Wonderful book! Very inspiring, great story telling. Loved reading about his journey and how he turned his life around.

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. The title of this book could have also been 'Greatg American'. While Sinise will never be considered a great writer, his story of how he came to be is very interesting and highly readable. He is much more than an actor who played in good movie. Not many people would realize the significance of the importance of his founding involvement of the theater company 'Steppenwolf' in Chicago along with his music and acting chops. People of America need to support Sinise as he supports veterans.

I love to hear about people's lives, and this book is descriptive of Sinise's life, and what he has currently done to help our many veterans. For that, I am deeply grateful. The ONLY reason I did not give this 5 stars is bc the format the publisher sent out was so hard to read...interspersed throughout the Kindle pages were DO words NOT like this DUPLICATE....ALL throughout the book, which really interrupted the flow of the narrative. I've reviewed many books on NetGalley, and I've never encountered one that was this disruptive in the flow (which makes me feel that perhaps they're distrustful of the reader?!).

But, overall, I'm grateful I was able to read and review this, and I look forward to reading the finalized copy.

Gary Sinise shares his story and where his gratitude for these people comes from. This story does an amazing job of entertaining, informing and inspiring. It is everything that one could want from a memoir. If you read his memoir because of your interest in his current work with the Gary Sinise Foundation, you will be filled with passion, inspired to service, and informed of the different ways that many programs help and came to be. If your interest is in his tv and movie work, you will get entertaining stories and connections. The same can be said about his work with Steppenwolf. The book left me wanting to watch a ton of movies, plays and volunteer.

Gary Sinise begins very honestly, painting his childhood years in a happy middle-class American home in the southside of Chicago with loving, supportive parents. But by the time he was in high school, he skipped more classes than attended until a teacher discovered his gang look and advised he and his buddies audition for the upcoming school play, West Side Story. Some time following his delayed graduation, he organized a young theatre company in 1974 they called Steppenwolf. He also meets the woman who will become his wife, Moira.

Sinise gains more and more attention leading to his breakthrough part in Forrest Gump. He loves acting but never forgets his love of music. Having married into a family of veterans, however, along with his own family's military history, he decides he wants to do a show for vets in appreciation. It's the beginning of what will become his passion in recognizing the sacrifice of the members of the military and acknowledging all the work that needs to be done in support of those who continue to fight for our freedom.

Most of the book is dedicated to his experience with his life and movies that eventually turned into the opportunity to do the TV drama spinoff, CSI: NY. In the meantime, he and his wife had three children. He also relates their commitment to church and their faith.

As nine-eleven burned into his conscience the need to do more, Sinise widened his outreach to first responders, police, and firefighters. And there is always more, including working with the USO stateside and abroad. He formed the Gary Sinise Foundation which continues to shower gratitude and funds. He never wants a returning hero to receive the treatment experienced by those returning from Viet Nam.

I really enjoyed the book, have long been a Gary Sinise fan, and now in awe of his volunteer work. I requested and was granted the digital download by the publisher through NetGalley and was absolutely thrilled to receive for a read and review and these are my own opinions. I heartily recommend the very genuine and powerful Grateful American. 4.5/5

See my full review at https://rosepointpublishing.com/2019/08/20/grateful-american-by-gary-sinise-a-bookreview/

-A pitch for funding his foundation.
-It’s well-written, very readable, credit goes to Marcus Brotherton, the co-author, I guess.
-Is as honest as can be.
-Lovely background of start of theatre company Steppenwolf.
-It’s great that Sinise, apart from being a wonderful actor, has focussed on morale & health of serving soldiers & vets.
-He believes troops abroad are upholding ‘freedom’ for Americans.
-He hates Saddam, North Korea, etc.
-It doesn’t occur to him that there is no need for American bases to be all over the world, for maintaining 'American freedoms,' to usurp resources or strategic influence, creating decades of helpless, sick, forgotten soldiers& destroying millions of lives, livelihoods& futures of people of foreign countries, in collusion with local&regional players.
-Doesn't mention Trump/who he votes for.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC and all the best to Mr. Sinise in personal, professional and volunteer work.

I’ll start by saying that I really enjoyed this book. I went into it without knowing much about Gary Sinise or his foundation. I watched him in Forrest Gump, Apollo 13, and CSI NY.

I enjoyed learning about his background growing up in Chicago and how he got into drama. I had no idea about his improv group, much less how many we’ll known entertainers got their start in it. Hearing how he got into acting was also interesting and I appreciated him including very personal details of his marriage in the book as well.

I got emotional as he explained the reactions veterans had to his role as Lt Dan in Forrest Gump and the immediate impact this had on him. The experiences he told of, the stories he relayed to the reader, and the piecing together of his foundation was touching.

