Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman

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Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman

by Jon Krakauer

3.96 · rating details · 6,400 ratings · 1,520 reviews

The bestselling author of Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, and Under the Banner of Heaven delivers a stunning, eloquent account of a remarkable young man’s haunting journey.

Like the men whose epic stories Jon Krakauer has told in his previous bestsellers, Pat Tillman was an irrepressible individualist and iconoclast. In May 2002, Tillman walked away from his $3.6 million NFL...moreThe bestselling author of Into the Wild, Into Thin Air, and Under the Banner of Heaven delivers a stunning, eloquent account of a remarkable young man’s haunting journey.

Like the men whose epic stories Jon Krakauer has told in his previous bestsellers, Pat Tillman was an irrepressible individualist and iconoclast. In May 2002, Tillman walked away from his $3.6 million NFL contract to enlist in the United States Army. He was deeply troubled by 9/11, and he felt a strong moral obligation to join the fight against al-Qaeda and the Taliban. Two years later, he died on a desolate hillside in southeastern Afghanistan.

Though obvious to most of the two dozen soldiers on the scene that a ranger in Tillman’s own platoon had fired the fatal shots, the Army aggressively maneuvered to keep this information from Tillman’s wife, other family members, and the American public for five weeks following his death. During this time, President Bush repeatedly invoked Tillman’s name to promote his administration’s foreign policy. Long after Tillman’s nationally televised memorial service, the Army grudgingly notified his closest relatives that he had “probably” been killed by friendly fire while it continued to dissemble about the details of his death and who was responsible.

In Where Men Win Glory, Jon Krakauer draws on Tillman’s journals and letters, interviews with his wife and friends, conversations with the soldiers who served alongside him, and extensive research on the ground in Afghanistan to render an intricate mosaic of this driven, complex, and uncommonly compelling figure as well as the definitive account of the events and actions that led to his death. Before he enlisted in the army, Tillman was familiar to sports aficionados as an undersized, overachieving Arizona Cardinals safety whose virtuosity in the defensive backfield was spellbinding. With his shoulder-length hair, outspoken views, and boundless intellectual curiosity, Tillman was considered a maverick. America was fascinated when he traded the bright lights and riches of the NFL for boot camp and a buzz cut. Sent first to Iraq—a war he would openly declare was “illegal as hell” —and eventually to Afghanistan, Tillman was driven by complicated, emotionally charged, sometimes contradictory notions of duty, honor, justice, patriotism, and masculine pride, and he was determined to serve his entire three-year commitment. But on April 22, 2004, his life would end in a barrage of bullets fired by his fellow soldiers.

Krakauer chronicles Tillman’s riveting, tragic odyssey in engrossing detail highlighting his remarkable character and personality while closely examining the murky, heartbreaking circumstances of his death. Infused with the power and authenticity readers have come to expect from Krakauer’s storytelling, Where Men Win Glory exposes shattering truths about men and war.

From the Hardcover edition.(less)

Paperback, Large Print, 384 pages

Published September 15th 2009 by Random House Large Print Publishing (first published February 29th 2000)

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Feb 18, 2010

Philip rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: jordabecker-book-club, non-fiction

The back cover of my book reads, “Pat Tillman walked away from a multimillion-dollar NFL contract to join the army and became an icon of post 9/11 patriotism. When he was killed in Afghanistan two years later, he became a tool for White House propaganda. Thus a legend was born…”

Throughout the book, Krakauer makes multiple references to how Pat Tillman didn’t grant interviews after enlisting, or how he didn’t want, “them to parade me through the streets” to advance a political agend...moreThe back cover of my book reads, “Pat Tillman walked away from a multimillion-dollar NFL contract to join the army and became an icon of post 9/11 patriotism. When he was killed in Afghanistan two years later, he became a tool for White House propaganda. Thus a legend was born…”

Throughout the book, Krakauer makes multiple references to how Pat Tillman didn’t grant interviews after enlisting, or how he didn’t want, “them to parade me through the streets” to advance a political agenda. I’m not excusing the Bush administration’s mishandling of the incident, but this book does just that. It parades Tillman – once again – through the streets in order to advance a political agenda; this time it’s the left’s, not the right’s.

Maybe Krakauer thought he had to counter-balance the right and therefore be much more forceful with his arguments, but I swear, there were times I thought he was going to say George W. Bush secretly flew into Afghanistan and gleefully pulled the trigger himself – and that’s just as shameless given what Pat said he wanted. (Or didn’t want.)

Not only that, but it seemed like some of Krakauer’s research was shoddy, or at least his conclusions could be questioned. For instance, there are the flight tapes from Nasiriyah (pg. 204). “He was allowed to take it, whereupon he ‘mistakenly’ inserted the tape into the cockpit video camera and recorded over it, erasing it.” Those are some pretty hefty quotes around mistakenly. The thing is, evidence gets lost, or broken, or misplaced more often than one might think. But, because it was supposedly “key” evidence, there’s no way it was a mistake, obviously it was a “mistake.” Right?

