Photo: Jerod Harris/Getty; Harper Collins
“It helped me heal,”TheNew York Timesbestselling author ofAmerican Wife: A Memoir of Love, War, Faith and Renewal,44, tells PEOPLE exclusively.
“The American spirit is as alive and well as ever,” says Kyle, a public speaker and creator of theChris Kyle Frog Foundation, which works to strengthen military and first responder marriages through community retreats that teach communication skills.
“When we look at the news or hear people talking, or see things on social media, it seems like there really isn’t that much good in the world,” she says. But “I think it’s such a gift to have so many people in this country doing good things … I think it’s time we share that.”
That is the premise behind her new book,American Spirit: Profiles in Resilience, Courage, and Faith,out Tuesday.
“This is a love letter to the country to let them know that the country might be hurting and it might be angry in parts, but it has a really good soul and a really good spirit and there are so many people doing good,” says Kyle.
Kyle and co-author Jim DeFelice, who co-wroteAmerican Sniperwith Chris Kyle (which went on to become the Oscar-nominated film of the same name), tell the stories of more than 30 Americans of all ages and walks of life who have stepped up to help their fellow citizens.
One of the stories is about a little girl with cancer who raised money for other children with cancer; another about a couple that started a program for children who “opt out” of the foster care system at 18 with no family to care for them; and another profiles Donnie Davis, an Air Force vet turned pastorwho is helping homeless veterans with his program, Operation Safe Haven.
“You can see that the American spirit lives in all people, what they do and how they show up for each other,” she says.
source: people.com
