Synopsis
One of the finest writers of narrative nonfiction tells the story of the most famous American casualty of the "war on terror," former NFL star Pat Tillman. Tillman transcended the world of sports and gained national renown when he left his multi-million dollar contract with the Arizona Cardinals to enlist in the army eight months after 9/11. When Tillman was killed in action in 2003, he was roundly praised as a heroic patriot, and President Bush and other members of the administration began using his example to justify the rightness of their cause in Iraq and Afghanistan. However, it soon became evident that Tillman had been killed by friendly fire, and that the military and government had gone to extraordinary lengths to conceal the circumstances of his death, even from Tillman's family. Jon Krakauer has established himself as a master of depicting the spirit and determination which drives men to seek achievement and adventure, and he has his most compelling subject yet in Tillman. As well as providing the first definitive account of the events surrounding Tillman's death and the extensive military cover-up which ensued, Krakauer delves beneath the superficial media portraits of Tillman as an athlete and a martyr to uncover a man driven by standards of integrity and honor which were an almost haunting presence in his life.
| Details | | Publication Date: | 2009-09-15 |
| Size | | Length: | 383 pages | | Height: | 9.8 in | | Width: | 6.5 in | | Thickness: | 1.5 in | | Weight: | 24.8 oz |
Publisher's Note
Traces the controversial story of NFL player and army soldier Pat Tillman, describing the military's efforts to hide the truth about his death by friendly fire, in an account that draws on Tillman's journals and letters as well as interviews with family members and fellow soldiers.
Industry Reviews
"Once Tillman lands in Afghanistan...Krakauer's narrative lifts off. The death of Tillman is handled deftly....While most of the facts have been reported before, Krakauer performs a valuable service by bringing them all together..."
(09/13/2009)
"Krakauer's book...must be counted as the definitive version of events surrounding Tillman's death.... [He] has turned in a beautiful bit of reporting, documenting Tillman's life with journals and interviews with those close to him."
(09/11/2009)
"[T]he parts of the book where Krakauer does tell Tillman's story play to the author's strengths. The personal stories about Tillman in high school or struggling to make it as a collegiate Division I and NFL football player are fascinating. And Krakauer excels at reconstructing the platoon-level events that led to Tillman's death in the same riveting style that made me devour INTO THIN AIR as a young rock-climber."
(09/13/2009)
"On one level, Jon Krakauer's WHERE MEN WIN GLORY represents a detailed look at the tragic tale of Pat Tillman....But Krakauer's book is also an exhaustive examination of America's political and military involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq....It all makes for painful, infuriating, and required reading. Truth, we learn, is the first casualty of war, and betrayal is a rule of the game."
(09/27/2009)
"[Krakauer] writes with the certitude and assurance of a man who has rooted his way through mounds of documents, journals, letters, interviews, and has gone to the front to see for himself where Tillman perished....The account of Pat Tillman's final hours is harrowing, and, at times, grisly. But it also resonates with what seems to be the unmistakable ring of truth."
(10/11/2009)
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