politics of it, which, of course, i'm a political reporter, i wanted to do. yes? you in the blue shirt, right there. >> [inaudible] >> what do you like most about this book? >> i really love the illustrations as you probably caught on, but also, it's got some sort of sections that give you more. ten women. each one gives you a page about the woman, her life story, and then another page that's telling a couple of little antedotes about her. there's a section about women warriors and fighters, and a time line in the beginning, and what i like about that is that you really get a whole lot of information. a short period, you know, not too long a book, but the first

person i read it to was my just turned 8-year-old granddaughter, and she said, it's getting long, cokie. [laughter] she got her mom up the next morning saying, i have to read you cokie's book. these are my favorite. she likes the spies. >> [inaudible] >> i'm told we're done. i'm really sorry. you know what? that means you have to go back to school. oh. i know. [laughter] you did a great job.

>> thank, and we're going to wing it a little bit, keep it easy, and we'll just take it where it goes >> a lot of people ask, where, you know, why did -- how did the book come about. why did you write the book? i have to say that the book actually started in a way -- i've been working on the book almost four years now. while i was working on "american sniper" which i wrote with chris kyle, another great, great american. one night chris and i were hanging around in his den, and

we were looking at pictures, but the picture came up of some guys who were about to go out own a field mission, and there's one in a slightly different uniform. i said, who is the big guy? chris is from texas and looks at me and said well, thars the only iraqi i ever trusted with a gun. oh, that's interesting, man, tell me about that. he told me that was a translater called johnny walker, and they talked about the missions. i have to say that i where fiction, and the stories that chris was telling me sounded so much more remarkable and more fictional and more thrilling than stories i've ever come up with that i almost stopped writing novels. we ended up putting johnny in

the book in american sniper. he's in a paragraph. he changed the same, his background because we were very weary at the time. johnny, we thought was still in iraq, and our book came out, "american sniper" came out, and chris was actually doing this book signing, i think, in california, and johnny went out and just showed up, and chris, as chris told the story later on, chris said, i thought he was dead. called him up, and made him stand up in front of the room and told everyone the truth that johnny walker -- chris kyle is known as a man who save the a lot of seal and iraqi lives, and chris told that crowd and toll me, told everybody that he could that johnny walker saved more seals and more americans and more iraqis than chris ever

could. he's just a remarkable storiment i don't know if it was the next day, but soon after, chris got hold of the publisher, our editor, really had been a big help, and said, peter, you are doing this book, boy. this man is really important. that's kind of where we started. johnny, tell us a little -- you were born in a city, in iraq, tell us bout that. >> so, like, first time, i want to thank all you guys for all the support, and i apologize for my broken english, but i will explain that. i want to thank that guy. i met him in 2003, and this is the first time i saw.

>> mat, stand up. matt's an army veteran. [applause] [inaudible conversations] tell us about yourself. >> i was born in 1964 and moved -- grew up, like, normal child and play basketball, high jump and all my dream at the time, i want to live in america, one of the day, and unfortunately, marriage, having kids and wife and it was my dream, and i saw americans, and i couldn't have any chance, and it looked deep inside my heart, this is wrong. i deserve this chance. i am the best one for this job. so,nyway, by accident, i found work with the military police -- >> wait, wait, wait, wait, wait

a second. the problem with dealing with john, is johnny is a little bit too humble. here's what happened. he has been trying to get jobs for quite a while to support his family, and there were no jobs. working with the americans -- at that time, the americans were very honored because they liberated the country. >> correct. >> johnny tried to get a job. didn't get a job. and we go into detail in the book, but he couldn't get a job. he was down to -- had enough money to buy a pack of cigarettes or his kids' lunch. >> or taxi to go back. >> or taxi to go back. he decided heck with the taxi, i can walk. the kids can have lunch, and i'll buy three cigarette, whatever it was. he bought them, walking home which is not the greatest place, and all the sudden, he comes upon some mps and a discussion

with iraqi lady. tell us about that. >> so we are walking to, like, this happened by accident. you walk on the left, and females walk on the right side. i hear them talk bad things about the american soldiers. this is way i need, having enough money to support my kids, and right now, i'm going to fight with the police with no weapon, without anything because i have to protect our women no matter what. anyway, i'm thinking, like, that's what i should do, so i come up with a plan. i had to go to the military police and ask, hey, guys can you fix this issue? they give me this gun. make female avoid any issue with

the military police, and at the end of the night, everybody will be happy. >> basically, a marriage counselor. >> in that time. anyway, when the female come up, and i start to look after them, and i know them, and i know the background of those females and look like, what are you guys doing? they look at me, like, oh, you know, we didn't mean to do anything, and i told them, you know what, i give you one option, you have to go right now to your house, or you guys can have something bad with me. the -- when he cosh what i did to fix the issue, i told them, you know what? i would love it, yeah, why not? at that time, one of the --

