I’m not a big fan of biographies or memoirs, especially not celebrity memoirs. But I read a review of Grateful American that prompted me to request a review copy … even though I’m not even American.

Sinise is probably most famous for his role as Lieutenant Dan in the Forrest Gump movie.

While Grateful American certainly touched on playing Lieutenant Dan and working with Tom Hanks, that wasn’t the focus. Instead, we find Gary Sinise is a hardworking and multi-talented musician and actor who has leveraged fame into fundraising and service to those less fortunate.

The book reads very much like a stream of consciousness stroll through Sinese’s life. There’s a lot of subject changes and backtracking, and the writing isn’t great (which is definitely on Sinese, not his cowriter. I’ve read and reviewed Marcus Brotherton’s one novel and it was brilliantly written). If this is the published version, then I dread to think what the first draft looked like.

But Sinise’s story is a story that’s told from the heart, and therein lies the power.

Grateful American takes us through Sinise’s history, from his troubled teenage years, through his discovery of acting as a vocation, the formation of the Steppenwolf theatre company in Chicago, to his growing reputation as an actor and director, and his early realisation of the importance of honoring American veterans and thanking them for their service.

The story then moves quickly past his role as Lieutenant Dan and into his growing commitment to supporting and encouraging servicemen and servicewomen through personal appearances and through fundraising and other support activities. I’d heard of the Lieutenant Dan band, but didn’t realise the extent of his personal and financial commitment.

But it’s not all acting and veterans.

Sinise also tells of his wife’s troubles with alcohol, and her conversion to Catholicism … which influenced his own faith. The overarching theme of Grateful American is that Sinise is grateful to have been born in a country—the United States of America—that has given him the opportunities he’s had, and allowed him the freedom to pursue his goals while acknowledging and emphasising that freedom is not a free gift.

It’s a gift that is paid for in blood.

Recommended for Lieutenant Dan and Gary Sinese fans.

Thanks to Thomas Nelson and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

About Grateful American

“The book is called Grateful American, and I promise you after you read it you will be grateful for what Gary has accomplished and contributed to our country.” — Clint Eastwood

As a kid in suburban Chicago, Gary Sinise was more interested in sports and rock ‘n’ roll than reading or schoolwork. But when he impulsively auditioned for a school production of West Side Story, he found his purpose–or so it seemed.

Within a few years Gary and a handful of friends created what became one of the most exciting and important new theater companies in America. From its humble beginnings in a suburban Chicago church basement and eventual move into the city, the Steppenwolf Theatre Company launched a series of groundbreaking productions, igniting Gary’s career along with those of John Malkovich, Joan Allen, Gary Cole, Laurie Metcalf, Jeff Perry, John Mahoney, and others. Television and film came calling soon after, and Gary starred in Of Mice and Men (which he also directed) and The Stand before taking the role that would change his life in unforeseeable ways: Lieutenant Dan in the Academy Award–winning Forrest Gump.

The military community’s embrace of the character of the disabled veteran was matched only by the depth of Gary’s realization that America’s defenders had not received all the honor, respect, and gratitude their sacrifices deserve. In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, this became Gary’s mission. While starring in hits like Apollo 13, Ransom, Truman, George Wallace, CSI:NY, and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders, Gary has worked tirelessly on behalf of those who serve this country, entertaining more than a half million troops around the world playing bass guitar with his Lt. Dan Band, raising funds on behalf of veterans, and eventually founding the Gary Sinise Foundation with a mission to serve and honor America’s defenders, veterans, first responders, their families, and those in need.

Grateful American is the moving, entertaining, profoundly gripping story of how one man found his calling: to see that those who defend this country and its freedoms are never forgotten.

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