Thank you Netgalley and the Publisher for my ARC in exchange for my honest review. This was an enjoyable book.

This is one of the best books I have read in awhile. I have always been a fan of Mr. Sinise but I am an even bigger one after reading this book. He is a class act and we need more people like him!!

This book has everything. It is funny and entertaining but it is also serious and at times heartbreaking. You learn stories of him growing up through him becoming a distinguished actor and all of the other amazing things that he has done. He has supports first responders, vets, and many other charities, including his own, without asking for acknowledgment. He comes across as sincere and humble. He reminds everyone that we should be grateful, humbled and respectful of those who help give us our freedom. Our veterans and service men and women deserve all of that and more and Gary reminds us of that.

This book is just extremely well written and moving. I cannot recommend this book enough. Read this book!!!!

Grateful American caught my attention from the beginning for several reasons:
1. Its author.
2. The title of the book: Grateful American, for we live in such ungrateful times that it immediately catches your eye.
3. The actual summary of the book that focuses on Mr. Sinise's work in helping American war veterans. Although I am not American, the situation of forgetfulness, abandonment and even contempt that they sometimes face from their fellow citizens is incredible and unforgivable.
The book has been a very pleasant surprise, after having read other slow and boring stories. It was like a glass of fresh water in the middle of a desert.
Grateful American is an excellent way to recognize the talent and humanitarian work of the author and his commitment to the veterans who with their sacrifices have ensured not only the Freedom of the United States of America, but the freedom of the entire Western world, so also I am grateful to them.
The best non-fiction book I have read in a long time, only matched by Julie Andrews' Home and Homework for the lively and agile prose of it. But it is necessary to warn the reader that it is almost impossible to read this book without tears in the eyes!
As president Obama said: "In the United States of America, those who have fought for our freedom should never be shunned and should never be forgotten,"

BTW, I like very much Lt. Mac Taylor but Rick Carlucci sounds to me more like a gangster name than anything else!

As a long-time fan of Sinise's work, I was very much looking forward to reading his memoir.
GRATEFUL AMERICAN charts his story, how he came to pursue a career as an actor, and also his shift into becoming one of the foremost advocates for America's first responders, soldiers, and more. It's an interesting and well-written memoir, with a few interesting surprises along the way.
Recommended for anyone who's a fan of Sinise's work and activism.

I received an arc of this title from NetGalley for an honest review. I love Garry Sinise and enjoyed flipping through this book. I hope that it comes out in audio and I enjoy listing to nf better than reading it.

There are a lot of interesting stories in Gary Sinise's memoir. The best pars are the early days of acting and working with his troupe. This is fun and often light-hearted. But the book mainly aims at something more serious: underserved veterans. Sinise walks you through why this is his calling. Spoiler alert: it's more than just being Lieutenant Dan.
The book isn't well written. It's refreshing because people can't be good at everything. No polished treaty here just heart. But I was surprised that someone helped him write it; I would think they would have helped with the structure a bit more.
For Sinise fans, this is absolutely a book to read.

I have not fished the book yet but if you are going to read one book the rest of the year I highly recommend Grateful American by Gary Sinise. This book has made me cry and made me laugh in just a matter of minutes from each other. I am so glad I chose to make this a car read, listing to him tell his story has made me appreciate his story even more. Already I have purchased two movies I have not seen, started rewatching CSI:NY, and I’m thinking about rereading both Of Mice And Men and The Grapes of Wrath. He has a passion for everything he does and you can hear that passion in his voice in every chapter of that audiobook.

I've liked Gary Sinise since he grabbed my attention as Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump. I came to admire him through his work with military members and their families. So I jumped at the chance to read his book about his life journey up to now. His book did not disappoint - and in fact I came away with even more admiration for him, both in his public life of service (which is more extensive than I'd realized) and his private life. Full of stories about his public and private life, he tells his story with wit and humility. Highly recommended! (Note: I decided to both read and listen - he does a wonderful job narrating the audio version.)
My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

Every American should read this. Truly. I thought I loved Gary Sinise as an actor and human in just what I had seen of him from the outside, but reading his heart on paper, my oh my, I love him even more. The amount of love and gratitude this man shows for his country and for our military and first responders should run in the veins of every American. It made me both proud and sad for this county that I love.