>> johnny just asked if we could use a bad word. >> we're in new york. [laughter] >> so,nyway, he came to me and start giving me hard time and talking bad words about me and my family, so it looks like, you know what? i'm done with you. i beat him, whatever -- >> [inaudible] >> broke him, the police said, sop, you'll kill him. >> just a side note on that story. sergeant bird was out of act can with johnny for pretty much since several months after that, and just recently because they both got in touch with johnny again, and that's within one of the great side notes of this

whole process, that a lot of the men and women who served in johnny in iraq and getting in touch with him is really heart warming, a funny story, and so johnny went to work with the mps and as an interpreter, and he made such a great name for him, for himself, that when the seals came to -- a few months later on, they wanted -- they already heard of the toughest interpreter in iraq, and they asked for johnny walker, and sergeant was reluctant to give you up and eventually did. so you started working with the seals, an johnny, did you know what feels were? >> no. >> so the book said when i came upon it, what does that mean? i couldn't find it anywhere, and

my english at that time was not better than a cow. i have no clue what i'm dealing with, and looks like what i'm doing, what i end up with, i love america, and those people are scary. i remember the first mission, i worked with them, and the guy just, like, stopped, i don't know to make excellence, and they went, and i have no review, nothing, and, like, oh, my gosh, urn attack, and we went away, and he said, -- [inaudible] >> what you didn't say was on that first mission, johnny

showed up, they told johnny it was not allowed to bring his weapons, but ordinarily in iraq, pretty much every male had at least in general, could have weapons so what did -- how big was your knife? was it this big or this big? >> compared to my thumb? this big. [laughter] >> i heard the story from the -- it was more like this big. johnny started going with the seals, and there was one incident, really, that cemented your relationship with the seals. talk about that one. where a man was wounded. >> so one of the missions, you know, i'm new this this kind of environment, and i don't know what's going on, and it looked like i have to support my family

and find the bad guys, so,nyway, we went to one of the targets, and that house, the election, next day, and we went and fight, and the guy from that house, they stop shooting off, and i have nothing with me, and so one of the guys, i hear of these engines, and looks like, what i should do? i knew it. i want to fight. i want to save him. i went, and i didn't know about my wife, but, you know what, it's worth it to do something right. i got him out, and -- [inaudible] from that time, they stop pushing me and considering me as part of the seal team. >> yeah, actually, the

significance there is there were a lot of people that were interpreters or translaters with the american forces, and often, they were getting back behind the lines when there was any sort of combat. johnny's being a little bit modest in the story according to the seals there. johnny ran forward, there was gunfire, grabbed him, brought him back, and they were quite impressed at that point, and from that point on, johnny was a brother to the seals, and, now, i think it's difficult for people who are not seals to understand what an honor that is. ..

i won't do anything to help them. to get something on them on this and everyone and everyone who supported me in any way. >> johnny started -- as an admission across the country. you traveled quite a bit. you ended up, name some of the places you were at. >> we went to law to base city,

i end up with -- >> baghdad at that time was kind of like going to miami. it was a really nice place. they love you. >> at that time it was like a huge fire fly. and trying to this kind of at that time, they can't do anything by themselves. and ocean and all that. >> just explain in islam, a lot of people know, not everyone, can make a lot of difference,

the major division between sunni and shiite. you have to think, johnnie, what are you and what is your wife? >> my wife is she aia . told my wife -- at that time, can you bring the kids, i want to talk to them. my kids came and it was a democratic family. are you going to be sunni or she? all of them at that time were

shi'ite. >> the interesting thing is before the american war, comes the sunni, you've lived in malta and when they were sunni or shi'a at. what was the situation then? >> it was like the lifeline, sunni and shiite and kurdish -- >> basically now there is a lot of violation of issues. johnny's wife was in baghdad -- excuse me. john's wife was in those will --mos

