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    The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy SEAL Leader
    The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy SEAL Leader
    The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy SEAL Leader
    Audiobook12 hours

    The Trident: The Forging and Reforging of a Navy SEAL Leader

    Written by Jason Redman and John Bruning

    Narrated by Erik Bergmann

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Decorated Navy SEAL Lieutenant Jason Redman served his country courageously and with distinction in Columbia, Peru, Afghanistan and Iraq, where he commanded mobility and assault forces. But his journey was not without its supreme challenges. He was critically wounded in 2007 when he was struck by machine-gun fire at point blank range. During his intense recovery period Redman posted a sign on his door, warning all who entered not to ""feel sorry for [his] wounds."" His sign became both a statement and a symbol for wounded warriors everywhere. Vivid and powerful, emotionally resonant and illuminating, The Trident traces the evolution of a modern warrior, husband, and father, a man who has come to embody the never-say-die spirit that defines one of America's elite fighting forces.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateNov 5, 2013
    ISBN9780062208347
    Author

    Jason Redman

    JASON REDMAN is a retired Navy Lieutenant who spent eleven years as an enlisted Navy SEAL. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Valor, the Purple Heart, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, five Navy Achievement Medals, and two Combat Action Ribbons, along with earning the US Army Ranger Tab. After being severely wounded in Iraq in 2007, Redman returned to active duty before retiring in 2013. He is the author of the memoir The Trident, which was a New York Times bestseller.

