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Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman |  | Author: Jon Krakauer
Publisher: Doubleday
Category: Book
List Price: $27.95
Buy New: $10.20
as of 11/27/2009 12:55 CST details
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Seller: big_river_books
Rating:  148 reviews
Sales Rank: 82
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
ASIN: 0385522266
Publication Date: September 15, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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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 |
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 148
 A DISAPPOINTING LEFT WING RANT. November 27, 2009
Jaguar six (Lakewood, CO)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
The journey of Pat Tillman was indeed an odyssey. I cannot imagine Pat Tillman's family being happy with this account of a horrible tragedy..I would stop short of giving the author credit for a biographical work. Instead, he uses this sad story as a vehicle for his vitriolic anti-Bush rant, with liberal (no pun intended) doses of nastiness about Vice President Cheney and Secretary Rumsfeld. I served in combat as a paratrooper in Vietnam and so am painfully aware of how heartbreaking friendly fire incidents can be. I bought this book only because I was aware Mr. Krakhauer was a regarded author of mountaineering books and assumed the "bio" of Pat Tillman would be a respectable, professional effort. Shame on Krakhauer and shame on Doubleday; where was the editor on this project? This work, like most of the bilge coming from the far left, is shallow, disrespectful and not deserving of anyone's discretionary dollars. Democrats and liberals have never been much more than cynically contemptuous of our military, and this book flashes that message like a neon sign.
 Tilllman's story November 27, 2009
Michel J. Morgante (Farmington, NM)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Very enlightening narrative. The author did a tremendous amount of research to reveal historical background and many details of the Tillman incident that most people would not be aware of. A sobering story of how powerful agencies can manipulate the facts to further its own agendas at the expense of individuals. It's an engrossing tale that is hard to put down once you get started.
 Interesting book, wish there was more about Pat's life in this book, November 26, 2009
James J. Devine (Titusville Florida)
Overall I enjoyed this book, and recommend it. The title of this book is misleading as I expected the book to be much more about Pat's life. I am very intrigued and impressed by Pat's decision to quit the NFL and join the military. The book covers some of Pat's motivation in making this decision, and the support he received from his wife in making this decision. I would have liked more information on Pat's overall personality. I find the way he lived his life extremely interesting and would have loved to meet him. The book does recommend "Boots on the Ground by Dusk My Tribute to Pat Tillman" written by his mother for those wishing to learn more about Pat.
There were several chapters in this book that had little to do with Pat's life. The author expressed his opinions on the decision to go to war with Iraq, the Presidential election / Florida results, and how he felt about the President and his advisers. The author implies that Pat agreed with these views. However I bought the book hoping to learn more about what drove Pat to quit a glamorous job in the NFL for an underpaid and under-appreciated tour in the military. I am a veteran of the US Army Reserves and US Navy (active duty 86-92)that supported Desert Shield in the Persian Gulf, and I would not trade my expereinces in the service for anything. These experiences helped shape me into the person I am today. I oftened wondered if given the same choices as Pat, if I would have done the same. I admire Pat and the way he lived his life, the love and loyalty he had for his wife, family and friends. I was extremely impressed with how he took an unfortunate situation in his life where he made a poor decsion, and turned his life around for the better. I also admire his drive in believing in himself and how he would not let other's opinions on his abilities limit what a truly determined person can achieve.
Disappointing November 26, 2009
C. Andrews (Eatonton, GA)
1 out of 3 found this review helpful
A big fan of Krakauer, I found this book disappointing. Starts off great but by the end, I find myself detached from Tillman and his family and actually annoyed with the whole book. Krakauer injects his politics into a story that should have been about Tillman. He committed the cardinal sin of telling far more than showing at the end. Way too preachy. Turned me off. Regardless of your political preferences, Krakauer should have known better than to take his eye off the ball, or in this case, off Tillman. That's the real tragedy of Where Men Win Glory. I'm just glad I "rented" this instead of buying.
Excellent insight November 25, 2009
Myron Waldman (Narragansett, RI, USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Krakauer has produced the kind of book we need. It speaks of reality and is a candid description of recent history. We need more of this kind of insightful and personalized storytelling.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 148
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