Lone Survivor: The #1 New York Times best-seller in the country
If you haven’t bought the hottest book of the summer, which I told you about in June, you should. “Lone Survivor” is the #1 NYTimes best-seller in the nation. Congrats to the author and American hero, Marcus Luttrell:
On June 7 Marcus Luttrell was discharged from the Navy, having served with the elite Seals, survived a fierce battle in Afghanistan and earned a Navy Cross for combat heroism. Less than a month later “Lone Survivor,” Mr. Luttrell’s memoir of the 2005 battle and his rescue, became a best seller.
Unlike Pat Tillman or Jessica Lynch, Mr. Luttrell was not a soldier whose name had been widely reported in the news media. Until he was released from the Navy, he was not permitted to do any publicity for the book, which went on sale June 12.
Yet backed by strong support from military blogs and right-wing pundits like Michelle Malkin as well as appearances with Matt Lauer on NBC’s “Today” program, with Glenn Beck on the radio and on CNN Headline News, “Lone Survivor,” with its action-packed narrative and patriotic tone, has emerged as one of the summer’s biggest publishing success stories. On Sunday the book, which hit No. 1 on The New York Times’s nonfiction hardcover best-seller list two weeks ago, will be back in that slot after slipping to No. 2 for one week. The publisher, Little, Brown & Company, initially printed 75,000 copies; there are now 275,000 copies in print. According to figures from Nielsen BookScan, which tracks about 70 percent of sales, “Lone Survivor” has already outsold books about Mr. Tillman or Ms. Lynch, as well as several other soldiers’ memoirs from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The immediate success of “Lone Survivor,” which Mr. Luttrell wrote with the novelist and ghostwriter Patrick Robinson, can be traced to a combination of factors. Mr. Luttrell’s story, involving a failed mission to capture or kill a Taliban leader in the mountains of Afghanistan, is unusually dramatic: Mr. Luttrell was the only one of four men on the mission to survive after a violent clash with dozens of Taliban fighters. Eight members of the Seals and eight Army special operations soldiers who came by helicopter to rescue the original four were shot down, and all aboard were killed.
Mr. Luttrell was then rescued by a group of Afghan Pashtun villagers who harbored him in their homes for several days, protecting him from the Taliban and ultimately helping him to safety.
Along with the tragic story about how Mr. Luttrell lost his comrades, the book is spiked with unabashed braggadocio and patriotism, as well as several polemical passages lashing out at the “liberal media” for its role in sustaining military rules of engagement that prevent soldiers from killing unarmed civilians who may also be scouts or informers for terrorists.
Here’s Blackfive’s round-up of milblog Luttrell links. Here’s the Today interview:
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This sounds like a great gift for my Father at Christmas.
We have this book at our house and my husband is currently reading it, I get it next.
As for who from the Fishwrapper Times:
., it’s obvious they’re just dumbfounded that anyone bought this book and that they see no complicity in his statements about the MSM.
UUUGGGHHH
Congrats to Mr. Luttrell on a job well done!
There was an excellent interview with Mr. Lutrell somewhere on one of the video sites…let me see if I can dig it up…
Here it is
I told my mom to read it. She usually takes what the MSM says as the gospel truth. She always gets mad at me about the things I say about liberals and the media.
After reading this book, her mind is now changed and she understands were I am coming from. She said when she reads the paper or watches the news she will have a new perspective.
Mr. Luttrell is my hero, and I wish there was more people like him that would be given a voice. We sure need them.
Mr. Luttrell for President in 2008!
““Lone Survivor” has already outsold books about Mr. Tillman or Ms. Lynch, as well as several other soldiers’ memoirs from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.”
You would think this would wake up the MSM and other publishers, as well as Politicians, that the American public is starving to hear positive news from our efforts. They want heroes. They want to move away from the hatchet job journalism that is flooding our MSM in both print and visual mediums.
We’re tired of the Beauchamps and Reids and Murthas and Pelosis - Americans respect true Patriots ( not taking away from Tillman or Lynch by any means ), and are ready for a change in direction from the constant pessimism of the past 3 years.