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    Reviews for The Trident

    4/5

    259 ratings196 reviews

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    • 1/5
      Plot wise, this is Shakespeare's Hamlet - except brought into the modern era (1950s and 60s) and in rural Wisconsin. However, other than plot, this bears no resemblance to Shakespeare. Rather than being concise like Shakespeare and telling the story in about 100 pages, this author takes nearly 600. Despite these excess pages, the author doesn't really reach the psychological depths that Hamlet does. For some reason, he inundates the reader with mundane details that have nothing to do with progressing the storyline (for instance, a long narrative about the previous owner of the Sawtelle place, which never reveals itself to be necessary to the plot). Also, despite the lengthy and unnecessary detailing in the beginning of the book, questions are still left unanswered at the end of the book. The main characters are dog breeders and there are pages and pages and pages of descriptions about dogs, dog breeding, and dog training. I found this incredibly boring and at first chalked it up to not being a dog person. However, I realized that 1) if I was reading a novel that gave this much detail about cats, I would still be bored out of my brains and 2) this author had a way of writing that, to me, made an encounter with a ghost seem like the dullest thing that could possibly happen to a person. There were a few chapters written from the perspective of the family dog(s), which was just way too cheesy for me (I could deal with a dead mother narrating a chapter in Faulkner's As I Lay Dying because that revealed important details that would otherwise be missing, but these dog-narrated chapters didn't add much to the story). Overall, the book was interminably long and excessively dull. I definitely would not recommend - go read Hamlet instead (or even re-read Hamlet instead).
    • 5/5
      Wow, I was so impressed by this book!! I cant believe that this was his first novel!! I really, really liked this book. I loved the whole involvement of the dogs in the story and it was really a suspense/mystery, too. The characters were so real and I just wanted to speak up for poor Edgar myself. Great book, highly recommend!
    • 5/5
      I was all set to rate this book at 5 stars until the book ended. It's almost as though the author ran out of things to say and just came up with the most convenient way to tie up as much as he could - I was disappointed.The rest of the story was out-of-control, in-your-face excellent. I was immediately engrossed and captivated by the story of the mute boy who grew up surrounded by dogs.
    • 4/5
      This book about a mute teenager and his highly trained dogs has some truly wonderful moments. But there were huge "slow" sections -- I think it would've better i were pared down substantially. I'm glad I read it, but I wouldn't say it is a "must read".I'm embarassed to admit that I completely missed the Hamlet parallels until it was pointed out to me. Time to review the Shakespeare!
    • 5/5
      One of the most beautifully written books I've ever come across. I've read that there's comparisons to be made between this book and a story of old, but since I was not "front of my brain" familiar with that story, all I can say is that some of the sentences in the book literally took my breath away...they were that beautiful. Like all people that believe that good/right/kindness should prevail in any story, I disliked the ending, but there was something true about it, so I shall be able to live with it. Don't know why we haven't seen this as a movie....and I like it that way.
    • 2/5
      Bland, superficial, pointless Hamlet retread. A pageturner in places and often likeable enough, but it promises a lot more than it delivers. It could have been so good, but it only coughed up a few sublime moments. (More than some, I guess.)
    • 3/5
      Wroblewski's writing feels precious and too well manicured, while subplots unceremoniously deadend on you making you feel teased. Excessively used words like "mow" and "withers", punctuate the text and hang like lead weights in the middle of otherwise fluid sentences. While the writing can at times be beautiful, overall the effect feels lifeless and sterile. I really wanted to like this book, but was disappointed.
    • 4/5
      Amazing read! So much more than a story about a boy and his dogs. So much more than a story about a family with a secret. I really didn't want this one to end. The nuances of his storytelling are perfect. His writing is lyrical and detailed. I actually went back a reread passages again for the impact of the writing and to make sure I didn't miss any detail.