--mosul. he didn't actually know. tell us that story. >> right away -- my family -- anyway, my wife and -- the letter was close. they were going to kill her so she had no options so next day she took everything and moved to baghdad. >> wait a second. there is a lot more to that story. first of all, johnnie's wife is an incredible woman. we go into more detail in the book. she went through quite a lot and thought she was going to die at several points. finally, that episode when she got the bullet, she decided she had to go to baghdad because

that was where johnny was. to this point johnny's relatives were protecting his wife and she decided she had to go so she packed a kids up and they went in a van that was kind of the equivalence of a minibus. it took -- let's say it was four hours, rounded things out. about two hours into the trip they were stopped by some terrorists and took them out and they were basically threatened. the terrorists were actually not looking for johnny's family. they were looking for some other person they had assigned to kill, stayed there for several

hours. pretty much thinking they were going to die. so apparently called whoever had assigned them, this person, and thank god the person said let those people go. that is not your target. they drove to baghdad and told johnny -- you didn't know that story until you were working on the book. so johnnie's wife was telling the story. she and i are in the kitchen and johnny is over it there listening and trusting and you see his eyes become the size of his face over there. pretty scary. >> my kids and my wife, all my life. and trying to do the right thing for them and my country and all

of that. the people -- it is jammed and this kind of detail i take out day. >> the kids are fine. but unfortunately we kind of skipped over the story where your brother was assassinated. you should tell that story, how your brother was assassinated. >> my brother kept pushing to have any chance so i find a job. and only my brother has transportation. one of the ways is to come to him and i apologized and they

faced him and they shot him in the face and it was done. >> that was because they could get you. you have another story about you dealing with -- >> all these stories. >> it is your story. let you tell that. >> one of the day's -- and think about dealing with what it feels like, everything is lower. so anyway got in my car and also behind the knee where two guys which i know have long been 20 years old and went crazy.

in that time may be you know, 2004, there was no big deal, killing or deals or anyway i am thinking what i am going to do? and to separate and do some time and confuse them, if they have anything so and shop them around and earlier by keep my head covered so any way i stopped the car and one to them and i am not

going to do that and they are going to chase me. >> and then what happened? the crowd starts to gather and then what happens? >> i told them that they would and a collision and all of them in the future all of them. >> from that, by claiming those are the people he killed, those are the people working with the americans who went back and made sure his family was okay. johnny told me that story, one of the first stories johnny told me and when he told me that, we had talked before, we really match -- i went to san diego and

johnny, you don't really know, let's just hang out, what do you like to do? he said i like to take a walk on the water and. okay. we went out to this place in vero beach, walked out there and johnny started talking, i have to say he was a really good friend and even if chris hadn't been involved, after walking out on that boardwalk talking to johnny, get a feel. this is related to books. johnny will read the entire

book. >> i am going to take my story as i write in the book i took my story, which i think the color of this car changes color. >> johnny was -- my america is your america and your america is mine. refuge and dream, a place of freedom and respect. whoever arrives here after the journey i took, after the bonds and gunfire and killings, be headings and killings. after everything that happened in my life, the ideas that i am free now and the knowledge of everything cleaned, insightful for every moment and grateful to

those who risked their lives for my family, grateful for the sacrifices about their service men and women, grateful to my neighbors who welcomed me to the land of large dreams and open skies. every day i listen to the dream, my dream. my dream began amid a nightmare. murderous war in iraq that destroyed not only the lives of many of my friends and relatives but an entire country and culture. that destruction began long before the war, long before the contents, iraq was a broken country, a place ruled more by fear than law, a place where making a decent living was for many an impossible dream. the american war brought hope to be disenfranchised iraqis. sins that hope evaporated replaced by violence and bloodshed.

the americans were an excuse but not the cause of that nightmare. the hatred and the money in my country, the death continued. are from that now. today on a cool morning in san diego i walked out on the pier of imperial beach to hear the wind pushing against my body tearing at my clothes and sandpaper in my face. it is a wonderful feeling. at 6:00 in the morning the beach is nearly always deserted. as if i have the edge of the world completely to myself. i wait a little while. the fishermen come and cast their lines into the surf. someone told me fishing is a great act of faith. to fish what one must be incredibly patient or also believe. he weighed in the water and the wind casting and standing, believing eventually his persistence will pay off. he dreams of landing a fish.

