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book_hound_ross's review
I've read and really enjoyed everything else by Krakauer but I'm simply so bored by the sections about football and then so horrified by the Taliban sections it's proving too difficult to read right now. Still written and researched on Krakauer's trademark journalistic style I just can't do it.
natalieba's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
tense
medium-paced
2.5
I struggled throughout my read of this book and likely would have put it down altogether if I hadn’t been listening to it aloud with my husband on a long car trip. There were two main things that caused this for me - one is that I (apparently) don’t like war books and the other is that the premise of this book is show how Pat Tillman’s death was “spun” for political purposes but the author uses this book to lambast the Bush Administration. It’s (of course) the author’s right to have his opinions and voice them, but for a book ostensibly about the harm caused by propaganda to feel like propaganda itself was hard to read. He makes generalizations and assumptions that didn’t seem warranted or earned - one particularly egregious one was about the man who is most likely to have taken the shot that killed Tillman. Krakauer summarized his five page letter in response to his release from the Rangers as him claiming to be the victim, not Tillman, which is not how I read what Krakauer shared and made me want to read the man’s full letter.
There were other things that bugged me, but this villainizing was laced throughout the book and honestly seemed like something Tillman himself would have (by the author’s own portrayal of him) hated. Tillman (I learned) didn't want to be part of anyone propaganda machine, yet that is exactly where he ended up in Krakauer’s book.
There were other things that bugged me, but this villainizing was laced throughout the book and honestly seemed like something Tillman himself would have (by the author’s own portrayal of him) hated. Tillman (I learned) didn't want to be part of anyone propaganda machine, yet that is exactly where he ended up in Krakauer’s book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Violence, and War
danibeliveau's review against another edition
4.0
Although Tillman was a fascinating person in his own right, this book is most successful in highlighting the corrupt and often absurd circumstances surrounding the US invasion of Iraq, and specifically the Bush administration’s dedication to propaganda over the loss of human life. Tillman, an inherently virtuous and thoughtful person, enlisted after 9/11 to “do his part,” leaving behind a lucrative football career. What left the strongest impact on me was watching his rapid disillusionment (in his own words, too, through recovered journals) not only with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the military and US foreign policy as a whole. This book belongs in our literary canon alongside Tim O’Brien’s works: it demonstrates how someone can hold patriotic beliefs and critical perspectives simultaneously.
ianespiper's review
5.0
I was nervous to read this because of the title and military association, but picked it up because of how much I’ve enjoyed Krakauer. My reluctance was quickly corrected. This was a super well written investigation into a tragic death and an extraordinary life, with a thoroughly researched examination of the political and cultural landscape that led to the military quagmire and humanitarian disaster of the American involvement in the Middle East
hloflin22's review
4.0
My mind is blown. A great read, but could have done without the Bush bashing.
iwantmy200dollars's review
3.0
Was good, although most of the book was about the aftermath and the cover up. It almost felt like Krakauer had a bone to pick with General McChrystal.
mapdock's review
4.0
A return to themes from "Into the Wild," in the context of Afghanistan and the war; an emotional read, especially as a father of two young boys. Krakauer makes Tillman out to be both inspirational and tragic, and is unrelenting in his criticism of what was at best bungling on the part of the Army and the media when investigating and reporting the circumstances of Tillman's death.
amberlou105's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
3.5
Jon Krakauer is always a pleasure to read