This isn't Krakauer's most compelling book but he knows a good story when he sees it. The story of football hero Pat Tillman and the government coverup surrounding his death by friendly fire in Afganistan will make you angry and cause you to wonder, probably one more time, why we are sending our guys to police the world. You will also wonder why Tilman, who comes across as naive, would leave his new wife and football career to join the army as a grunt. Krakauer tries hard to make this understandable but but his explanation doesn't make the grade. For me, Tillman comes across as a smarter than average jock with a penchant for daredevil behavior. His beatdown of another teenager which could have resulted in a felony charge, knocked down to a misdemeanor with 30 days in jail and 250 hours of community service may have been a giant epiphany for Tillman but is presented by Krakauer with the most positive spin possible. One might expect Tillman to be a good physical soldier, and he was. Although Krakauer claims Tillman did his homework before enlisting he seemed surprised at the bullshit he had to endure in his training. And, in the end, it was bullshit that killed him: higher command officers overruling the on site decision of an officer who had been First Captain of the Cadet Corps at West Point (and who was scapegoated and kicked out of the Rangers for following orders after arguing repeatedly about them). Krakauer does a great job of describing in detail the events, movements and personalities involved in killing Tillman. It's not pretty to read about: three .223 rounds entering Tillman's forehead and deflating his skull as if it were a balloon. The coverup began almost immediately. The Bush PR machine launched Pat Tillman as the latest American hero. Facts were massaged and withheld from the Tillman family including his brother Kevin who was part of the same operation but out of sight of the situation as it happened. Once again our government and the US Army including our current Afganistan Commander General Stanley McChristal were guilty of lying for their own benefit. The curious thing about this book is that, with the exception of his widow, no member of Tillman's family, who have doggedly pursued the truth, would submit to on the record interviews with Krakauer. Read this in two days.