Or a few pages later on 210 where it says, “Henry Waxman later alleged that Wilkinson delayed the mission to allow a Special Operations video crew to shoot the rescue for the news media. Although these allegations have not been substantiated…” If they haven’t been substantiated, maybe you shouldn’t include them…

Even the section where they discuss Tillman’s clothes being burned… did it bother me that they typically don’t burn the clothes, and why the heck did they in this case? Yes. But we never hear from the defense. It’s a trial where only one side’s giving the closing argument.

My biggest problem with the book though is the number of soldiers Krakauer throws under the bus. It’s one thing to call out and blast elected officials with low popularity ratings, but something else altogether to call out the people on the ground – especially if you’re wrong. And there’s a chance that Krakauer’s conclusions and even the Tillman family’s conclusions are wrong. These people on the ground (including Tillman) have to make split second life or death decisions. Sometimes it seems like there is no right choice. To be killed in your first fire-fight has to suck. To have a part in any friendly-fire killing – not to mention one of an icon – has to suck. To be thrown under the bus for it? Well that REALLY has to suck.

So, why 3 stars if I found the book so disagreeable? It was well written. It stretched me to think about war, and patriotism, and propaganda – both right and left. And I’m rating the book, not how the book aligns with my views. I don’t want to give a decent, thought provoking book one star because I disagree with some of its politics. How’s THAT for open-mindedness?
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Dec 28, 2009

Jason rated it

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I'm active duty military and can partly--partly--understand why Pat Tillman turned down a 3.6 million dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals, and, instead, enlisted in the Army as a grunt for $1200 per month. I use money as the central metric of Tillman's decision because it's the one most non-active duty military readers will misunderstand. I'll try to explain his decision from our (military) perspective.

Let me start by saying I would not have made the same financial decisio...moreI'm active duty military and can partly--partly--understand why Pat Tillman turned down a 3.6 million dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals, and, instead, enlisted in the Army as a grunt for $1200 per month. I use money as the central metric of Tillman's decision because it's the one most non-active duty military readers will misunderstand. I'll try to explain his decision from our (military) perspective.

Let me start by saying I would not have made the same financial decision, despite the uber-patriotic shadow of 9-11 that led many of us to change our lives and some of us to join the military. This was Pat Tillman's decision, and I respect it. I joined 5 years before 9-11, and am proud to have deployed multiple times to Operations Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Iraqi Freedom (OIF). If I wasn't already part of the military, I may have joined after watching the towers fall, but I can't be sure. (A few formidable years encompass major changes in a young man's place and perspective with issues like this). But, I know for sure that I would not have joined and turned down $3.6 million. I know myself, my family, our financial position, and our plans for retirement, so financial security would have trumped my patriotism. That's okay. There's nothing wrong with that. There's thousands of ways to be good Americans and support the troops without joining the military. However, Tillman was inspired, and money had nothing to do with his decision.

When you join the military, you don't join for the money. Pat Tillman knew this. Unless you become a 3- to 4-star general, you will probably live like 99.7% of retired military personnel--a life with a modest pension, and, very likely, a second career starting in your early-40's. In fact, many young enlisted, active duty troops with large families actually require food stamps and extra financial help at Christmas. There are no NFL contracts in the military. However, as a 25 year old, Pat Tillman already received several hundred thousand dollars from the NFL. His wife worked, they had no kids, and it seems they lived well within their means. So, it's safe to say that Pat Tillman had enough money to lean on. He could serve his 3 year tour, return to the NFL, and likely pick up financially where he left off--albeit with a more worldly perspective.

From Where Men Win Glory I understand Pat Tillman as an aggressive, slightly hyper, type-A, alpha-male with a consuming urge to challenge himself both physically and mentally. He was a natural athlete, a raucous drinker, and a thrill seeker, yet he displayed a cool mettle, a certain sangfroid, that counterbalanced his testosterone. He even had a touch of the numinous, in spite of his agnosticism. Most importantly he had a set of morals by which the actions in his life were strictly defined and measured. His personal principles demanded that he bite the most out of life, masticate everything, and leave no opportunity untasted. Many men (and women--but I'll stick with the masculine pronoun from here out) in the military have these attributes. The military offers guys like this a chance to play really hard with big toys that bring hellfire and break things. The military also offers man an opportunity to make a difference, to fight for a cause Tillman considered noble, to defend your country, to apply all the previous attributes against a daily workload. For many, it's the best job in the world, and it's the job they'll talk about most as a grandfather.

Tillman, though, for me, remains a bit of an enigma. Why was he the only professional athlete in America since WWII that postponed a million dollar career to bring hellfire and break things? Here's what I think: despite his age, Tillman was still in that post-pubescent stage of life where a boy, just arriving at manhood, considers desperately where his mark in life will lie. Who am I; what will I be; will I share with a spouse/kids; does this damn college degree really matter; how long will I be in control; have I done anything worthwhile yet? It's a youthful angst. I had it. My buddies went through it. I still experience shades of it as I contemplate the intersections and turnpikes of my life. Tillman hadn't made that decision yet. Good for him. And what an awesome spouse he had that understood and supported his decision. She was (and is forever) a quintessential military spouse. My heart goes out to her. Pat Tillman--at a crucial point in his life--felt there was something more rewarding serving in the Army than serving as a Cardinal. He was 3.6 million dollars sure he wanted a military experience defending freedom before defending the backfield as a strong safety.