    • 4/5
      Listened as an audiobook. Sad in the end. Enjoyed. Very interesting for the part that the dogs play in the book. Narration moves among various characters--including the dogs. Listened to while driving to the Shenandoah from Williamsburg. Just right.
    • 4/5
      Although I found the book too long and somewhat repetative, it was quite readable and even interesting. There were a few quirks I didn't really understand such as, Edgar's need for sleep; it seemed he was forever falling asleep with a full description each time. Also, Claude's intentions were never clearly explained throughout the book. The ending was disappointing, left you with a "unfinished, unresolved" sort of feeling. Still, I did like it.
    • 3/5
      I read this book because everyone gave this one raving reviews. Well, it was good entertainment, but,if you know your classics (in this case, Shakespeare's Hamlet), it kind of made it predictable. I only read on to see how the author would solve the story. Hamlet taught you that they will all die in the end.So, good reading for a long winter's evening, but if there is a new episode of "House" on, it is probably more entertaining (and we all know House solves the case, so that is not it).
    • 4/5
      I'm always looking for original debut novels and this one was a very good-outstanding in some of the description and characterizations of both people and dogs. But...it lost me along the way because it was just too long and too much and lost its momentum. It would have been great with more editing.
    • 3/5
      Boy who cannot speak loses father and tries to understand how he died and who caused his death. They own a kennel with dogs they have bred and trained for interacting with humans in a way very different than what we know. I kept thinking I didn't like it as much as I thought I would, but every time I picked it up to read more I found myself falling right back into the story. The really stange but wonderful thing is that I just finished reading a book my grandson had ordered from the Scholastic Book Club and wanted his Grandpa and myself to read--Hachiko Waits by Leslea Newman. If not for that, I wouldn't have understood that part of the story at all. Hachiko Waits is a very good book for 9 to 12 year olds. Funny how everything is connected in some way.
    • 3/5
      I wanted to like this book more. Oprah said it was comparable to Steinbeck. Eh, not so much. It kept my interest for most of the time, but the ending just went on and on and on.
    • 5/5
      I listened to this book over christmas break and couldn't stop listeing.
    • 4/5
      I can see why this novel was popular and received positive reviews. It's hard not to like the silent, moral, confused main character of Edgar Sawtelle ,and I - a golden retriever owner for 20 years, also appreciated the insights into dog breeding and training. However I wish I never read a snipet of a review that called it a "Hamlet" retelling. This caused me to read with a certain preoccupation, looking for the varioius scenes and characters that can be found in Shakespeare's tragedy. I have to learn to not read anything about a book before deciding to experience it. I again though would say that I enjoyed the novel and would recommend it to others. An amazon review is listed below for reference: Beautifully written and elegantly paced, The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is a coming-of-age novel about the power of the land and the past to shape our lives. It is a riveting tale of retribution, inhabited by empathic animals, prophetic dreams, second sight, and vengeful ghosts. Born mute, Edgar Sawtelle feels separate from the people around him but is able to establish profound bonds with the animals who share his home and his name: his family raises a fictional breed of exceptionally perceptive and affable dogs. Soon after his father's sudden death, Edgar is stunned to learn that his mother has already moved on as his uncle Claude quickly becomes part of their lives. Reeling from the sudden changes to his quiet existence, Edgar flees into the forests surrounding his Wisconsin home accompanied by three dogs. Soon he is caught in a struggle for survival — the only thing that will prepare him for his return home.
    • 5/5
      I loved this book. I know others thought it was overly long, but I enjoyed it cover to cover. I am waiting for his next novel, but it's taking awhile.
    • 4/5
      Like another review stated, I'm torn between 5 stars and 1 star. The beginning of the book was irresistible. I loved it. The last part of the book was seriously lacking. It's like the author lost steam and just wanted to end it.

