Thanks to my dad I grew up watching Audie Murpby movies and one of my all time favorites is his live story to hell and back, and I'm so glad I was able to read this book because it showed so much more of his life then the movie did. It showed his strength, as well as his struggles before , doing and after the war . It's a book that every movie lover of his needs to read and add to their library.

This book should be a must-read for most students and definitely all layman history buffs. I am surprised that this book isn't on every bookshelf yet...or at least I hope it eventually will be on every home and classroom library!

Covering the life of Audie Murphy, America’s most decorated soldier of the Second World War from his early hard life struggling in Texas through his heroic war record and living the high life in Hollywood.
Sadly Audie Murphy suffered from PTSD and really struggled in civilian life after his Army career, often finding life boring like most veterans.
I enjoyed the book, it was written in a nice easy style and flowed well. I would have preferred more detail in the combat sections of the book but all in all well written and recommended.

I had seen the film To Hell and Back about Audie Murphy several years ago. There is much more to his story than what was shown in the film.
Audie Murphy won every medal possible to be earned. He survived most of these battles without being injured which was incredible but he was injured twice eventually. It is hard to know reading whether he was actually brave or a little crazy . Regardless he saved many lives during World War II.
When he returned home Audie suffered from what we now know is Post Traumatic Distress Syndrome, He suffered from terrible nightmares and kept his gun handy.
He was lured to Hollywood and made several films including one about his life. He did not do well with marriage as he often strayed during his marriages. He also was often angered by what he considered rejection of those who fought for our freedom.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading about this great American hero. Highly recommend.

This was so good. I had seen him in westerns and knew a little about his life but this was so good. I am very picky about biographies and how they are written but this book was on point. So glad I read this. Now I have even more respect for him than I did before.
I just reviewed American Hero: The Life and Death of Audie Murphy by Charles Whiting. #AmericanHeroTheLifeandDeathofAudieMurphy #NetGalley
[NetGalley URL]

grew up hearing about Audie Murphy from my father, and watching his western movies on TV. I also remember seeing his autobiography "To Hell and Back." Audie Murphy won more medals for valor than any U.S. soldier in history, including the medal of honor. He also won medals from France and Belgium. He won the medal of honor by holding up alone and wounded an entire German company including six tanks, using a machine gun atop a burning tank destroyer. His military record is incredible, but that is much more to his story. This book was well researched. In addition to using all available unit records, the author spoke to surviving members of his company, read recorded individual histories, letters to family members, and friends. Most importantly he spoke with Audie's best friend and the ghost writer of his autobiography. The book covers his childhood as the son of a poor Texas sharecropper and his early military training. Audie was so small and undernourished that his training commanders sought to protect him from a combat role by moving him to a service duty in supply or cooking, but Audie demanded that he be allowed to serve in combat. He was first sent overseas to North Africa and served throughout the campaigns in Sicily and Italy, and on into France with the 3rd Division which suffered the highest percentage of combat losses in the U. S. Army. Audie was the only original member of his company to survive the war. I found it very helpful that as the author followed Audie through the various campaigns and battles he put the action in context by providing background of the strategy and the commanders. He also provided personal details about Audie as a person, using the words of those who served with him. This included descriptions of the common soldier during his little free time away from the front lines. Audie is always painted as the hero, but little has been know about the high cost the war had on him and others as one after another their friends died around them. The book makes a point of describing the high price that Audie paid for his service. Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) was unknown and unrecognized at that time, but it is certain that Audie suffered from PTSD the remainder of his life. This included boredom with regular life, insomnia, gambling addiction, stomach disorders, and he always slept with the lights on and a pistol underneath his pillow. Following the war he was brought to Hollywood by James Cagney and eventually got into acting, mostly in B-Westerns. The author covers his life in Hollywood and the rising affects of PTSD and the cost that it had on his life. This is a book on a remarkable man and true American hero. It is also a book on cost that war pays on the lives of those who serve. I want to thank Netgalley and Sapere Books for allowing me to read his advance copy in extra for an impartial review.

I picked this one because I’ve always been curious about Audie Murphy. And there’s so much myth and legend surrounding him, that it’s hard to know what’s true. And this book does a good job of diving into his life and separating fact from fiction.

Audie Murphy. The words speak nothing but heroism in its purest form. Congratulations to the author who picked such a distinguished topic.