My only complaint is the flow. Sometimes things seemed to jump around in chronological order. Or Mr. Sinise would very suddenly go from talking about his foundation to a story about his marriage with little to no Segway/transitioning. As the reader, this felt a bit awkward and took me out of the narrative.

I’ve since recommended this book to many friends and family. And have a much greater respect for Mr. Sinise and his efforts on behalf of American Veterans.

Although it was a great experience of his life, I felt somethings could have been left out or put in a more negative light. The last chapter was well worth reading. It expressed the bravery and needs of our veterans.

This very personal narrative explains a lot about the life of the author from his early days growing up on the South Side of Chicago to his years with the Steppenwolf theatre to his Hollywood adventure.

Little did he know that his portrayal of Lt. Dan in the movie Forrest Gump would place him at the forefront of a crusade of sorts to improve the lives of veterans and their families.

His frank and thought provoking observations concerning America’s war veterans coupled with his candid insights into the urgent need for action on their behalf offer the reader a glimpse into the subconscious mind of this unique and wonderful man.

Patriotism, thy name is Gary Sinese.

Grateful American - Gary Sinise

I received this book from Net Galley on my Kindle for the purpose of review.

As I began this book I honestly was somewhat bored. The memoir style from Gary Sinise to me was not his finest hour. Gary certainly is not the typical actor I had thought. His talent was hidden until mid high school when he became involved in theatre. Thanks to a wonderful high school drama teacher Gary was able to graduate and become in love with live theatre.

He became an actor in the Steppenwolf Theatre eventually becoming the PR guy as well as the artistic director and fund raiser. Many challenges faced Gary including learning the bad habit of drinking too much. He managed to get his life turned around and continued acting in live theatre.

You may not recognize the name but you remember Lieutenant Dan from Forrest Gump. Gary was delighted to play a military guy because he felt a strong connection with the Vietnam veterans and
his brother in-law who was military.

From acting live and eventually on TV he never lost his love and desire to meet the needs of veterans and their families. He especially became burdened for the guys away from families and began doing USO shows with his Lieutenant Dan band. He was also a talented musician.

I could go on to give you too many details as well. But suffice it to say that I was touched by all the things that he does to help our military. He went from being a selfish man to a man with a servant's heart. He is the founder of the Gary Sinise Foundation, who continues to aid the military, first responders from 9/11, families and veterans from World War II to present day. He participated in the WWII Memorial in Washington D.C. and the Pentagon Memorial for the deaths there on 9/11.

I would recommend this book to anyone interested in a story of the path from a selfish man to a man with a heart to give and give and give some more.


Comments

I liked this book. I was very impressed with Gary Sinise and his dedication to helping our service men and women , first responders and their families. The book provides the reader background on the actors life and how and why he became so involved in providing a variety of necessities for all the folks that serve our country and our communities. Awe inspiring and very moving.

I loved Gary Sinise in Forest Gump, and especially loved watching him in CSI: NY. I havent seen him in many other of his movies, but I plan to change that. I could tell by his character in CSI: NY, Mac Taylor, that Gary Sinise was a man committed to honoring the people who have served in our United States military. I have always been a big fan of his, so when I saw he had a book coming out, I knew that I had to read it. I am a NetGally member, where I get digital copies of my book, for an honest review. I was ecstatic when I saw that was able to review Grateful American by Gary Sinise. Once I started reading this book, i could hardly put it down. I loved learning about Gary's early years, knowing that he grew up an average kid from Illinois, and had struggles just like me, helped me to love him even more. I was surprised to lear that Gary Sinise didnt start out in movies. He was a troubled high school student, and his angel came in the form of his high school theater teacher. He loved acting from the beginning, and after graduating high school, him and some friends formed the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, which is still up and running today. Gary Sinise tells about his theater days and helping the Steppenwolf Theatre Company become famous. Another thing I was surprised to learn was the he is also a director and a producer. He then goes on to tell about his early movies, and his fame for playing Lt. Dan Taylor in the movie Forest Gump. He had gotten interested in helping military veterans during his theatre days, and was surprised at how much his portrayal of a Vietnam veteran and to so many veterans who had served in Vietnam. In thos book Gary describes his work to show love and support to our United States military, veterans, first responders, and their families. Like all of us, he was shook up by September 11, 2001 and vowed to do all that he could to support our military. He has since formed his own nonprofit group, The Gary Sinise Foundation, to further the cause of supporting, and showing love to military, veterans, first responders, and their families. He does charity concerts with his band, the Lt. Dan band, and raising money for many initiatives within his foundation. There were many times, during the reading of this book, that I cried. Some were tears of happiness, and some tears of sadness. I felt like I was right there beside him, and he was telling me his story. This book has truly inspired me. I know that, while I can never do enough, I can always do just a little bit more. I highly recommend this book to every person, every Christian, every veteran, or military family member. I, along with Gary Sinise, want every man or woman, who puts their lives on the line for us, to know that we support and love them. This was an amazing awe inspiring book, and I am very grateful to be able to read and love this book. And hopefully pass along that love to others, who will also fall in love with it. As a former army brat, I want to say to Gary Sinise, thank you so much for your support of our military, veterans, first responders, and their families.

