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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
Again, big Krakauer fan. This book is a weeper, but Krakauer did his research and the book is fascinating.
A really powerful (rather shocking) look at propaganda. As always, extremely thoughtful and well written.
This book is all kind of messed up. Not because of the way it's written, which is wonderful as usual per Jon Krakauer. I am not naive when it comes to the integrity of our ruling powers and politicians, but even I was shocked and appalled at what happened to this soldier and probably many more like him.
just when i think i can’t hate george w bush any more than i already do (said upwards of 100x per year)
Neither Tillman's fame nor his idealism make his pointless, and utterly avoidable, death by friendly fire more tragic than any other, but Krakauer does a good job of making it emblematic of the misguided Global War on Terror, and the subsequent cover-up of the insulting mendacity of the officers and politicians who were trying so hard to sell that war on the American public.
Wow . . . just wow. Literally finished this five minutes ago and still digesting everything. Jon Krakauer is the author of one of my favorite books ever, Under the Banner of Heaven. This may have just become my second favorite book ever.
It is the story of Pat Tillman, former NFL player, who in the months after the 9/11 attacks, turned down a $3 million a year contract to join the army. The book reads at first like a biography, talking of Tillman's formative years, his time in college, and his success in the NFL. It analyzes his reasoning for joining the army: what he felt during the 9/11 attacks, wrestling with his conscious in the months after the attacks, and finally settling himself on what he believed was the right path. He wrote in journals, and his wife Marie gave Jon Krakauer free access to the thoughts and reflections of Pat Tillman. Reading his thoughts on why joining the army was the correct, right, thing to do; his initial disdain for army life; his thoughts on the war in Iraq; wrestling with whether or not he had actually done the "right" thing . . . Krakauer uses his amazing abilities as a writer to sculpt and mold all these thoughts and regrets and joys into a clear and concise picture of who this man was.
The latter half of the book talks of Tillman's death, and subsequent attempts by the Army to cover up the details of his death.
While reading many of the sordid details, all of which were accessed through the Freedom of Information Act, I felt at times tense, at other times angry, but mostly betrayed. His death occurred during an election cycle and to see the spin doctors of the Bush Administration immediately go to work trying to build up a hero who died in the defense of his country, be damned the true story, was borderline disgusting.
Pat Tillman did not need any help from the spin doctors. His unselfish act of putting his career on hold, in leaving the comforts of life in the NFL, to pursue the cause of defending his country spoke more for itself than any governmental spin doctors could. If it was not for the tenacity of Pat Tillman's family, the truth may never have been known.
Whether you are a fan of the NFL or not, believe the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were just or not, there is something in the character of Pat Tillman that everyone can relate to. And if you could care less about the trials and tribulations of Pat Tillman and the Tillman family, you should read this book as a lesson in questioning. The government and the army said and did things, hoping that no one would ever call them on their bullshit. But the Tillman family would not relent and the truth of what really happened to Pat Tillman is now here for the world to read.
It is the story of Pat Tillman, former NFL player, who in the months after the 9/11 attacks, turned down a $3 million a year contract to join the army. The book reads at first like a biography, talking of Tillman's formative years, his time in college, and his success in the NFL. It analyzes his reasoning for joining the army: what he felt during the 9/11 attacks, wrestling with his conscious in the months after the attacks, and finally settling himself on what he believed was the right path. He wrote in journals, and his wife Marie gave Jon Krakauer free access to the thoughts and reflections of Pat Tillman. Reading his thoughts on why joining the army was the correct, right, thing to do; his initial disdain for army life; his thoughts on the war in Iraq; wrestling with whether or not he had actually done the "right" thing . . . Krakauer uses his amazing abilities as a writer to sculpt and mold all these thoughts and regrets and joys into a clear and concise picture of who this man was.
The latter half of the book talks of Tillman's death, and subsequent attempts by the Army to cover up the details of his death.
While reading many of the sordid details, all of which were accessed through the Freedom of Information Act, I felt at times tense, at other times angry, but mostly betrayed. His death occurred during an election cycle and to see the spin doctors of the Bush Administration immediately go to work trying to build up a hero who died in the defense of his country, be damned the true story, was borderline disgusting.
Pat Tillman did not need any help from the spin doctors. His unselfish act of putting his career on hold, in leaving the comforts of life in the NFL, to pursue the cause of defending his country spoke more for itself than any governmental spin doctors could. If it was not for the tenacity of Pat Tillman's family, the truth may never have been known.
Whether you are a fan of the NFL or not, believe the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were just or not, there is something in the character of Pat Tillman that everyone can relate to. And if you could care less about the trials and tribulations of Pat Tillman and the Tillman family, you should read this book as a lesson in questioning. The government and the army said and did things, hoping that no one would ever call them on their bullshit. But the Tillman family would not relent and the truth of what really happened to Pat Tillman is now here for the world to read.
~When considered as a whole, the wrongdoing described in the pages that follow is deeply disturbing, in no small part because one of the most culpable malfeasants turns out to be an exalted military leader who's been shielded from accountability or punishment of the past six years.
~Inevitably, warring societies portray their campaigns as virtuous struggles, and present their fallen warriors as heroes who make the ultimate sacrifice for a noble cause. But death by so-called friendly fire, which is an inescapable aspect of armed conflict in the modern era, doesn't conform to this mythic narrative. It strips away war's heroic veneer to reveal what lies beneath. It's an unsettling reminder that barbarism, senseless violence, and random death are commonplace even in the most "just" and "honorable" of wars.~
~One thing I find myself despising is the sight of all these guns in the hands of children. Of course we all understand the necessity of defense...it doesn't dismiss the fact that a young man I would not trust with my canteen is walking about armed...~
~On March 30, al-Houssona actually put Lynch in an ambulance and instructed the driver to drop her off at a nearby American military checkpoint, but Marines shot at the ambulance as it approached, forcing it to turn around and take Lynch back to the Iraqi hospital.~
~Despite praising Tillman's patriotism and courage at every opportunity, the White House in fact used every means at its disposal to obstruct the congressional investigation into Tillman's death and its aftermath.~
~If I had been killed that day, and it had not suited the Army to disclose to my wife the manner in which I died, nobody would ever know what really happened because I'm not famous. I'm not Pat.~
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
slow-paced
informative
sad
slow-paced
I love a lot of Krakauer's writing. This seems to be a very thoroughly researched book about Pat Tillman, the NFL player who gave up a $$$ contract to join the military. In the end, he was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan and there was a big cover up about it. This book is very disturbing when it talks about the extent of the cover up, and also the extent of friendly fire deaths in the military and the way in which soldiers are sent into dangerous situations that could be avoided. You can read this if you want to be angry and disturbed about failures of the command structure of the military, and the extent that some will go to to keep people supporting the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Aside from the indignation this inspired, I liked learning about Tillman, about the life of a pro-athlete and about the life of a soldier, all of which I knew nothing about before.
Aside from the indignation this inspired, I liked learning about Tillman, about the life of a pro-athlete and about the life of a soldier, all of which I knew nothing about before.