he rehearses for it in his head. he hopes, he waits. that sort of dreaming is familiar to me. that is how i came to america. an immigrant before i knew i could travel. a citizen in my hopes before the wish to be broken. a fisherman. america is a land of immigrants. every family here has a unique story of travel, of triumph. many of those stories are filled with tears, a few are marked by blood. my story is both. i debated how much to say about the war and my role in it. what i am not telling about these things but in the end i decided people should know the real story. a lot of people will say what happened was very savage. perhaps they will think i am as savage as well but in my mind i did what i had to do.

i killed only to survive. some people including some of the greatest warriors america has produced call me a hero. that is not a word i used to describe myself. i am only a man i thought did what i needed to do, what i felt i had to do. i was a man doing the job when i was happy to have i could support my family for a time that a time and a place that was difficult to do so. for a while at least, a job i thought meant i was changing the country, my country for the better. people ask how many missions i went on, how many times i faced death. i don't know. i went on at least a hundred and more like the thousands of operations with just the seals, two or three in a single night. american military units rotated in and out of the country every

few months taking a rest back in the state's, for me, there were no rotations. the rest were only very short. and in a war zone. i edies and stray bullets were as much danger as natural combat or great action, often me -- more so. it all seems like a normal life. perhaps that is an measure of wars. if i had courage or fear or even savagery it is because i am a human. these things are in all of us. war always brings them out. we are all capable of the worst possible, we can all killed, we can all destroyed. these are easier to do than to build. and found to my horror that it does not take much to become a monster.

and i didn't always think this way. like most people i thought at one time the world was basically good. i believed and still believe that we can all live together in peace and by working together make our community and the world a better place. i feel, i know it is better to make and bills than to tear down and destroy. all people around me believe that. little by the lie saw that that wasn't true. i tried to change it. eventually my only course was to educate. before i was able to call america my home i had to denounce america. before i could taste freedom i had to taste death itself. the summer of 2004 i had been

working for a number of american organizations, civilian and military for more than a year. the liberation of iraq is a triumph that nearly all of us shared. when i got my first job as a translator everyone on my street celebrated me, way to go, johnny, they said. now you are made. what a wonderful thing. in barely a year all of that changed. things turned murderously bad. my job went from being a thing to be celebrated to a thing to be hidden. any association with americans was a death sentence. if navy seals love me helping them, most but home hated me for the same thing. one morning on my way to the seal basic car pool the behind me as i approached the traffic circle. instinctively i knew what happened. as i looked for an escape route

the card through clothes and a man in the passenger's seat began firing. i was lucky. i veered off the road and gunned the engine and managed to hit the other car to turn, jumped out, ak-47 in my hands. how many rounds i fired i have no idea. both women in the car died. because of the crash, i will never know. it makes no difference. people ran to us. as a crowd gathered i could feel their hatred. was it, they demanded, what are you doing? there was only one way to escape. those people work with the americans, they had to die. the crowd began to cheer. suddenly the car was in flames. it quickly made my get away. it was one of the worst days of my life.

the day that i denounced america. was also the day my escape to the united states began. [applause] >> we are just talking here so we will take questions from people. we can talk about what is going on in iraq now. we will not identify any one, no active service men will be identified and we will try to keep some of the details a little under. [inaudible] >> to repeat the question for the video, i you afraid now that people will come after you? >> they can come after me but

they cannot come after my family. i don't kill any more. >> was it difficult for you to come to the united states, to make the transition? was it blocked by the united states government? >> a question about how difficult it was for you to come to the united states. >> my big issue was going to the roof. and give me something for my apartment. i had a big argument with the supervisor. i don't want you to be kind to me. i want to work. let me work at a job. and i deserve what i get. so this makes me kind of sad.