Two things crush me about this story. One, Tillman was killed during his first encounter with troops in contact (TIC), and two, the army used his death for internal propaganda and subsequently tried to cover it up. Tillman knew death was a possibility, so he entered that decision with a clear mind. But to die at your first hostile exchange with enemy fire, and from friendly fire at that!! Goshdarn, that sucks. Worse, the army made 7 successive investigations into his death, each one revealing new information while continually redacting previous conclusions. It's the cover up that makes me throw up a little in my mouth, as it did many of the junior level soldiers when told to hide the truth, even from his brother who was also in the firefight, until an official investigation could be completed. The Army provided false information for his eulogy, and the White House procrastinated releasing to the media until they could frame the story. It's shit like this that reminds me the machine is too big, or we're too politically correct, or that somehow we've lost the value and sacrifice of the individual to the State. I pray that it doesn't happen that often, but when it does, it's necessarily egregious. And it happened to Pat Tillman and his family.

5-stars for Pat Tillman. But only 3-stars for the author, Jon Krakauer. I've only read one other book by Krakauer, Into the Wild, but he uses the exact same formula. He investigates the death of a young male, in an austere environment, under very dubious circumstances, and which has generated voluble public debate. He's a tenacious reporter and reveals the facts in an engaging way. He's slightly biased, but not to an unreasonable extent, and his author's voice is relatively settled. However, neither book presents much more than an extremely long series of articles that you'd find in a distinguished newspaper or popular outdoor magazine. It's simply a journalistic exposé.

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Feb 26, 2011

La Petite Américaine rated it

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Shelves: meh-whatever, biography, middle_east

I wanted a biography of Pat Tillman, not a scathing critique of the Bush administration. While the actions of George W. Bush and his staff regarding the events surrounding Tillman's death are totally relevant to the story, here Krakauer abandons his usual objectivity and jumps head-first into an attack on Bush that leaves the author sounding like nothing more than a pissed-off liberal Seattle-ite. (And I can say that because was a pissed off liberal Seattle-ite.) Ugh. Go cry into your cappuccino...more

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Mar 13, 2009

Mrs. Roy rated it

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Oh. My. God. He had written another. At long last...ladies and gentlemen, guard your small children and animals on the day this one comes out (September of 2009) - the bullet flying by will be me trying to get to the book store first. Can't wait for the library on this one!

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Nov 28, 2011

Greg Linster rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: need-to-buy

Where Men Win Glory does not paint a rosy picture of U.S. foreign policy. In the book, Jon Krakauer explores a breadth of political blunders with his signature sharp eye for detail. He also explores Tillman's personal history in striking depth as well.

Unlike the fables sold to us in the mainstream media, we learn that Pat Tillman was a complex character and truly an anomaly. Krakauer quickly points out that Tillman's tragic death was used as mere political propaganda by conservativ...more

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Jul 23, 2010

Jeanette rated it

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Recommended to Jeanette by: Becca

Shelves: nonfiction, politricks, america, four-star-nonfiction, cultural-and-social-commentary

This book is a modern exploration of the ancient hero archetype, with Pat Tillman's life journey as a well-known example. The narrative also gave me a better understanding of the male need to prove oneself in battle. I still think it's foolish, for I would never intentionally place myself in harm's way. But at least I can now see the primal drive that makes men rush to recruiting offices when war is declared.
There's also a lot of important history here regarding America's friend-enemy ...more

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Mar 30, 2011

Will rated it

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Shelves: biography-autobiography-memoir, military-and-intelligence-non-fic, non-fiction, the-bush-administration

Pat Tillman was a top-notch safety with the Phoenix Cardinals of the NFL. He was an incredibly intense guy, always looking to challenge himself, to push himself past his limits. But he also had a sensitive, emotional side and an intellectual curiosity, exceptional in his chosen profession. He came from a close-knit family that held the military in high regard and was touched deeply when the USA was attacked on and subsequently went to war following 9/11. Setting aside his lucrative football care...morePat Tillman was a top-notch safety with the Phoenix Cardinals of the NFL. He was an incredibly intense guy, always looking to challenge himself, to push himself past his limits. But he also had a sensitive, emotional side and an intellectual curiosity, exceptional in his chosen profession. He came from a close-knit family that held the military in high regard and was touched deeply when the USA was attacked on and subsequently went to war following 9/11. Setting aside his lucrative football career, Tillman and his brother, Kevin, joined up, intent on going to Afghanistan to fight.

Krakauer braids several strands here, one of Tillman, a biography that offers enough warts to matter, the second a look at the events leading up to the Afghan war, pretty much all warts, and a third, which looks at the specifics of how Tillman was used by political types, how he was killed and how the military and politicians handled his passing, by wart manufacturers.