Congratulations to Marcus and in light of the controversy of the statue erected to one of the SEALS killed in that action, Danny Diehl, it just lends more vindication to the members of Armed Forces whom it seems lately have had a hard time getting a decent break in all of the reporting of what they are doing.
True heroes do exist and they aren’t get paid millions of dollars to entertain us on the weekends or signing big shoe deals.
I am glad there are more Americans aware of these guys and apparently interested in their exploits then I normally give credit to.
All,
There is another hero that doesn’t get mentioned although I have heard Jessica Lynch keep referring to her.
I remember a video blip of her on a hopital gurney “Iraq” I remember, I thought she was still moving, you know I only saw that scrap of video once on tv, I can’t remember which cable news outlet ran it.
Some Gave All
http://www.oshadavidson.com/Piestewa.htm
I can’t wait to read this book.
Again, I just love your choices of heros!
Just a Grunt,
At least get the guy’s name right, he earned that much.
It’s Danny Dietz, not Danny Diehl.
Has anyone seen anything on a possible book tour by Mr. Luttrell?
Nothing against Ms. Lynch, but the media made a big deal of what she went through so they could push that women are facing the same troubles men do in combat-
Problem is that she made a mistake in and the media rewarded her for it by turning her into a hero.
I recieved the Audio CED version of this book a week ago today and over the weekend I read it twice and could do it again without getting bored, it was that good. When you sit down to read it go somewhere that you can’t hear the doorbell or phone as you won’t want to be interupted.
I bought this as a random gift for my dad when Michelle blogged about it in June. Dad and mom have both read it, and now it’s my turn. (Hee hee, my plan worked!)
Its about time we hear that are military operations are NOT compromised…HIllary and Harry want to make public are war plans on the MSM before they are even started….
On August 9th, 2007 at 1:25 pm, kyracer said:
[q]I recieved the Audio CED version of this book a week ago today and over the weekend I read it twice and could do it again without getting bored, it was that good. When you sit down to read it go somewhere that you can’t hear the doorbell or phone as you won’t want to be interupted.[/q]
I’d take a nap between 1800 and 2100 hours, then get up and read the book until “zero-dark-thirty” in the morning. That way no one would interrupt me. Awesome book, read it in three “wee hours of the mornings”.
Political Correctness killed our SEALS i the Hindu-Kush montains. Only by the grace of God, frogman Luttrell is with us. I loved when he recounted reciting Psalm 23. I wonder if the liberals’ inflexible Geneva Convention Laws prevent a soldier/sailor/airman from reciting passages of the Bible.
Thank you P.O. Luttrell and the SEALS/Army soldiers that paid the ultimate price.
Rio
Semper Fi!
You know if you fry it crow doesn’t taste so bad.
Thanks for the correction, had a brain cramp
Gunslingerpatriot,
Sorry, I didn’t mention the person’s name, I was referring to Lori Piestewa, killed serving her country. The link I included was titled “Wrong Turn in the Desert”
Jessica Lynch mentions Lori Piestewa.. Hopi -Warrior Woman.
I am so glad he reached Number 1, I bought right after it came out, took Barnes and Noble 2 weeks to get it in. Amazing book.
The three men that gave up their lives on that mountain, I can’t say enough about their toughness. Hell the toughness of all those men that day, including those that came to save them only to never land.
Nearly wrapped up reading the book tonight; incredible. Absolutely incredible. I am a small, sad little man by comparison to Marcus. Like my brother-in-law who put in two tours of MP and SPTT duties in Iraq, I am forever indebted to him and his fallen teammates.
Thank you for sharing your story with us, Marcus.
I’m about halfway through and I love it. I hope to have it finished by tonight.
As tough as I had it in Vietnam, my experiences were like a walk in the park compared to what these guys went through.
Thank you Marcus you and your fellow SEALS are my hero. I love you guys.
This book needs to be made into a movie.