This book is everything that a fan and an American could hope for. It is a mixture of his story--the personal moments that many would shy away from sharing as well as his acting/directing career--weaved beautifully with his heart for the military and veterans. Even in the beginning of his life, he was keenly aware of the effects of war and paid attention to those in military service around him. It is such a beautiful testament to finding your calling--and that your calling is not always your career, but your career can fund your calling.

I loved seeing how he utilized his career and the fame he came to find for the greater good, how he used every ounce of talent and passion he had to strive to give back and help others. And I loved how he also inspired others to do the same. We need more of that in this country.

I absolutely loved this book!! I would give it 10 stars if I could. I have always liked Gary Sinise as an actor is movies like Forrest Gump and TV shows like CSI NY. I knew he did a lot of work to help veterans. My husband is a disabled vet so I always appreciate when celebrities with influence use that to help real heroes.

I found the beginning of the book interesting as it describes Gary finding his passion in acting that passion would take him to being one of the founding members of the Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago. He goes on to describe how he met his wife, made the transition theater into movies while never forgetting his first love of live theater.

He and his wife had several family members who were veterans so Gary Sinise always wanted to do what he could to help veterans. After playing wounded Vietnam vet, Lt. Dan, in Forrest Gump, Gary found a new connection to veterans who found the character so relatable. Over the past 25 years or so, Gary Sinise has taken every opportunity he can to give back to our active-duty military members and veterans. He has gone on numerous USO tours, held fundraisers, built memorials, built homes for severely wounded veterans, etc. Where there was a need, he found new ways to meet that need.

This book stirred many emotions in me and it should be viewed as a call to action for all Americans. Our freedom is not free and we should help our military and first responders in any way we can through donating our time and our money. Even a simple thank you goes a long way.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Net Galley. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

The books was extemely beneficial read. It gave insight to both Gary but on a greater view. I will definitely recommend it to others.

There is some technical difficulties throughout the book with the "Copyright" and "Do not duplicate" markings. They didn't fall at the top or bottom of pages as I think they were suppose to. I tried downloading this onto a tablet as well as a Kindle and had the same problem for both. Instead you would find these spread through the text, even shifting the text around a lot making it had to follow sentences properly. Sometimes it felt like lines where even missing because of this.

Review:
I have always enjoyed watching the movies and TV shows that Gary Sinise has acted in. I had known before reading the book that he did some philanthropic work like doing USO tours and he had the Lt Dan Band. But just didn’t know how much and how far that work really reached.

Grateful America is a memoire penned by Gary Sinise that takes you on an adventure over 40+ years of his life. It starts you off in a high school in Chicago where you learn how he fell in love with acting, through meeting his amazing wife Moira, spreading his acting skills from the theatre stage to the movie and tv screen.

It is written in a very simple first-person view. As if he was sitting right beside you and telling the story in person. Gary is honest about life struggles he and his family has gone through and showing that life is not all happy for big celebrities. But he also shares those amazing times when everything is just great.

He is a simple man who spends his life wanting “To Do More” for the current and retired members of the military and first responders. And not just the members themselves, but how he also has helped through different programs the families of these serving members. You learn where this passion started from and how it continues to grow and just doesn’t stop. You feel the passion he has to want to help and heartfelt gratitude to those who put a uniform on.


I have really enjoyed reading this book. I think everyone should read it and maybe take a page from his story and try “To Do More” for others around us.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC for an honest review.
I give the book 5 stars, but I give the book I downloaded from NetGalley 1 star. I didn't try and reload the book, but it was very difficult to read. About every other page it had in large letters, "DO NOT REPRODUCE'. This really messed with the formatting and made it difficult to read. I obtained the book from the library and tried to find my place. It was then that I realized that the two versions were quite different. Perhaps the printed version was the revised one.