Tillman comes across as a compelling character, a Renaissance grunt. But I would have liked for Krakauer to have at least looked at the possibility that there was an explanation for some of Tillman’s behavioral choices that was less than laudatory. Maybe the guy was, in addition to his other characteristics, an adrenalin junkie, who went out of his way to take unnecessary risks.

There were many irregularities in the investigation of Tillman’s death. The officer assigned to conduct the investigation was a captain, and thus could not investigate any officers of higher rank, which would have included the Major who gave the order to split up the squad Tillman was in, a crucial aspect of the tragedy. Tillman’s uniform and body armor were not left on his body, to be removed at his autopsy. Instead a captain had them put into a bag, then ordered a sergeant to burn the materials. Tillman’s personal notebook was also burned. When Tillman’s brother Kevin tried to reach platoon members to find out exactly what had happened, a Captain told at least one platoon member to say nothing about friendly fire. When the medical examiner was told that Tillman had been killed by the Taliban, but saw from the body that this was not the case, he asked the Criminal Investigation Division to look into the case, but CID refused. Seeking to distract public attention from the Abu Ghraib scandal, which broke the day Tillman’s body was returned to his family, the Bush administation sought to highlight Tillman as an American hero. Part of that was to award him posthumous medals. PFC Bryan O’Neal was ordered to type out a witness statement in support of Major Hodne’s Silver Star recommendation, “but after he wrote , his words were embellished so egregiously that he never signed it.” (p298)

A remarkable life went to waste here. Krakauer does a good job of showing the value that was lost and the values of those who tried to hide the truth of that waste.
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May 10, 2010

Cailin Deery rated it

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Shelves: bookclub

This biography is as much a modern day odyssey as a story could be; it’s written in Krakauer’s hyperbolic, bombastic style and explores the life and death of an American Hero gone off to war. He leaves his wife behind, leaves a multimillion dollar contract in the NFL to enlist, and is really going to war for principles rather than patriotism. Tillman is an extremely likeable person and very unlike the icon trotted out by the Bush Administration.

Where Men Win Glory goes into the hist...more

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Jun 01, 2010

Miranda rated it

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Shelves: our-fabulous-untitled-book-club, biography-memoirs

When I first started the book, I asked myself if I liked the character of Pat Tillman. I didn't understand why I was having such a problem with him. But my problem wasn't with him, it was with Krakauer and his kiss-assery, if I may. The hero treatment was way too much for me. Although, Tillman is a hero in many people's eyes and an overall good guy, it felt like he just couldn't be any guy. He had to be "unafraid to buck the herd", "defend honor, with fists if necessary", "...moreWhen I first started the book, I asked myself if I liked the character of Pat Tillman. I didn't understand why I was having such a problem with him. But my problem wasn't with him, it was with Krakauer and his kiss-assery, if I may. The hero treatment was way too much for me. Although, Tillman is a hero in many people's eyes and an overall good guy, it felt like he just couldn't be any guy. He had to be "unafraid to buck the herd", "defend honor, with fists if necessary", "Tillman...virtually indestructible", and was "uncommonly resistant to the temptations of the baser human appetites". Hell, he used ODYSSEY in the title! I could go on forever! There's even several paragraphs about how Tillman wanted to meet Noam Chomsky which seems useless until you realize Krakauer wanted to throw that in there because his friend noted that their minds operated the same way. Oh wait, actually that was useless.

Really? I almost disliked myself reading this book because I saw how cynical I was becoming with each chapter filled with adoration for Tillman. With that, I thank Krakauer for featuring the history of Afghanistan's civil wars because without it, I would have lost my mind. My suspicions on why he did this were confirmed towards the end. A lot of what was happening in Afghanistan possibly mirrors American policy or how Pashtunwali beliefs mirrored Tillman's own beliefs. I enjoyed that aspect and probably found that's what saved the book.

There are several wasted paragraphs and chapters on superfluous information. I see what he was trying to do with involving the Jessica Lynch story. Clever but annoying in the end. This was the same with other chapters. I felt like I answered my question on whether I liked Tillman's character when we got to journal entries. It was there that I felt he was real, while in Krakauer's own accounts, he relishes in the myth of Tillman. He should have relied more on Tillman's writings than on his own.

I don't think I'd ever read Krakauer again. I wonder if the author has an obsession with grandeur and the romance of people rather than letting these people be beautiful and wonderful on their own. As far as I know, this is his second book featuring white, upper middle class, men who are well educated but are looking for adventure in the most drastic ways. Though educated, they don't use their heads much. Rather their hearts. And this is not a bad thing but I wish Krakauer realized that instead of writing these ballads. Tillman didn't have to be boy wonder. The author even ends with the idea that Pat possessed no tragic flaw. But why would that be so bad? Pretty good read, good history, but in most cases, much too much.(less)

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Jan 01, 2010

Julia rated it

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Shelves: non-fiction, best-book-i-read-in-2009

This is at once a biography of Pat Tillman, a history of Afghanistan, the Taliban (they originally formed to stop bandits from shaking down the populace at checkpoints) and the cover up of Tillman’s fratricide.

