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jpeavler 's review for:
Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman
by Jon Krakauer
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.