I spent most of the afternoon reading the last half of the book. I think I would have enjoyed it more had it been in chronological order. Gary goes back and forth a lot. It's organized more into topic than time line. One might think this to be a book of bragging about all that he has done. But his focus remains on the recipients of his charitable acts. How did he ever find the time to act? I want to go back and see some of his movies now that I know what was going on in his life. I do believe that this should be required reading in every high school. It would instill a sense of pride in America and those who defend her freedoms. I don't believe today's youth fully understand what our service people deal with, including first responders.

An interesting look in how Gary Sinise became one of the most prominent military and first responders supporters. It was nice to read about an actor who uses his popularity for a good thing. As a daughter of a Korean War and retired Army, I want to say thank you to him for caring and helping those in need.
In regards to his personal life, I had no idea he has been married to his wife for 40+ years. Congrats. What an accomplishment in these modern times. I also did not know all the movies he has been in and now want to try and watch them all.

If you are looking for a positive Hollywood story Grateful American is the book for you. Available now from your favorite book retailer.

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, HarperCollins - Thomas Nelson, through NetGalley. Any and all opinions expressed in the above review are entirely my own.

Cried throughout this book. I feel so honored to read this book, made me feel proud to be an American, which is hard these days, and overall loved the setup, the chapters, the stories! It also helps that I am a huge advocate for Gary Sinise as well as the military. A+ book.

Thank you Netgalley for the privilege of reading this!

I have always been a fan of Gary Sinise and reading this book just made me more of one. I had not realized all the struggles he had been through or how Forrest Gump actually came about. I knew about the help he has given the veterans and of course, the Lt. Dan band, which I hope to one day see play, but to learn his story from start was riveting. I love this actor and everything he stands for.

Gary Sinise is someone who has been on the radar of many military men and women for a long time. He has served this country through his service to service men and women. He is always the first to pay for trips for the kids of military men and women and is at the forefront of building homes. His foundation has been a wonderful exercise in giving back. This book really gives us a look into who he is and why he feels so strongly. I know this book will be very well received.

“The nation which forgets it defenders will be itself forgotten” – Calvin Coolidge

Gary Sinise, an Oscar nominated actor for his supporting role as Lt. Dan Taylor in the 1994 blockbuster “Forrest Gump”, has also appeared in other big screen roles such as Apollo 13, Ransom, Reindeer Games, Mission to Mars, and Of Mice and Men which he also directed.

He has also appeared in the TV movie George Wallace for which he won the CableACE Award (best actor), SAG (best actor), and an Emmy (best actor).

His first starring TV role was as Detective Mac Taylor in CSI: New York from 2004-2013. He also starred in Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.

This book details Gary’s life from his youth in Chicago, to the founding of the Steppenwolf Theater Company, to directing, to acting, his passion and advocacy for those who serve our country, as well as forming the Gary Sinise Foundation. The foundation’s mission is to honor the defenders, veterans, first responders, their families and those in need by creating and supporting unique programs designed to entertain, educate, inspire, strengthen and build communities. (Some text taken from the website).

This isn’t just a book about his life before his acting career; instead this book is a compelling story of how a young man with no goals in his early years stepped up to become a man on a mission – to make a difference in the lives of those who serve us. The sacrifices made, the differences made, the journey along the way.

With sincerity, and sometimes humor-infused story-telling, Gary recounts the events of his youth, his marriage, his children, and his acting career. He includes the good and not so good sides of his own personal life and marriage. His admiration of his wife through her heart-breaking struggles is refreshing and honest, if not downright inspiring.

He recounts the military histories of not only his family, but his wife Moira’s own family. It is through these connections, along with his faith, that his dedication to our military and first responders has strengthened.

But, it wasn’t always that way, and he is quick to point that out with honesty and candor along the way.