Having read and been very impressed with Krakauer’s Under the Banner of Heaven, I was expecting – and got— a complex story. As a non-football fan, I don’t know the difference (or if there is one) between a sack and a tackle or a fullback, a free safety and a linebacker. But who...more

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Jan 30, 2010

Nancy rated it

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Excellent example of government coverup of death of NFL player for war publicity.

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Jan 30, 2012

Emily Haynes rated it

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Where Men win Glory is a book about a man who is named Pat Tillman. He was a very courageous man. The book starts off by telling about how Tillman grew up. Where he lived, who his parents were, what his values are. Tillman had a very fun and adventurous childhood and growing up to be young adult. When he was even very young he always went after what he wanted and worked hard to get there. His coach told him that he probably wouldn't be able to play football because of his size, so what did Tillm...more

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Jan 15, 2012

Catherine rated it

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I have enjoyed all the Krakauer books I have read. His meticulous attention to detail and curiosity make for compelling writing. I feel like the Pat Tillman topic and the wars abroad were almost too much for him to handle, at times the book got very tedious. However, Pat Tillman was a very interesting person worth getting to know and K does a good job with his life story. The rest of the book will be what you imagine, a detailed censure of the military and government in Krakauer's biting to...more

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Jan 14, 2012

Haley Williams rated it

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Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakauer is good for what it is: a nonfiction book. This book tells you everything you would want to know about the life and views of Pat Tillman, a professional football player with a lovely wife who gave up all of his luxury to serve his country in the military after the attack on 9/11. Krakaur's obviously very thorough research on this subject really helps you to understand who Pat Tillman was and why he felt called to join the military. Besides excerpts from T...more

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Dec 28, 2011

Valerie LeComte rated it

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Where Men Win Glory (Jon Krakauer)
- Highlight on Page 39 | Loc. 590-91 | Added on Friday, March 25, 2011, 03:13 PM

Encouraged to think critically and be skeptical of conventional wisdom, Pat learned to trust in himself and be unafraid to buck the herd.
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Where Men Win Glory (Jon Krakauer)
- Highlight on Page 53 | Loc. 804-7 | Added on Sunday, March 27, 2011, 02:17 PM

The bomb had been assembled, delivered, and detonated by a Kuwaiti named Ramzi Youse...more

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Dec 11, 2011

Tammy rated it

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This book made me sad. And angry. It reveals the details of football player Pat Tillman’s death by friendly fire in Afghanistan and the subsequent cover-up of the details of his death.

Few come off well in this tale. Particularly appalling to me was what appeared as incompetence at best and intentional deception at worst at numerous levels of the government, including the command structure of the Army Rangers. At times, Krakauer also seems appalled; there’s almost a sense that he...more

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Oct 18, 2011

Jennifer rated it

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It is appropriate to write this book review on the eve of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. After all, if 9/11 hadn’t occurred, this book would have never been written and Pat Tillman would probably still be alive.

Does the name Pat Tillman ring any bells for you? When I first saw the subtitle of the book—The Odyssey of Pat Tillman—the name sounded familiar but I couldn’t place it. Upon reading the book description, I realized that he was the NFL player who had enlisted in the Army after 9/...moreIt is appropriate to write this book review on the eve of the 10th anniversary of 9/11. After all, if 9/11 hadn’t occurred, this book would have never been written and Pat Tillman would probably still be alive.

Does the name Pat Tillman ring any bells for you? When I first saw the subtitle of the book—The Odyssey of Pat Tillman—the name sounded familiar but I couldn’t place it. Upon reading the book description, I realized that he was the NFL player who had enlisted in the Army after 9/11 and was killed in action. I didn’t recall any specifics though, other than marveling that someone could have made that choice.

Deeply troubled by the events of 9/11 (as so many of us were), Tillman did what he felt was right and honorable: join the Army to fight for and defend his country. Although 9/11 inspired many Americans to do the same thing, I suspect that most post-9/11 military recruits didn’t leave behind a $3.5 million football career. Tillman’s decision wasn’t done for public relations reasons either. He never publicly addressed his decision to join the Army—despite the Bush Administration’s desire to use him as a poster boy—and turned down all media requests regarding his enlistment and military service.

I mention the subtitle for another reason too—the use of the word odyssey. “Odyssey” is such an appropriate word to describe Pat Tillman’s story. Not only do the definitions of odyssey aptly describe Tillman’s life…

1: a long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune

2: an intellectual or spiritual wandering or quest

…but it is also a nod to the Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey. Although Tillman’s journey does not mirror Odysseus’s journey, Krakauer quotes a variety of Greek tragedies and philosophical works (including Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra) at the start of the book’s various sections. As the book developed, I began finding these quotes almost prescient—as if they had been written specifically about Tillman.

