doing isn't enough so he signs up for the Navy to become a Seal. So he leaves for the Army. Anyone who wants to find a new hero, read this book. Anyone who likes Navy Seal things, or wants to find out how to become one, read this book. Anyone who likes to read at all read, read this book. Anyone who wants to find motivation, read this book. I am going to remember this book for the rest of my life. That's how good it is."
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Kyle (5 out of 5 stars)