>> how you got out of that system, how you got out of iraqi were helped by the seals. looking bad for iraq. when you had been serving in iraq and got to the u.s.. >> one of my plans, we worked in baghdad. in 2005, they allowed me in. i want to do that. to do the right thing. i don't know. my wife when she came to baghdad and my brother, put money on my

head and you know what? they do everything. each one of them. >> we go into that in a little more detail but we have to praise and thanks this one seal undertaking, a chief in the book who was a tremendous supporter of johnny and really, a lot of people were involved. a lot of officers, a lot of credit to be spread around the achieved had is a master chief. if you know anything about seals he is one tough as ob. when he got all the paperwork and got johnnie here and when he heard johnnie was on a mission,

he started crying. you can imagine a tough as nails seal guy crying, not only does he admit he is proud of that. it goes to show how much seals respect him. >> at the beginning, defining moment when you are allowed to carry a weapon? >> to repeat the question you were not -- excuse me. you were not allowed to carry a weapon. at what point were you allowed? >> iraqi forces -- >> gee americans have a long list of things that -- first of all the seals or any force can or can't do but as a side bar to is that they didn't allow interpreters to carry weapons.

at some point, we're talking about seals. seals specifically started training iraqi forces. at that point johnny was considered working with seals, he was working also with a the iraqis and under their rule under their rule and under their rule he was allowed to carry a weapon. i am not the person that came up with those rules. johnny follows them and seals follow them. they don't like them always been an order is an order and that is what they did. >> the difficulty of arranging departure from iraq to come to america. i am all former middle east foreign-policy analyst. i know many things, people that

understand and help american forces struggled through tremendous risk in ways similar to you. an exact number of people but there is a reasonable number of them and you had a lot of soldiers who were trying to work for these people and put their lives on the line and there are tremendous to faculties in american bureaucracy to get these people out of that and the safety of america and i am wondering if there's any kind of national authorization for these individuals, one by one by one by one, and the larger roof because there are a number for the exact helper, people who really felt they deserved the help of the united states. >> just to repeat or summarize

or repeat the question. johnny was lucky and helped by the seals to come to america but there are conlan as we point out, there are a lot of iraqis who help americans and in afghanistan, have had difficulty coming to america and that is one of the untold stories, that even though it passed a law and johnny came to america under that law, saying we recognize these people put their lives on the line for america. the implementation of that law has been far less -- proselytizer little bit. has not been what you would

hope. unfortunately very few translators or interpreters had come to america and pointing out this organizations that is helping people who are stuck in afghanistan and iraq. i don't know of one and i do know there are open translators stuck there and i think i am not real sure what should be done. i know we have an obligation to help the people who helped us. hopefully we learned our lesson, a similar situation, they didn't have a lot, it was very difficult to put paper work even in john's case. there were two other things. >> yes.

>> we would like what you guys did. hold on. [inaudible] >> answer in arabic. >> [inaudible] >> how do not get your own philosophies integrated in it? how much did you think in this story? >> that is a really good question. since you are the co-author of this book and other books obviously, how do you keep yourself from getting in the book? we spent, you try to train yourself, my job is not to give

my opinion or my voice. my job is to give johnnie his voice to the story. i did american sniper. a sniper from texas. in some ways, in some ways it was an easier book because chris had a very texting voice, he talked a lot and is a lot different than i do. can't do it -- i can't do a texas accent. for chris, it was spending a lot of time with him, with his family, they spent a lot of time with us, and listening and trying to be a conduit for what he thought and what he wanted to say whether i agreed with it or not. i agreed with a lot but not necessarily everything. he is that dallas cowboys fan. give me a break.

baseball, forget about. when it came to johnny, we have a couple barriers. one was the language because as you can see i speak perfect arabic. he doesn't understand half of the italian language things i throw at him as jokes. but the other thing was trying to replicate his language in that section, would have been impossible. what we tried to do, what i tried to do was come up with a language that would make to some extent the arabic, very formal arabic, try to get that in the report and spend a lot of time with the guy and form a bond and we spent so much time to get

there, everyone hates me now. the thing about johnny is if you spend a lot of time with him you can't help it. hopefully we communicate that and actually do talk about that. >> got to go. >> tell us about that? >> how did you get coaching -- i am sorry. how did you get "code name: johnny walker"? forget about the codename. >> it was -- >> actually the story -- the other thing i should say is you

get one story from johnny and ask him the same story 25 times before you get all the details and you find the seals who were with him, it was very much -- they were original the calling you walker and i think somebody saw you and said he is not walker, he is johnnie walker and he didn't understand the joke. you get it now? [applause] >> any other questions? >> i realize a lot of your missions are still classified. but can you explain, was interrogation? was it community relations? what were you doing? >> what kind of missions did you go on? >> i did all of the missions.