Gary, the oldest of three children, had a rather turbulent and misdirected youth. Not having a real interest in school work, he did poorly as a student. However after acting in a high school production of “West Side Story”, Gary found his calling as an actor. But, it would be a few decades before he would be able to see success as an actor.

In 1974, Gary, along with two classmates – Terry Kinney and Jeff Perry (Nash Bridges, 1997-2001) founded The Steppenwolf Theater Company.

Despite its success today, the theater didn’t see success right away, at one point it was even broke. Gary details some of the good, bad, and even humorous tales of its origins and productions. He even recounts how an unpopular decision became a turning point in the theater’s success and recognition.

From the theater’s origins in a church basement to its current location on Halsted Road, it has not only launched the careers of several notable actors – John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf, Gary Cole, Dennis Farina, and others – but it has gone on to produce plays in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, and London. The company has even won a Tony Award for its presentation of The Grapes of Wrath proving that sometimes an unpopular decision can sometimes work out to an unforeseen advantage and/or success.

Gary moved from the theater to directing films and television shows. Some works include Crime Story, China Beach, and Of Mice and Men, the latter he also starred in and his father edited.

In 1981, Gary Sinise married fellow Steppenwolf performer Moira Harris. They have three children: Sophie (b.1988), Mac (b.1990), and Ella (b.1992). And, as of 2017 – they have a granddaughter (Moira).

But, despite some encouragement from a well known producer, directing isn’t what Gary Sinise wanted to do. He wanted to act.

It wouldn’t be until the 1994 blockbuster Forrest Gump when he’d start gaining recognition as an actor. The role of “Lt. Dan” became more than an Oscar-nominated supporting role though. It resonated with disabled veterans, Vietnam vets, and inspired service members. Lt. Dan’s struggles were not some Hollywood construct – but instead actual struggles. Gary’s positive performance re-ignited recognition of their plight, especially after Vietnam. After being recognized and honored for his portrayal, it inspired Gary to do more to honor our military and thank them for their service.

Instead of walking away from that role and shun the typecasting, he later used it to propel his own mission forward, starting with USO handshake tours, moving up to performing for troops.

But, even after “Forrest Gump”, Gary had other roles – though none as compelling as Lt. Dan. In the midst of personal achievements, there were also personal heartbreaks. Still, he forged ahead in his acting career.

It wasn’t until 9/11 that everything changed and “Lt. Dan” was recalled to active duty. This time he wouldn’t be fighting a war – he’d be providing moral support and encouragement for the troops.

The character’s name eventually became the name of Gary Sinse’s band formed in 2003 (not named until 2004) – the “Lt. Dan Band” had one sole focus – the troops – to entertain them, give them messages of love and support from home, and our gratitude for their tireless efforts. As Gary details in his book, this cover/tribute band was founded solely for the troops and since that time has played more than 400+ shows between domestic military bases to overseas.

This book, while sometimes disjointed in the chronology, is written to educate and entertain – two of the primary goals of his foundation. But, it also serves as an inspiration – a call to duty to champion the cause of our crusaders – military, fire fighters, police, and EMTs. Our real heroes, their challenges – how we as civilians can give back, how we can express our gratitude.

Gary talks about the people he’s met along the way, the challenges they face; how 9/11 re-shaped and forever changed our own mindsets, even his own – and his goal along the way got bigger and bigger.

His travels to South Korea and the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) are also heart-wrenching, a stark difference between freedom and tyranny separated by a line. A line many of us will never know.

And, timing has also played a crucial role in Gary’s life.

By taking a TV role on CBS’ CSI: NY, Gary not only found financial stability for his family, but it would allow him to continue his work for the troops. Spoiler – it’s no accident the character Detective Mac Taylor has the same last name as Lt. Dan.

For nine seasons, 2004-2013, while viewers tuned in to see 9/11 family member and former Marine Detective Mac Taylor on CSI: NY, Gary also toured with the USO, and spread messages of support and gratitude . He also, slowly, built the seeds for the foundation, which started in his office on the CBS Studio lot.

