In an earlier post — I, Sniper by Stephen Hunter — I pre-reveiwed this book before I even read it. What I said there was based on a long comment Hunter had submitted to Powerline.

There are plenty of reviews so let me just say this book is great. Just read it and you’ll thank me.

I’ll help you with a few things, though. Some of Hunter’s characters are stand-ins for real people. The real people’s stories are close but not exactly the same as those of the characters in the novel. Hunter’s fictional character Carl Hitchcock is of course real Marine sniper Carlos Hathcock. Jack Strong is Bill Ayers, Strong’s wife Mitzi is Bernardine Dohrn, Joan Flanders is Jane Fonda, and Tom Constable is Ted Turner.

There are a couple of others I haven’t figured out. I came of age in the 60′s but was not sufficiently ensconced in the counter culture to know who all the infamous players were. Once the fervor died down they were just not that memorable, anyway.

There is one review of this book you might not find if I don’t direct you to it, and it’s worth your time. Especially if you are a gun person and are familiar with Massad Ayoob.

Check out Massad Ayoob’s review of I, Sniper here.