      Certain things in the book reminded me of Harry Potter...I think it's just the frustration that comes with reading about a teenager. I was so irritated with Edgar at times. I really felt the frustration that he must have had with not being able to verbalize ANYTHING!
    • 3/5
      Bizarre in parts. Ghosts and things of that nature sprinkled throughout book, seemingly coming out of nowhere. Dogs were interesting. Muteness of Edgar Sawtelle was different and interesting.
    • 3/5
      I was disappointed in this "Oprah book". Although the writing was certainly passable, especially for a first novel, I was just not interested in all the long passages about training dogs. The chapters that featured the family's favorite dog were interesting (when is the last time you read something from a dog's point of view), it just didn't capture me. I think you have to be a real dog person to love this book. Based on the other ratings on this site, I guess I'm pretty unique, but even the possibility of murder didn't grab me.
    • 5/5
      I don't read fiction - especially modern fiction. It was the periferal "dog" story that drew me to this modern Hamlet knock-off.....but the ART in this imitation blew my socks off. The writer moulds us like clay. Agricultural midwest americana.
    • 4/5
      Edgar Sawtelle is a mute boy who lives in a symbiotic relationship with the dogs his family has been breeding since his grandfather's time. The first half of the novel describes the struggles of Edgar's parents Trudy and Gar to have children, and their loss of a baby before Edgar's birth. Almondine is his constant companion, and she is the only Sawtelle dog living in the house with the family, though she also has an active role in helping train the younger dogs. The dogs are not only the the Sawtelles' source of income, but are also loved much like extended members of the family. We gradually learn how this unusually perceptive breed of canines came into being through the devotion of Edward's grandfather, who had a vision of the ideal companion for man. When he is old enough, Edgar is given his own litter of pups to deliver and care for, a task which he takes to heart. The first sings of trouble arrive when Edgar's uncle Claude comes back to the family home, freshly out of prison. A hard drinker, he and his older, more responsible brother Gar constantly fight and bicker, and Claude leaves after a physical altercation. Things take a tragic turn when Gar dies very suddenly while Edgar helplessly looks on. Shortly after, Trudy falls very ill, leaving Edgar with all the responsibilities, and though he struggles to make things work, a serious incident forces them to call Claude to help care for the dogs. To Edgar's utter dismay, Trudy and Claude quickly become lovers, even as Edgar has reasons to suspects his uncle of murder. Things go from bad to much, much worse, until Edgar has no choice but to flee the farm along with a number of dogs from his litter. Together they embarks on a long and difficult journey, during which the fugitives must hide away in the woods and are constantly on the brink of starvation. Edgar's journey with the dogs constitutes the better part of the second half of the novel, and seemed at times overly long. But with hindsight, I now feel that it was necessary to establish just how deeply the boy and his dogs come to rely on each other while Edgar encourages the dogs to make their own choices.While I was initially disappointed with the denouement, it also made the tale that much more poignant, and revealed, if there was still any lingering doubt, that these dogs were not mere companions, but characters in their own right. I should say that I decided I liked this book before I even read the first line, simply because I knew that dogs were prominent in the story, and in that sense I was amply gratified. This is the kind of tale that stays with you and leaves countless affecting moments to savour long after the last words have been read.
    • 5/5
      Such beautiful writing. I would read something and then re-read again just because of the authors unique style. This is a story of a young boy who can not speak but says so much. This is a story of a beautiful, loyal character Almondine. And this is a book I read and also listened to it's audio. It's also a book I will keep.
    • 4/5
      An epic story of Edgar Sawtelle, a mute boy living on a remote farm in Wisconsin among dogs. Wroblewski writing skills shine brightest when focused on these noble, intelligent creatures. The story itself is an old theme of murder and greed --- brother against brother, but the spin of the rural, isolated setting and the vehicle of presentation, a dog kennel, is pure delight to read.I thoroughly enjoyed the surprise characters, like Henry, who longed to break away from being ordinary. I can't help but wonder what happened to him and his adopted dogs after Edgar left. This is a dynamic story of a family tragedy in the aftermath of death of Gar Sawtelle. From his death springs forth not only murder, greed and grief, but also survival and hope. The pace of the story is perfect and while a long read, certainly a commitment that pays off in hours of sheer enjoyment. Which is exactly why I love to read.
    • 5/5
      A modern remix of Hamlet, the prince is deaf and the kingdom is third generation dog breeding business. Heart breaking, yet so beautifully written it was worth the pain. I wept at the end.
    • 3/5
      I sure wish someone had told me this was discussed as being a "modern retelling of Hamlet" before I read it. My expectations would have been much different and I might have enjoyed it more. Or perhaps I would have just not read it since I DON'T LIKE tragedy.
    • 2/5
      Hamlet retold, set in Wisconsin, with dogs (including Ophelia as a beloved canine). Shakespeare is rolling in his grave.
    • 2/5
      I was disappointed in this book. It moved to slowly for me. Read about 100 pages and decided to try something else.
    • 4/5
      The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is an unsentimental journey. Where the story could lapse into predictable or nostalgic ebbs, it does not. The mystical occurrences are influential, yet do not overwhelm the course of the action. Fine writing and thorough, believable story details made this book a compelling read!
    • 4/5
      I did not pay much attention to The Story of Edgar Sawtelle when it was released in 2008. I knew it was a “dog story” and, frankly, novels about dogs or cats do not have much appeal to me. So I did little more than thumb through the book once when I saw it on the shelf of my local bookstore.Then, in December 2009, I attended the Texas Book Festival in Austin and sat in on a an interview session with the book’s author, David Wroblewski, during which the author discussed, among other topics, how he came to write the book. The discussion was interesting – but not nearly as interesting as the reaction Mr. Wroblewski’s presence drew from the bulk of those in attendance that day. The man was treated like a superstar author, and the questioners seemed to know the book by heart.I was so impressed that I purchased a first edition copy of the book and had Wroblewski sign it for me. Then I put it on the shelf at home for another year, finally “reading” an audio version of the book just this month. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle turns out to be quite a story (those familiar with Shakespeare’s Hamlet might recognize early on where it is headed) and my usual aversion to “dog stories” did not surface. In fact, I particularly enjoyed those portions of the narrative told from the viewpoint of Almondine, the beloved Sawtelle dog that was Edgar’s protector from the day he was brought home from the hospital. This is the story of the Sawtelle family: Gar, Trudy, and their mute son, Edgar. The Sawtelles have been breeding and training very special dogs for several decades and the dogs have become so special that they are known now simply as “Sawtelle dogs.” However, despite the quality of the animals they produce, the Sawtelles are just barely surviving financially. That their local veterinarian owns a share in the business, and does not charge for his services, is what allows them to continue at all.But the Sawtelles are working at something they love, and 14-year-old Edgar is preparing himself to carry the business forward at least one more generation. Then Gar’s brother, Claude, fresh from prison, comes home and things begin to change – for the worse, and in a way and to a degree that will surprise most readers right to the very end of the book.I admire David Wroblewski’s courage to end the book the way he did, knowing that many readers will be very disappointed in that ending. That ending, though, is a very logical one considering all that led up to it and the makeup of the book’s central characters. The audio version of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle is exceptionally well read, with narrator Richard Poe striking the perfect tone and cadence for the various characters for whom he reads. It was a pleasure listening to Mr. Poe and, because of the half point I am adding for his narration, I am rating this one a solid four. Rated at: 4.0