This is book is not only the story of the origins of an actor, the chairman of a foundation – but one man’s dream, his mission – to make a difference – to make sure our nation’s heroes are never forgotten.

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same.” – Ronald Regan

And, through his work and now this book, Gary makes us aware of how precious that gift is – who we have to thank – and how much more work is needed to be done.

I found myself in tears on more than one occasion, and I do recommend keeping a few tissues handy. I also laughed in certain places. But, this was, as I was telling on my social media accounts while I read it – an inspiring, emotionally engaging, heart-breaking, and compelling read.

Autobiographies and biographies are not my genre – but this is a must read. “Grateful American – From Self to Service” is appropriately titled.

I received an Advanced Reader Copy as part of the “Launch Team” for this book and to review without payment. All words and thoughts are my own.

I’m not a big fan of biographies or memoirs, especially not celebrity memoirs. But I read a review of Grateful American that prompted me to request a review copy … even though I’m not even American.

Sinise is probably most famous for his role as Lieutenant Dan in the Forrest Gump movie. While Grateful American certainly touched on playing Lieutenant Dan and working with Tom Hanks, that wasn’t the focus. Instead, we find Gary Sinise is a hardworking and multi-talented musician and actor who has leveraged fame into fundraising and service to those less fortunate.

The book reads very much like a stream of consciousness stroll through Sinese’s life. There’s a lot of subject changes and backtracking, and the writing isn’t great (which is definitely on Sinese, not his cowriter. I’ve read and reviewed Marcus Brotherton’s one novel and it was brilliantly written). If this is the published version, then I dread to think what the first draft looked like.

But Sinise’s story is a story that’s told from the heart, and therein lies the power. Grateful American takes us through Sinise’s history, from his troubled teenage years, through his discovery of acting as a vocation, the formation of the Steppenwolf theatre company in Chicago, to his growing reputation as an actor and director, and his early realisation of the importance of honoring American veterans and thanking them for their service.

The story then moves quickly past his role as Lieutenant Dan and into his growing commitment to supporting and encouraging servicemen and servicewomen through personal appearances and through fundraising and other support activities. I’d heard of the Lieutenant Dan band, but didn’t realise the extent of his personal and financial commitment.

But it’s not all acting and veterans. Sinise also tells of his wife’s troubles with alcohol, and her conversion to Catholicism … which influenced his own faith. The overarching theme of Grateful American is that Sinise is grateful to have been born in a country—the United States of America—that has given him the opportunities he’s had, and allowed him the freedom to pursue his goals while acknowledging and emphasising that freedom is not a free gift. It’s a gift that is paid for in blood. Recommended for Lieutenant Dan and Gary Sinese fans.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Real Gratitude
I am grateful for having had the opportunity to read such an interesting and inspiring autobiography. I knew very little of the actor, Gary Sinise, apart from a few movies which he was in. After reading his remarkable life story, I’ve started to watch some of his films and TV series on Prime and Netflix.

Like most actors, he was encouraged to take part in drama events at High School. In Gary’s case, this saved him from going down the wrong route and helped him to become the success he is today. His early career in Chicago as a founding player in the now-renowned Steppenwolf Theater Company makes great reading. His anecdotes of many fledgling actors like himself – for instance, of John Malkovich – make the book compelling.

Gary writes of his journey in very honest terms with the turning point being his role as Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump. This changed his life completely, giving him a calling to help wounded US veterans all over the nation, as well as entertaining and supporting our troops via the USO service. His patriotism to help military personnel and their families is amply and effectively described in the book. His service to our country is wonderful and he enthusiastically seeks to get more folks involved from his acting profession.

It’s a great book that also deals with serious family issues and tragic personal moments. Gary’s candid way of communicating his feelings is very captivating and his faith experiences are both humbling and deeply honest.
This would make a great gift for any US Veteran or for any theater enthusiast. I give it five stars from beginning to end. Gary Sinise is truly a very grateful American and someone from whom we could all learn how to help one another.