they need me to help question, they need me to focus on part of it. >> almost all of the mission for the seals, he worked with a number of government agencies and he also worked as we talk about in the book some others, the rangers, but the bulk of the missions with the seals were initially were you go to essentially use civilian language and search out certain individuals who may or may not have been guilty. americans being americans we are

presuming they are innocent. you go to africa and honestly that was most of the seal missions handing out soccer balls. >> sometimes it was the type of mission questioning people, my job will put that and broad economy because make no mistake, i try to make it faithfully and kindly. i changed my clothes and remind me from those guys and the market and the family and the local situation. >> there is one misconception. when we hear sniper missions we think seals are going out to shoot someone.

the sniper missions in iraq for the most part, the mission's johnny was on were overwatch missions where the americans were protecting things like the election. so there would not be any violence on the street. the seals would say go into a house the night before the election or two night before the election and they would set up outcomes and watch the streets to make sure there were no bad guys. to do that you had to take over the house and unfortunately -- advertising, we want to take over a house some time. and johnny's job in those cases was to assure the people that we are here for this mission, we are here to protect iraqis, we are going to take care of your needs, anything that gets damaged we will pay for, we know it is the pain in the neck and

we will take care of it but the seals and johnny would go beyond that. they would take him to dinner, get them -- goes shopping for fuel. when americans hear snipers we're thinking of the movies and that is a crime. >> what are you doing today? >> mostly like this is not my job. this is like an english project now. and we are getting involved with that. when they go there they make the job easy and share the message.

also we have language programs. and holidays or other things. >> really stepped up and supported johnny. not only to get him out of iraq but helped him and his wife get a job. it is very important for our troops, wherever they are, in an urban situation or wherever they are to present themselves in a certain way so they understand how somebody can mean a lot. they understand. do we have any other questions?

>> ever consider going back to iraq? >> have you ever considered going back to iraq? >> no. this is my country. >> johnny would be -- [applause] johnny loves america and every time i get calls, johnny, 25 times a day, how are you doing? but the truth is johnny were to go to iraq he would be dead now matter who's -- problem is it is not just against al qaeda or al qaeda or, on a mission against

everybody. he doesn't have just one enemy. he has enemies all over the place. and friends as well. another question? i am sorry. we will thank everybody for coming. just kidding about that. >> is your name johnny? >> my fake name, yes. >> johnny does not use -- which explain that. doesn't use the name he was given at birth because he still has relatives in different places and other places. could be in danger of that. >> i love johnny walker. >> he loved the name. thank you, everybody.

[applause] [applause] >> visit booktv.org to watch any of the programs you see here on line. type the title or author on the search bar and click search. you can share anything you see on booktv.org easily by clicking share on the upper left side of the page and selecting the format. pulte the streams live online for 48 hours every weekend with top nonfiction books and authors. booktv.org. >> here's a look at the best-selling nonfiction books according to the new york times. malcolm glad well begins the list with david and goliath followed by duty:a memoir of

former defense secretary robert gates. booktv covered talks by both of these authors and you can see them on booktv.org. 30 is laura hildebrand's unbroken, the story of an olympic runner who survive japanese imprisonment during world war ii. elizabeth colbert examines man-made influence on plant and animal loss in the sixth extinction. she spoke about her book at the seattle town hall recently. we will show you that this weekend on booktv. you can go to booktv.org to see the complete schedule. fifth, fox news host bill reilly recounting the life and death of jesus of nazareth in killing jesus. number 6 is charles krauthammer's collection of things that matter. three decades of passions, and politics. seventh is glitter and blew by kelly corrigan. watch the pulitzer prize-winning columnist's program from the george w. bush presidential library on booktv.org. facebook's chief operating

officer cheryl sandberg with her book lean in and brian kilmeade's george washington's secret six telling the story of the colder spy ring in the revolutionary war. booktv covered the top of the computer history museum and brian kilmeade was featured on our afterwards program last november. wrapping up the list is one way out by alan paul, an oral history of the allman brothers band. a look at the current best-selling nonfiction books according to the new york times. >> megan mcardle argues the u.s. is unique in its willingness to let citizens and businesses fail and says this is what made the country successful. this hour-long program starts now on booktv. >> thank you for co