I read more fiction than non-fiction but once in awhile I come across a biography that knocks my socks off. What a wonderful memoir by a man I admire and hold in high esteem. As a young man he started helping others and created a theater company in a Chicago church basement. When he landed the role of Lieutenant Dan in Forrest Gump he discovered a need in the military Veterans community and he tried to help fill it. His band has raised millions for Veteran causes. A great look at a man who uses his time and money to serve a great cause. I received a copy of this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Title: Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service

Author: Gary Sinise, Marcus Brotherton

Chapters: 17

Pages: 280

Genre: Memoir

Rating: 5 Stars

If Gary Sinise wasn't one of my favorite actors before reading this book he is now. Surprisingly however I have only seen one of his movies Forrest Grump and only one of his TV shows. Reading his memoir is easy to see that he is a one of a kind actor who understands that the reason he can do the job he does is because of our Military men and women as well as our first responders. Who defender and protect us on a daily basis.

That this man chose to give his character the background of a Marine who had survived Beirut in order to bring attention to a tragedy that affected many Marines, their family and friends. Because it is something that most people don't realize happened. As the daughter of a Marine who lost brothers in arms there I am grateful that this actor chose to give them a voice.

Unlike most celebrity memoirs Gary doesn't really boast about what he's done. Instead he shares about what his frame has allowed him to do for others.

This is one celebrity memoir that is worth the read. I do recommend having tissues when your read it.


I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

Sinise was a self centered and aimless youth heading on a downward trajectory of drugs and recklessness. A chance encounter with a drama teacher would come to change his life. He found his calling as an actor and went on to co-found the Steppenwolf Theatre Company in Chicago. His performance in a play about veterans there and following up with his life-changing role in Forrest Gump were the sparks that led to his tireless advocacy. His devotion to championing for those who defend this country is inspirational and hit me in the heart.

This was a good book! I enjoyed learning about Gary Sinise's background. I knew he had created a foundation, but his tireless efforts in supporting our nations veterans and first responders is unrivaled! I loved how he said in the book that we ALL need to be good stewards of the freedoms we have been given in this country! So true!

I had read of Gary Sinise’s contribution to America’s military families and troops, but I did not realize the depth of that dedication until I read this book. He tells his life’s story in a personable way, and it was interesting to see him develop into the humanitarian that he is today. The subtitle to this book is “from self to service” and that certainly describes his life’s journey, as his early years were sometimes turbulent ones. His patriotism is very clear, as is his message to us of the debt that we owe to not only the members of our military, but also to those first responders who faithfully serve their communities. Reading this book seemed very much like having a personal visit with him and hearing him tell stories of his many USO visits overseas.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

As someone who believes in thanking our service personnel this book blew me away of how much this gentleman cares and has put his money where his mouth is! I loved how he didn't gloss over his mistakes in life. I firmly believe a higher power had a plan for Gary Sinise! And Gary listened and took the ball and ran with it! Thank you Mr. Sinise for your service!

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my open and honest review.

I've always been a fan of Gary Sinise. I wasn't sure what to expect when starting this biography, but I didn't expect what I found. The first half of the book, is more of a biography of his life, then the second half tends to focus on what he's done to help first responders and military personnel. I never knew any of this stuff about him!

One thing that I found while going through the book, is there are A LOT of names tossed out that I never heard. I found it best to google the names as I was going, but..... I warn you... It made my reading take so much longer, as I found myself going off in research tangents.

Anyways, better than expected. All the feels, and all that good stuff.

**I received a copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review**

Usually I would wait untill the end of my review to thank NetGalley and the Publisher, Thomas Nelson, for giving me the opportunity to read and review a book, but not this time. Thank you most deeply for allowing me the honor to read Grateful American: A Journey from Self to Service by Gary Sinise. This is simply a book about what the title says; a Grateful American. All the words he listened to and truly heard, things he saw that needed not to be overlooked, people he met that stayed with him and the country he loves truly come out in his story and it all moved him to do more. Thank you not only to Gary Sinise, his family and his foundation but to our military and first responders; you’re all awesome.