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The Way Forward

Master Life's Toughest Battles and Create Your Lasting Legacy

ebook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

NATIONAL BESTSELLER

"The Way Forward will help every reader master their own challenges—this is a must-read book!" —Admiral Bill McRaven, U.S. Navy (Retired) and author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Make Your Bed

American Sniper meets Make Your Bed in these life lessons from decorated United States service members and New York Times bestselling authors Robert O'Neill and Dakota Meyer—an in-depth, fearless, and ultimately redemptive account of what it takes to survive and thrive on battlefields from Afghanistan and Iraq to our daily lives, and how the perils of war help us hold onto our humanity.

Rob O'Neill and Dakota Meyer are two of the most decorated and recognized US service members: O'Neill killed the world's most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, and Meyer was the first living Marine to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. But beyond their actions and courage in combat, O'Neill and Meyer also have much in common in civilian life: they are both sought-after public speakers, advocates for veterans, and share a non-PC sense of humor. Combining the best of military memoirs and straight-talking self-help, The Way Forward alternates between O'Neill's and Meyer's perspectives, looking back with humor at even the darkest war stories, and sharing lessons they learned along the way.

The Way Forward presents O'Neill and Meyer's philosophy in combat and life. This isn't a book about the glory of war and combat, but one about facing your enemies, some who are flesh and blood and some that are not: Your thoughts. Your doubts. Your boredom and your regrets. From Rob's dogged repetition at the free throw line of his childhood basketball court to Dakota's pursuit of EMT and firefighter credentials to aid accident victims, these two American heroes turn their experiences into valuable lessons for every reader.

Gritty and down-to-earth, O'Neill and Meyer tell their stories with candor and vulnerability to help readers handle stress, tackle their biggest obstacles, and exceed their expectations of themselves, while keeping life's battles in perspective with a sense of humor.

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    • Library Journal

      January 1, 2022

      In this dual biography, veterans O'Neill (Navy SEAL; author of the best-selling The Operator) and Meyer (U.S. Marine; author of the best-selling Into the Fire) come together to tell stories of their early lives, military experiences, and the effects of fame after Meyer was awarded the Medal of Honor for bravery in Afghanistan and O'Neill became known as a member of the SEAL team that killed Osama bin Laden. Their narratives describe episodes that were important to their lives--family support, training, deployment and execution and, later, handling the aftermath of war and needing help to readjust to civilian life. Both struggled with PTSD and addiction. O'Neill also describes having trouble reconnecting with family, especially after his public remarks about the Abbottabad raid (there are differing accounts of who fired the shot that killed bin Laden) and his decision to speak to the press. Both O'Neill and Meyer are skilled storytellers; O'Neill is also an inspirational speaker on overcoming challenges. They tell their stories in alternating chapters, lending a conversational style to the narrative. VERDICT This memoir is likely to be popular among readers of military books. While speaking to their own challenges, O'Neill and Meyer offer plenty of advice for veterans navigating reentry to civilian life.--Edwin Burgess

      Copyright 2022 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • Kirkus

      January 15, 2022
      War stories with a motivational twist. O'Neill, the Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden, an event he describes in stomach-churningly graphic detail ("I could smell the inside of his skull, like the funky odor of an animal's entrails") and former Marine and Medal of Honor winner Meyer team up to describe some of the rules that will help one "avoid being killed," literally or figuratively. Some are common-sensical: Keep it simple, follow orders, don't be sloppy. Applied to a military setting, sometimes those rules can be maddening. Meyer writes about returning from battle, his hands covered with blood, some of it "probably...from a Taliban fighter I had killed," only to be ordered by an officer to wash up before entering the base. He did, because it's a matter of military culture, drilled in at every waking moment, that one follows orders--which doesn't bar the authors from noting that the culture tends to foster generalizable rules that don't always apply to every situation but that the brass regards as sacrosanct. The authors open with an exhortation to remember how a Claymore mine operates. Printed on every one are the words "Front toward enemy"--to point it otherwise is to invite suicide. Meyer doesn't have much use for the medal he received--it's stored in his daughter's toy box--but still writes with high regard of the ideals of military service even as he allows that the object of Marine training is to create killers and "not to help people." O'Neill is a touch more political, exploding in anger when Trump "retweeted a batshit-crazy tweet from an account connected to QAnon" to the effect that bin Laden was still alive and that Barack Obama, as president, had murdered soldiers to cover it up. Both authors suggest, knowingly, that the best plans don't often survive reality, but it's important to plan anyway, for "you're never out of the fight." Better aimed at future soldiers than future CEOs, but with many valuable lessons.

      COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

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