Of course, that last statement sounds like hyperbole … because it is. Pat Tillman wasn’t a god or a mythical figure. He was a man with virtues and flaws like everyone else. However, to say that Tillman was “ordinary” doesn’t do him justice. He lived life on his own terms—following his internal moral compass and beliefs. He didn’t always play by the rules or follow the pack. This strong internal drive led to his success on the football field and his enlistment in the Army, a decision that caused him much angst. His journals reveal his struggles with his enlistment decision, leading as it did to his separation from his beloved wife Marie and bouts of frustration, disgust and anger at the Army and its practices.

The book isn’t a simple telling of Pat Tillman’s story however. It also provides a fairly concise history of the conflict in Afghanistan, the formation of the Taliban, the rise of Osama Bin Laden and why the events of 9/11 came to pass. By alternating Tillman’s personal history with the history of the conflict in Afghanistan/Iraq, the reader starts to feel a sense of inevitability as events that will slowly and inexorably lead to Tillman’s horrible death unfold … because as much as this book is about Tillman’s life, it is also very much about his death.

Pat Tillman’s death in Afghanistan was the result of friendly fire (what the Army terms “fratricide”). In other words, Tillman was killed by his fellow Army Rangers. Although fratricide is a fact of life in war (and, as Krakauer discusses, much more frequent than most of us probably realize), the Army chose to cloud the circumstances of Tillman’s death with cover-ups, fabrications and outright lies. Krakauer makes a good case that Tillman’s death was used to distract the American public from the public relations nightmare of Abu Ghraib. (In much the same way it used the Jessica Lynch story to distract Americans from how poorly the war in Iraq was progressing.) However, the truth of Tillman’s death didn’t make for a good enough story. After all, friendly fire doesn’t sound so heroic… but getting killed while fighting the Taliban does. So that was the initial story that the Army put out—both to the public and Tillman’s family. Until, of course, the truth came out and the powers that be needed to be protected and distanced from the cover-up.

As you can tell from the length of this review, this book affected me quite deeply. I found Tillman’s story to be so tragic. He tried so hard to do the right thing and made the ultimate sacrifice, yet the Army and the U.S. government pissed all over it. It sickened me to read about the Army’s actions, and the lies and misdirection that the Bush Administration practiced throughout the conflicts that followed 9/11. In addition, the seeming futility of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan (recent events notwithstanding) is disheartening and upsetting. This was a thought-provoking and upsetting read…and exactly why I think that people ought to read it. (Although I suspect that supporters of George W. Bush and his administration will not find much to like in this book.)

A word about the audiobook narration: I finally listened to a book narrated by Scott Brick—the “voice crush” of quite a few book bloggers. I can see why Brick is a popular narrator. His voice is easy on the ears, and his reading of what was sometimes a technical book was flawless. I was riveted by his narration… particularly the sections in which Krakauer describes the events that led to Tillman’s death as well as the firefight in Nasiriyah that happened after Jessica Lynch’s rescue. I was on-the-edge of my seat listening to these sections, and it made the chaos and confusion of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan feel very real. After listening to the book, I’m glad I opted for this format over the printed copy.(less)

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Sep 24, 2011

Christine rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: hs-ap-adult

Adult or AP/HS level book. It has graphic war violence,alcohol consumption and swearing. Be forewarned that politics is a major part of the book and not everyone is going to like the perspective given. There are many good life lessons in this book for young adults.

Krakauer tells the story of Pat Tillman's life and death. Each chapter of his life is followed by the political situation in Afghanistan. I learned alot about our foreign policy during that time and much of what...more

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Sep 18, 2011

Mycroft rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction

Like much of Krakauer's work, this is well researched. Unfortunately, this one didn't seem to hang together as well thematically as some of his other work. In this book, the theme seemed to be military mismanagement and the Bush Administration's manipulation of the press as applied to one man's life. The problem with making that the focus is that it makes a lot of the book almost seem irrelevant.

For example, the Bush administration had nothing to do with Tillman's choice of universi...more

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Sep 06, 2011

Ashley rated it

· review of another edition

I’ve been finished with Jon Krakauer’s Where Men Win Glory for over a week now. But this is one of those books that stirs up emotions, ones like anger and frustration, and it took me some time to figure out what exactly I want to say.

Jon Krakauer has covered in other books a fundamentalist Mormon sect murder, the 1996 Everest disaster, and the story of an Emory University kid trying to make it in the wilds of Alaska. I read and really liked all of those books, so when I saw Where Me...moreI’ve been finished with Jon Krakauer’s Where Men Win Glory for over a week now. But this is one of those books that stirs up emotions, ones like anger and frustration, and it took me some time to figure out what exactly I want to say.

Jon Krakauer has covered in other books a fundamentalist Mormon sect murder, the 1996 Everest disaster, and the story of an Emory University kid trying to make it in the wilds of Alaska. I read and really liked all of those books, so when I saw Where Men Win Glory on a recent bookstore trip, I picked it up without hesitation.

