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

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.

worth it

Krakauer is a phenomenal writer and this account of Pat Tillman is gripping. i found it a little overpoliticized and it was distracting, But really painted a picture of the difficult chaos that is war and the madness of it all, especially the mixed bag of objectives. Worth the read for sure and to every vet who went to the front on behalf of freedom and liberty, thank u for your service. We just have no idea.

Enlightening and enraging. Fantastic listen.

I was hesitant to get this audiobook because people said the performance was bad. Boy were they wrong. It was excellent. Same voice actor as Jason MFing Bourne. (Book version)

The story was fantastic. And very enlightening on how fratricide is treated by the military and how they cover it up. Listening to the different stories may enrage you on the incompetence of the military and disregard for life. Especially their own soldiers.

Pat’s story deserves your time. Trust me. Or trust Aaron Rodgers. Who also just recommended this book in his book club.

good listen

thus is a good listen. In my opinion it misses two mark worthy moments.
1. Kevin Tillman's speech at Pat Tillman's memorial service. It was an important statement on who Pat Tillman was.
2. The Cardinals retiring the number 40 in their line-up. A honor that is often under appreciated or under valued.

fascinating

A look into the mind of Tillman is worth the read alone. A look into the debacle of his death is a grim reminder of what corrupted power will do to protect a lie. Great book; very eye opening.

A Hero's Story

a great telling of the journey of a personal hero...his duty, honor and ultimate betrayal by those he stood for

Great read

this book was great, from the beginning to the.end i was hooked. prayers go to all of pats family, may he rest in peace.

Overall good book

I enjoyed this book overall. It was enlightening to hear how his life was so politicized in the sense of using his virtues as person to fuel the narrative of the reason to support the war on terror. He sounds like a great human and it’s a shame of how deceitful our military and government was to use Pat as a pawn for their own gain. Sheds light on how little accountability exist on both sides of the political spectrum in America.

Pat 100%

I liked Pat's steadfastness in his character, as well as his love of family, especially between Marie and himself.

We Need More Tillmans

Thank you. An amazing story about a stellar human and the equally stellar family and friends that surrounded him. I read this book at least once per year. Like the backcountry trips with my wife it helps to center me.