Bookreporter.com - WHERE MEN WIN GLORY: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman by Jon Krakauer

WHERE MEN WIN GLORY: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman
Jon Krakauer
Doubleday
Biography
ISBN: 9780385522267

It is safe to say that most American citizens have heard of Pat Tillman. Whether you are a fan of professional football or just someone who remembers hearing about the All-Pro athlete who gave up everything for a patriotic calling, Tillman’s story undoubtedly resonated with you on some level. Tillman did what no current athlete in recent memory has done --- turned his back on his lucrative career and walked away from his newlywed bride to join the U.S. armed forces and defend his country abroad. It was the events of 9/11 that spurred him to action. Regrettably, his story did not end in true heroic fashion, as his death during battle was twisted into a piece of military propaganda that would inevitably mar his memory and pollute his selfless actions.

Jon Krakauer, best known for the recent Oscar-nominated production of his bestselling novel, INTO THE WILD, has taken on the arduous task of writing a portrait of Tillman that deals with both the heroism and controversy involved in the decision he made that still affects his family and country today. This book follows the 2008 release BOOTS ON THE GROUND BY DUSK: My Tribute to Pat Tillman, written by his mother, Mary. While that effort dealt more with Tillman as a beloved son and extraordinary human being, Krakauer’s work paints a more ominous portrait of what was actually going on in the Iraqi and Afghani conflicts as well as previously unreleased notes from Tillman’s personal journals. Most readers will be shocked to learn that Tillman’s psyche quickly devolves from the idealism of defending his country in response to the heinous attacks of 9/11 to the realization that the intentions of the war actually being fought did not necessarily coincide with what his expectations were.

The book’s title is taken from a direct quote of Homer’s THE ILIAD. Krakauer deftly blends Tillman’s saga with allusions to Odysseus and his trials in Homer’s ODYSSEY. The book begins with Tillman’s high school football exploits, and Krakauer paints a portrait of a determined and incredibly gifted young man who loves his family, his girlfriend Marie, and football. Tillman goes to Arizona State University on a football scholarship, and his skills as a linebacker helps the team make a Rose Bowl appearance. At 5’11”, he is small for a linebacker, but his determination and hustle helps him land a spot on the Arizona Cardinals. Tillman, knowing that his size is a disadvantage, switches from linebacker to strong safety, where he eventually finds fame. After a few seasons as strong safety, he is picked by Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman of Sports Illustrated as an All-Pro at his position.

But Tillman shows that he really is All-Pro at loyalty. When his contract with the Cardinals expires, the St. Louis Rams offers $9.6 million to sign Tillman as a free agent, a decision his agent, Frank Bauer, thinks is a no-brainer. Tillman, however, shocks Bauer --- and the rest of the NFL --- by choosing to stay in Arizona for $512,000 a year, roughly 5% of what the Rams are offering. Bauer indicates that, in his 27 years of representing athletes, he has never seen anyone turn down an offer like that. As he says, “Pat Tillman was special. He was a man of principle…a once-in-a-lifetime kid.” It is situations such as these where Tillman’s true character emerges.

This same loyalty drives Tillman to join the army in order to defend the country he loves so much, and the latter half of WHERE MEN WIN GLORY focuses on these military exploits --- and his tragic death. As readers will learn, the military clearly knows that the death was a result of friendly fire --- and readers will surely be as angered as I was at the senselessness of the mission that cost Tillman his life. To make matters worse, the U.S. military has a long history of creating propaganda to inspire support for their war efforts, and Tillman’s death is given the same treatment. As the truth leaks out amidst several years of tireless pursuit by his wife as well as the rest of his family members, the cover-up attempts prove to be cowardly actions that will forever sully his memory.

Regardless of what your opinion is of Tillman’s decisions, or of the current conflict in the Middle East, Jon Krakauer’s book will place you right there with Tillman as he experiences the events that have immortalized him. The term “hero” is thrown around far too often these days, but after reading WHERE MEN WIN GLORY, it is clear that Pat Tillman was one of the few individuals in recent memory who is actually worthy of this accolade.

--- Reviewed by Ray Palen

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