Where Men Win Glory

The Odyssey of Pat Tillman

By: Jon Krakauer

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 13 hrs and 8 mins

Publisher's summary

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.

©2009 Jon Krakauer (P)2009 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Jon Krakauer has done his job well; Where Men Win Glory is a tough read...[He] has tackled a task that required the distillation and organization of volumes of disparate information. That he has fielded a coherent narrative is a victory. that he has made it compelling and passionate is a difficult blessing...In mining Tillman's life and death, Krakauer uncovers a story much more compelling than anything that could be spun." - The Denver Post

"Krakauer -- whose forenseic studies of the Emrsonian Man in books such as Into Thin Air and Into the Wild yield so much insight -- has turned in a beautiful bit of reporting, documenting Tillman's life with journals and interviews with those close to him...Must be counted as the definitive version of events surrounding Tillman's death." --The Los Angeles Times

"In this wrenching account of the life and eath of NFL star Pat Tillman, killed in friendly fire in Afghanistan in 2004, Krakauer brilliants turns investigative reporter...Krakauer will break your heart recounting how the military lied about Pat's death to his parents and fellow soldier Kevin." -- People

Krakauer succeeds again

I highly recommend this book to admirers of Krakauer's previous exploration of the nonconformist mind, Into the Wild. Whereas Chris McCandless eschewed societal conventions to the point of wanting to abandon civilization entirely, Pat Tillman defied all expectations by embodying seemingly contradictory roles--the tough, celebrity football player and Army Ranger, but also the sensitive intellectual and homebody devoted to his wife. Not being a follower of football, I was only vaguely familiar with Tillman before reading this book, but I was moved almost to tears by his extraordinary dedication to his ideals and the struggle his family faced to find out the truth about his death.

I further recommend this book to any fans of books about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan along the lines of The Last True Story I'll Ever Tell or The Looming Tower (which is referenced several times by Krakauer). If you're a fan of narrator Scott Brick, you also won't be disappointed.

Eye opening, heartbreaking, and a must read.

Admirable, heartbreaking- and a story that needs to be told many, many times over for years to come.

Krakauer smoothly intertwined timelines, events and people in both Tillman's life as well as the middle eastern conflict, ultimately leading to Pat's untimely and tragic death.

The backstory to the events leading to the war help the reader to have a foundation to think on for the story- in culture where we are bombarded by media snips of what's happening over there- many of us don't know the actual root of the conflicts- and this book does a lot to remedy that. This also adds to the tragedy that is Tillman's death. Krakauer paints a hopeless picture that is the Middle East conflict- and we are forced to watch as Pat Tillman is tragically thrown into the mix.

Eye opening, and shedding a lot of light on the man Pat was- this book is a 10/10 for Krakauer's efforts- mainly because he stuck to who Pat truly was and told the real story- a heroes tale if there ever was one.

educational read, horrid narrator

Appreciated the insights into the Afghan conflict and the political machinations, and (apologies) I am a "leftist" and felt author's insights were very accurate. Hated the narration: was like listening to Ronald Reagan at his patronizing worst; then, I began thinking it was fun to listen to "Ronnie" espouse leftist ideals, so it got better. Krakauer is a favorite author, but I wasn't sure I could get into this book. I was wrong, and I am glad to have heard it and to know more about Tillman.

incredibly, powerfully, and touchingly done.

A must read, in my opinion, I was instantly hooked. a fantastic insight to the life of a wonderful man...... the Pearland struggle our military men and women have faced in the Middle East..... and a shocking awakening.

wow!

loved it! great story and will definitely recommend. the reader has a great voice too

Awesome Book!!!

Pat Tillman is a true American hero!
He's life is definitely inspiring!
Will continue to run the Pat's Run in Tempe, Az!
🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

Thank you Aaron Rogers

Aaron Rogers recommended this book on the Pat McAfee show and as a veteran of the 82nd Airborne myself this was something I felt I needed to read. Shame on those in power for not telling the truth.

Amazing book

One of the best books I’ve ever read. Detailed, thorough and emotional. Simply wonderful and worth a read.

Should be required reading for all political and military

Yet another rxamole of the USA skduning to Gomorrah and our corrupt public officials and military up to their necks in moral degradation.

We remember Pat

An amazing and heartbreaking story…we are so glad Job wrote this story. The research was extensive and gave so many details that we didn’t know at the time. Thank you for bringing us the completed story. Scott Brick was the perfect reader for this tale.