The Heroic Journey of Pat Tillman in Where Men Win Glory

Corey: I was looking for a detailed book about Pat Tillman, who he was, and the situation that lead to his unfortunate death. This is THE book for that, and then some! Amazing read.

United States on Feb 02, 2024

KR: This is a very good read. Not only is it very informative about the life of Pat Tillman, but it also encompasses what’s going on in the world around him as he grows up and joins the military. Tragic end but what an honorable man. John Krakour is a very good author. I also read into the wild and this follows in the same literary footsteps as that.

United States on Jan 24, 2024

Amazon Customer: The shocking thing for me was that a professional army (supposedly the best in the world) could be so disorganized as to cause A10 Warthogs to bomb and strafe one it's own units (albeit one that had got lost and strayed well off the route it was supposed to be on), and another to machine gun it's own soldiers leading to the death of Pat Tillman and an Afghan soldier.

As each disaster is carefully unpacked for us by Krakauer, all I could do was shake my head in despair as the litany of stuff-up's unfolded. FUBAR and SNAFU indeed.

And the other thing was the cover up, whereby the Administration tried to take advantage of the tragedy by suggesting Tillman had been killed by insurgents. This was utterly disgraceful and they should have known better.

However, I think the book is not entirely balanced in it's treatment of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the commanders who caused the several tragedies to unfold. For example, it's doubtful a Democrat administration wouldn't have tried to cover Tillman's death up, and/or try and make the most of it for propaganda purposes.

Still a great read, and if you want to be tormented by 'friendly-fire'...

Australia on Mar 03, 2021

comodoro: He estado dudando entre tres y cuatro estrellas. Le pondría tres y medio si se pudiera. El libro no me ha gustado tanto como otros del mismo autor, en particular Mal de altura y Hacia rutas salvajes. Krakauer se siente atraído por personajes especiales que realizan acciones aparentemente incomprensibles que no responden a lo que la sociedad entiende como "normales". Desde este punto de vista me sentí más identificado con alguien como Alexander Supertramp, que huye de todo para buscar vivir salvajemente en la naturaleza, que con Pat Tilmann, que abandona una carrera en el fútbol americano para ingresar en el ejército de Estados Unidos. La historia resulta amena mientras se trata la vida de Pat Tilmann, pero decae considerablemente cuando trata de la guerra de Irak y, en particular, de la batalla de Nasiriyah, para volver a recuperarse con la narración de la muerte de Tilmann y el aprovechamiento y la guerra sucia de los políticos y militares de más rango. Creo que el libro está más dirigido al público estadounidense que al europeo. La primera parte exige cierta familiaridad con los conceptos básicos del fútbol americano y en especial con las posiciones...

Spain on Feb 17, 2016

Rodolfo de Araujo Moreira Coello Torres: Great book, Krakauer is a great story teller. In this book he tell us the story of Pat Tillman a football player that enlisted in the army after 9/11 to fought Al Qaeda and met a tragic death in Afghanistan by friendly fire. The author uses the plot to reveal a corrupt administration that put all its efforts into deceiving the north americans about the truth behind the Afghanistan and Iraqi war.

The book is a “must have” for those that appreciate critical thinking and don’t buy everything that’s put in front of them.

Brazil on Jan 15, 2015

Davide: Il libro mi e' stato consegnato nei tempi previsti. L'ho pagato meno di quanto lo avrei pagato in libreria e il vantaggio oltrettutto e' una copertina piu' leggera rispetto a quella che avevo visto in giro. Consigliato.

Italy on Feb 24, 2014

Gordon Wagner: A difficult read. Krakauer's books remind me of an obscure Grateful Dead lyric -- "The eye of the witness. Silent. Dark." His patient observations wind slowly and dispassionately to the event, in this case the fratricide of Pat Tillman by his fellow Rangers.

When you arrive at the climax, the defining event, and it's playing out in excruciating slow motion as Krakauer, in a somewhat Rod-Serling-like manner, soberly and thoroughly takes you on a tour of the facts. Time stops. He tells a story in a way that gives you no where to turn and you have to face the reality of his subject. Some of the passages are agonizing to read.

One thing that I couldn't swallow and that was nearly a show-stopper for me was Krakauer's apparent acceptance of the "official" 9/11/01 story -- nanothermite be damned. The mountain of evidence not examined in the 9/11 cover-up speaks for itself. It's a modern litmus test. When someone I respect voices their belief in the "official" story, I question my respect for that person. This was difficult given that Krakauer is one of my favorite living writers.

His exposition of Tillman's early life is neatly presented. The...

United States on Dec 02, 2009

Len: Like Chris McCandless from Mr. Krakauer's Into the Wild, Pat Tillman is an idealist whose own convictions become his very undoing. He joins the American army in 2002 because he believes that, after the attacks of 9/11, fighting for his country is the right thing to do. From his actions, the testimony of friends and colleagues and entries from his own diary, we learn that doing the right was a mantra for Mr. Tillman practically his whole life. Why else would he give up the money and glory and fun of playing professional football? Unfortunately, after he joins, he quickly becomes disillusioned with the realities of army life. He has little in common with his fellow soldiers nor the Bush administration, which engages a war in Iraq with which Pat Tillman has serious reservations. It's ironic that the tragedy of his death would be made worse by attempts by the army to hide the realities of his demise so that he could remain a poster-boy for purposes of recruiting other men for a war he never believed in. Mr. Krakauer must be commended for telling this story and Mary Tillman for pursuing the truth of her son's tragic death. The story is incredibly engaging...

Canada on Nov 27, 2009

J. Blilie: Krakauer once again tells a very engaging, wide-ranging, complex story of an interesting and unusual character. The book switches back and forth between the life of Tillman and the events in the world and especially Afghanistan, as they (in hindsight) inexorably grind toward that day when all the stories intersect on the battlefield and result in Tillman's death. It's brilliantly done and I think you will love it. Much of my review will be made in reaction to some of the complaints against the book: Because I specifically disagree with them, in detail.

Some have complained that this book is either not a well-told story or not up to Krakauer's usual standards. To me, this is nonsense. This book was every bit as much a page-turner as any other of his books. The way he weaves the story of Afghanistan, US policy and actions, Al Qaeda's increasingly bold series of attacks, and Tillman's life is skillful and does not come off as contrived as it so easily could have. Krakauer frequently makes direct linkages in time between Tillman's life and events in Afghanistan (and elsewhere), for instance on p. 79, "In the predawn hours on the day of that game, as...

United States on Sep 24, 2009