You probably remember the story of Pat Tillman. He was the Arizona Cardinals football player, who left behind a fairly lucrative NFL career to enlist, with his brother Kevin, in the Army after 9/11. After a tour first in Iraq, Tillman was killed by friendly fire during his last tour in Afghanistan.

In true form, Krakauer provides a thorough history of Pat Tillman, from his early sports days to the time he spent in Juvenile Hall for fighting, to his relationship with friends and family, and of course his decision to enlist and all its repercussions.

Also in true form, Krakauer lays out the very facts that incited the anger and frustration I felt when I was reading this book. I remember bits and pieces of the story but when it broke, I was working some crazy hours and not paying too much attention to the news. I missed the full ramifications of the story. Reading this, I finally understood.

So what brought on the anger and frustration? Two things: Krakauer explains how the Army completely failed to follow protocol, thereby failing Tillman’s company, and of course, Tillman himself. Then, the whole cover up that ensued after his death, a cover up that reached all the way to White House Staffers. Had Tillman’s family not been who they are, we might never have known about the fratricide.

This is what Krakauer does best. He weaves the history and backstory into the crux of the real story. He presents his facts and interviews and stirs the emotions in his readers. In Into Thin Air, you feel the desperation of those stranded on Everest, and in Where Men Win Glory, you feel the anger, frustration, and determination of the Tillman family in the aftermath of his death.

Krakauer writes non-fiction, but his books read like novels. He takes an unusual circumstance and weaves facts together in a way that keeps the reader turning the page, wanting to know what happens next, even if we already know the outcome of the story.(less)

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Aug 04, 2011

Marty Ross rated it

Yet another excellent book by Jon Krakauer, chronicling the life of Pat Tillman, his life and the circumstances surrounding his death on tour in Afghanistan. I'm admittedly a big fan of Krakauer, as I think his narrative talent is unparalleled, and I imagine he is a pretty personable guy, as I find each of his interviews quite candid with the people involved in the events he writes about, offering interesting insights and touching upon deeper philisophical questions.

This was also yet another bo...more

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Jul 28, 2011

Dave added it

Mediocre effort from Krakauer. He is normally one of my favorite authors (with the exception of "Under the Banner of Heaven," which is terrible), but I get the feeling that he can't figure out how to address this topic. The book is almost written in three parts: a very brief---and inadequate---history of Afghanistan and the run-up to the 2001 invasion, an odd, out-of-place history of John Walker Lindh (in juxtaposition with Pat Tillman), and Pat Tillman's life and eventual tragedy. ...more

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Jul 28, 2011

Casey Carr added it

Incredible and moving story, your heart breaks for the Tillman family. I love Krakauer's books, they are always riveting, deeply researched and informative, but I think he lets his dislike of the Bush Administration shine through just a little too much that I had a hard time fully trusting his assertions. His premise would have benefitted from a little more objectivity, but thats just m personal opinion. That said, the evidence of a coverup and the deliberate misleading of the Tillman family ...more

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Jul 10, 2011

Colleen rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: history, journalism, nonfiction

The only thing that kept me from throwing this book across the room in utter disgust with how the military handles fratricide was the thought that McChystal was fired. Sure, he was fired for something totally unrelated, and probably not the most culpable in the Tillman cover-up, but it’s really the only comfort available. I also didn’t think that I could be any more disgusted by the Bush administration, but this book proved that wrong. I wasn’t interested in Pat Tillman; I read it because K...more

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Jun 29, 2011

Rebecca rated it

· review of another edition

Shelves: book-of-substance, non-fiction

I have always enjoyed reading Krakauers' books, and for me, this one did not disappoint. This is the story of Pat Tillman, the NFL star-turned-army ranger. He turned down a 3 million dollar contract to play for the Arizona Cardinals, and signed up to become an army ranger in 2002. He didn't do it as a publicity stunt, or because he necessarily believed in the war effort. He felt like he needed to contribute, and do something that to him "really mattered". He died in April of 2004, in a...more

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Jun 03, 2011

Nikitabanana rated it

· review of another edition

“Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman” made my heart hurt. While reading it, it reminded me of Ishmael Beah’s book “A Long Way Gone” because they were both books that I would have preferred to be fictional. Today, most people know the story of Pat Tillman, through the media reports, the congressional hearings and the recently-released documentary, “The Tillman Story.”

Pat Tillman was an iconoclastic character. He was a football player who wanted to meet Noam Chomsky. That ...more“Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman” made my heart hurt. While reading it, it reminded me of Ishmael Beah’s book “A Long Way Gone” because they were both books that I would have preferred to be fictional. Today, most people know the story of Pat Tillman, through the media reports, the congressional hearings and the recently-released documentary, “The Tillman Story.”

