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It is an investment if you don't often read long-form journalism, but it is an insightful narrative. We are so used to "journalism" that tries to force subjects into easy partisan narratives, it is striking when this writer characterizes Chris Kyle--a potentially polarizing figure--with an attention to detail that demonstrates real complexity.
It seems to me the author has some clear axes to grind about guns and militarism. But the presence of some level of bias doesn't worry me. As I vaguely remember from reading Hayden White in my grad school days, even taking on the conventions of the narrative form in telling the history of something, your decisions impart some bias. But Schmidle's willingness to primarily focus on the subject and the story is incredibly refreshing.
