Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman |  | Author: Jon Krakauer
Publisher: Doubleday
Category: Book
List Price: $27.95
Buy New: $14.39
as of 3/10/2010 14:52 WIT details
You Save: $13.56 (49%)
New (62) Used (24) Collectible (8) from $13.38
Seller: vrprice72
Rating:  213 reviews
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Pages: 416
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.6
ISBN: 0385522266
Dewey Decimal Number: 958.1047
EAN: 9780385522267
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9780385522267 | | • | Condition: NEW | | • | Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark. |
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
| |
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
BRAND NEW HARDBACK
Amazon.com Review
Book Description
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 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.
Amazon Exclusive: Jon Krakauer in Afghanistan Click on thumbnails for larger images  |  |  | Krakauer and First Lieutenant Eric Hayes on a foot patrol along the Afghanistan Pakistan border.
(Photo © Dennis Knowles) | Krakauer doing Humvee maintenance, 2007.
(Photo © Eric Hayesy) | Observation Post, Forward Operating Base Tillman |
|
| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 213
 A book that changed my perspective. September 17, 2009
C. Jewell
199 out of 235 found this review helpful
I was originally not very impressed by Pat Tillman's sacrifice. I believe our culture it too quick to call someone a hero. Most people use the expression to counterbalance their own insecurity of not serving in the military. After serving 6 years in the army including tours in Korea, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Iraq, I can honestly say I did not meet one hero--including myself. I now believe Pat Tillman's life was heroic. I say this because he was truly cognizant of America and its misgivings and yet he still willingly served. I did not become aware until about halfway through my tour in Iraq. Once I became aware, rage consumed me. Rage is a normal reaction when one realizes halfway through an act that what they are doing is morally reprehensible. Tillman could have easily escaped combat duty if he wanted. He refused to be used by the Bush regime and the military industrial complex, but still performed the duties that he believed to be right. I cannot express how unique of a person he was. He was a rarity in our world. The narrative on how the military brass and the Bush regime tried to use him and then cover up how he died made the rage come back all over again. I had to walk away from the book several times. The politics behind the story is vital to the context of the story. It's what makes him a tragic hero. A story that only romanticizes his sacrifice so we Americans can thump our chests in pride would be a disservice to his life. Those who are truly aware will appreciate this book. Those who wish to be in the dark will not.
Krakauer's subjects defy convention September 28, 2009
Bobby D. (Cerritos, CA)
38 out of 47 found this review helpful
Pat Tillman went from playing in the NFL to giving up a
multi million dollar contract to become a "friendly fire" statistic
in Afghanistan. Krakauer says thus far in the current Iraq War 41
percent of U S casualties are by "friendly fire". The number was 39
percent in Vietnam and 52 percent the first Iraq war. Tillman's
widow Marie was the only family member to contribute "on the record"
for Krakauer's book. Political alert: Since most of my conservative
friends see anything that challenges their orthodoxy and world view
as unworthy of attention I don't think they will like or appreciate
this book. Why? Because we learn that Pat Tillman and his family do
not reinforce the stereotype of a fallen American Military hero.
Tillman questioned the Iraq war, opposed the Bush administrations
conduct of the war, was an atheist who did not wish to have a
religious or a military service if he died and all the same was a
reluctant hero who gave up much to volunteer along with his brother
to fight after 9/11. Why did Tillman join the Army and want to be an
enlisted man? Tillman kept a very detailed and personal journal and
Krakauer is an excellent writer who seems to find these unusual
individuals that defy convention (such as in his books Into the Wild
and Into Thin Air which is still his best work). Here Krakauer jumps
back and forth between recent events to focus on Tillman's life,
marriage, and friends concluding with how it was possible for him to
be shot by an individual from his own platoon with three .223-caliber
bullets tightly grouped together as they entered the right side of
Tillman's forehead. His brain to be found days later in the dirt near
where he died and it was later lost as a result of one of many
strange Army snafus. How could this event happen? Why when it did
happen did the Army cover it up? Did they cover it up? Why did the
Army provide false testimonial evidence to support a silver star for
Tillman? Why did they order members of Tillman's platoon not to
provide accurate information on the events of the shooting,
especially to Tillman's brother who was a member of that very same
platoon? And why was manufacturing pro war propaganda so important to
those in the Bush administration? And lastly, how many Americans
today even know the truth about Tillman after all these years
(Tillman was killed in 2004)? This is a sad and disturbing book that
leads one to think about what it means to fight and die for one's
country. This is also an important book, if only to insure we obtain
a better understanding of what happened to someone who marched to his
own personal beliefs no matter the risk. And how his government
betrayed his memory. (Note: Krakauer's book reminded me, in part, of
the excellent 1976 book about Vietnam by C.D.B. Bryan, titled
"Friendly Fire". That book is about one of the individuals who became
part of the 39 percent statistic that Krakauer quotes for that war.)