Pat Tillman was an iconoclastic character. He was a football player who wanted to meet Noam Chomsky. That pretty much sums it up. He was raised in a tight-knit family, married his high school sweetheart and was the star safety for the Arizona Cardinals. In 2002, deeply disturbed by the events of 9/11, he gave up a million dollar NFL contract, and enlisted in the Army, out of a strong moral obligation to serve his country. He found his professional life suddenly hollow. “Sports embodied many of the qualities I deem meaningful,” he wrote in his journal shortly before enlisting. “However, these last few years, and especially after recent events, I’ve come to appreciate just how shallow and insignificant my role is. . . . It’s not important.” He believed in the War in Afghanistan but was furious when the U.S declared war on Iraq, calling it imperialistic and “illegal as hell”. But he also said that he would fight as hard as he could wherever the army sent him. Tillman lived by a set of principles that he developed himself from deep thinking and reading. Although he hated being in the army, when he was offered a get-out-of-jail-free card to play in the NFL he wouldn’t even consider leaving the army before his three year contract was over. Four months later, Tillman died in Afghanistan.

What’s so shocking about Tillman’s death was the banality of it. He was a larger-than-life character who you’d imagine dying in a blaze of glory, charging up a mountain with a machine gun and a machete to save fellow soldiers. But instead his death was merely an accident. On the night of his death, the unit’s vehicle broke down. Their unit commander ordered the men to split up and walk back to base. After they split up, Afghan forces started shooting at the soldiers from all directions. Tillman was killed by friendly fire when one half of the unit fired upon the other in confusion, believing them to be enemy combatants. Tillman died as he was waving at the other half of the unit, trying to get them to cease shooting while yelling, “I’m Pat Tillman! I’m Pat fucking Tillman!”

Friendly-fire causalities happen and they are a tragedy. But the real tragedy was the desecration of his memory by Army and White House officials who repaid his honor, his sacrifice and his patriotism by turning him into a propaganda tool while his body was still warm. It was April 2004 and the truth about Guantanamo Bay had just come out, support for the war was dwindling and Bush was gearing up for a reelection campaign. They needed a win. Tillman gave them one. They figured that by turning Tillman into the poster boy for the War on Terror would distract the public and immediately concocted a bogus story about Tillman dying valiantly to rescue his entire unit from Taliban forces. The army posthumously awarded Tillman a fraudulent Silver Star medal of honor. After Pat enlisted in the Army, he ceased talking to the media, saying simply that his actions spoke for himself. He ignored the White House’s constant arm-twisting, trying to get him to speak in favor of a war he no longer believed in. He also went to great lengths to prevent being portrayed as a martyr of the War on Terror. He specified that in the event of his death he did not want a military funeral and told a friend that he didn’t want the army parading his body around in the street. That is exactly what happened. The military set up a large-scale, televised Christian funeral for the atheist Tillman, against his family’s wishes and thought that they had succeeded in their cover-up.

But the military did not anticipate the strength of Tillman’s family who undertook a crusade to find out the truth about Pat’s death. They were lied to repeatedly by the military and the soldiers that had fought alongside Pat. They poured through thousands of pages of military testimony and reports and demanded congressional hearings to question those responsible for the cover-up. It would take three years for the military to acknowledge that it was “possible” that Tillman was a victim of friendly fire. This book is a well-written but very tough read. “Where Men Win Glory” is the tale of a patriotic, honest, good man whose honor and integrity were hijacked by a system of people hoping to score a cheap political point.
(less)

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Mar 17, 2011

Beth rated it

· review of another edition

Because Jon Krakauer’s last book, UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN, about Mormon fundamentalism, was so riveting, I preordered his latest book, WHERE MEN WIN GLORY, so I could read it soon after it came out. I expected to read details about Pat Tillman’s experience and that this book would be as well written as UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN.

Pat Tillman, for those who many have been living in a tunnel a couple of years after 9/11, was the NFL football player who gave up a $3 million job to joi...more

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Mar 08, 2011

Stephanie Mantz rated it

· review of another edition

I'm not sure how to review this book. It was a lot of things. It was the story of Pat Tillman, this incredible human being that seemed too good to be true. And I don't know whose problem that is. Or if it is a problem. I think the author wanted to tell the story of this kid, but instead of making him relatable, he made him seem like a god. Who is not relatable in the least. And I'm not sure if that's maybe because a lot of people can't relate to dropping out of the NFL to join the ARMY..I...more

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Feb 24, 2011

Ethan rated it

· review of another edition

Pat Tillman, it appears, is everyone's political platform. Krakauer decries the use of Tillman's life and death for political ends, then goes on to use Tillman to preach about the evils of the Bush administration. By the end of the book, I wondered if this was more about Pat Tillman's life or Krakauer's hatred of Bush.

There's even a whole chapter about the Bush-Gore election. I'm not sure why.

Outside of the political screed, I was a little irritated by the obviousness of K...more

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Feb 08, 2011

Steven E rated it

· review of another edition

The prose is sparkling, as always. Few people can delineate a chaotic action sequence quite like Krakauer, which serves him well both in a recapitulation of the disastrous opening moments of the battle of Nasiriyah, as well as his synopsis of the circumstances surrounding Tillman's death by friendly fire in a narrow canyon scant miles from the AfPak border.

The problems in the narrative arise primarily from Krakauer's closeness with his subject: Tillman the football star; Tillman the au...more

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