The Hero Compared to His Bosses October 23, 2009
R. Hardy (Columbus, Mississippi USA)
13 out of 15 found this review helpful
Everyone who has followed current events even slightly over the past five years knows that football hero and soldier Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan, and that the military had trouble telling the truth about his death from rifle fire by his own platoon. Tillman had a remarkable life for one who died at age 27, and in _Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman_ (Doubleday), Jon Krakauer has provided the biography that Tillman deserves, vivid and compelling. As good as the biography is, however, it isn't Krakauer's main story, which concentrates on the political and moral crimes committed by the Bush administration and the Army as they tried to convince Americans (and Tillman's family) that Tillman had heroically died shot by Taliban soldiers instead of sadly, futilely dying from friendly fire. Krakauer has drawn his title from Homer, and within the book uses also an epigram by Aeschylus; this is not exaggeration. For one thing, Tillman, in addition to countless other interests, was compelled to study the Greek classics. More importantly, this is a brilliantly-told story of a genuine dramatic tragedy, because readers know how it is going to turn out, and watch as Tillman, compelled by his own sense of duty and self-challenge, is doomed by the fates and the powers that be.
Tillman was an extraordinary character, and liked doing things his own way. He drove a Jeep, a car that had no flash, and he kept cats, not dogs. He was an ardent advocate for the rights of homosexuals, and he always had a book handy so that no time was wasted. He had brains, something that football players are not celebrated for, but more importantly, he was introspective and self-critical, constantly writing in his journal about any defects he saw in himself and what he would do to overcome them. (One of the most attractive parts of Krakauer's book is its generous quoting from the journals.) He was a standout as safety for the Arizona Cardinals, earning a fine reputation for playing a smart and aggressive game even though the Cardinals weren't much of a team otherwise. He had a $3.6 million dollar contract coming up, but after 9/11, walked away from it to sign on for the Army for three years. He thought about joining the officer corps, but wanted to be in the immediate action. The Bush administration saw the propaganda value of this young man so devoted to serving his country, but Tillman would not cooperate. He refused interviews and media appearances; he had his job and he wanted just to do it, and he faded into Army obscurity. When he was assigned to Afghanistan, it was not long before he was in the mission that resulted in his death. The mistakes that happened, compounded errors and misjudgments, might be excused as mere manifestations of the fog of war. What is inexcusable is how, after Tillman was shot three times in the head by an American machine gunner, the Army quickly sprang into action to cover up the friendly fire incident. Krakauer writes, "When Pat Tillman was killed in Afghanistan his Ranger regiment responded with a chorus of prevarication and disavowal. A cynical cover-up sanctioned at the highest levels of the government, followed by a series of inept official investigations, cast a cloud of bewilderment and shame over the tragedy, compounding the tragedy of Tillman's death."
The military realized that it was going to have a problem keeping up the falsified version of Tillman's death, because his brother was in the same firefight at a different locale, and their buddies in the platoon knew the truth, and eventually at some point they would, even against orders, spill it. Tillman's mother pushed the issue, and got one after another official investigation, each of which lied in different degrees. Krakauer shows that the White House was eager to peddle the story of the hero as a counter to the revolting revelations from Abu Ghraib and to the increasing evidence that Iraq had no weapons of mass destruction. Krakauer's fine book is full of sadness; it is a shame this worthy man had to go to war, it is a shame that he had to die, it is a shame that his death was a terrible accident. Above all, it was a shame that his chain of command, top to bottom, lied to his country and to his family about his fate. Tillman insisted on pushing himself hard to do the right thing; the dishonest and craven actions of his Army chain of command and the Bush administration are in wretched contrast.
This book will make you angry . . . November 14, 2009
Clark
11 out of 13 found this review helpful
This book will make you angry but you should not be angry with the author but rather with the actions of the military and our government. Many reviewers are upset with Krakauer, accusing him of putting forth a political agenda in this book. What I cannot understand is how these readers are not actually upset with the cover-up and exploitation of Pat Tillman's death. Everyone needs to suspend their political beliefs and just focus on the extraordinary story of Pat Tillman and what he did for his country. Yes, I can see how readers may have felt that Krakauer may have been inserting a political agenda in this book. I have to respectfully disagree with them though, because reporting the facts does not necessarily mean a secret agenda. Who exploited Pat Tillman? Who covered up the facts? Read this book to find out. You may not like what you find out, but the truth can be painful. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. It truly was hard to put down. I hope one day that the Tillmans find the answers that they are looking for.
A nuanced telling of a nuanced story November 5, 2009
Paul Pioneer (Worcester, MA)
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
Jon Krakauer relates the twin stories of Pat Tillman's life and the recent 30-year history of Afghanistan, as each moved forward to the terrible point where the young soldier and husband lost his life in a terrifying and confusing morass of combat on the Afghan-Pakistani border. Both stories are fascinating, as the young man's early successes in athletics contrasts with the steady chaos and hardships of the Afghan "nation". The events of September 11, 2001 resulted in these disparate tales turning toward one another, and to tragedy. A terrific rendition of a very sad story.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 213
|
|
|
|
