Reviews
Auf Den Feldern Der Ehre: die Tragödie Des Soldaten Pat Tillman, by Michael Bayer, Jon Krakauer
pharmdad2007's review against another edition
4.0
My favorite Krakauer book since "Into Thin Air". Must read for any sports fan.
molok's review against another edition
5.0
It really left me feeling even more disgusted with the government than I normally do.
grubnubble's review against another edition
5.0
I had to stop twice while reading this because I needed to cry and I needed space from how sad it is. The first time was after reading about Sayed Farhad’s death. I wish that Krakauer had gone into some detail about that man as well. It feels like a waste that he didn’t.
shawnwhy's review against another edition
5.0
this is pretty amazing. a intimate portrait paired with a comprehensive overall history of the war in the middle east in the bush era.
lindsusmarinsus's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.0
I finished the fourth book I’ve read by Krakauer, “Where Men Win Glory,” about former NFL player Pat Tillman’s life and death by friendly fire in Afghanistan, and the ensuing coverup that followed.
.
I’m a big fan of Krakauer’s work; I think he does an amazing job of examining the larger cultural context that surrounds and influences a person’s actions and decisions. This “no man is an island” approach allows us to understand his subjects within the greater scope of their worlds (“Under the Banner of Heaven” is a stunning example of this). Tillman left behind a great many diaries that afforded Krakauer an insight into the mind of this surprising, imperfect person who died, Krakauer concludes, not because of his faults, but because of his virtues.
.
The book is, as you might expect, terribly sad; it’s sad because of how small, senseless, and pointless everything feels, a sentiment Tillman – who, on one hand, was eager to see action and get involved in a firefight – also felt; he believed the War in Iraq was illegal and was largely dismayed at his involvement, which he nevertheless chose to go through with, despite opportunities to leave the Rangers. Krakauer portrays Tillman warts and all: we see his propensity to give in to his temper (he beat a man he didn’t even know so badly that the guy required multiple dental surgeries, and the judge let Tillman off easy so as not to hurt his football career), we see his sexism…but we also see a man who, by all accounts, was nevertheless constantly pushing to improve himself, to think deeply and ready widely, and who was kind almost to a fault to everyone he met while enlisted. He hated the yelling, dominate-for-the-sake-of-rank culture of the military and made a point of welcoming new recruits.
.
Despite the in-depth portrait of Tillman, the book left me somewhat disappointed. Krakauer spends too much time recounting, often play-by-play, football games of old (and I’m a huge football fan) or firefights and battles that don’t come to life on the page. We get a lengthy examination of the Jessica Lynch hoax, admittedly because it served as the precursor to the military’s strategy of using disinformation and lies to create self-serving propaganda out of people’s lives (and deaths). Only the last 60-70 pages are devoted to the actual government cover-up and betrayal of the Tillman family. While Krakauer’s total disgust of the government’s actions comes through (as does that of Tillman’s fellow soldiers, who were forced to be part of the cover-up and are still processing the trauma and fallout from his death and what followed), there’s a fatalistic tone toward the end, a strange detachment, as though Krakauer grew so revolted by the whole thing that he just wanted to wrap it up and be done with the story.
.
Not Krakauer’s strongest work, but nevertheless a powerful story. Unfortunately, Krakauer stated on Instagram that he’s retired from writing, which is a shame; I hope he changes his mind someday soon.
.
I’m a big fan of Krakauer’s work; I think he does an amazing job of examining the larger cultural context that surrounds and influences a person’s actions and decisions. This “no man is an island” approach allows us to understand his subjects within the greater scope of their worlds (“Under the Banner of Heaven” is a stunning example of this). Tillman left behind a great many diaries that afforded Krakauer an insight into the mind of this surprising, imperfect person who died, Krakauer concludes, not because of his faults, but because of his virtues.
.
The book is, as you might expect, terribly sad; it’s sad because of how small, senseless, and pointless everything feels, a sentiment Tillman – who, on one hand, was eager to see action and get involved in a firefight – also felt; he believed the War in Iraq was illegal and was largely dismayed at his involvement, which he nevertheless chose to go through with, despite opportunities to leave the Rangers. Krakauer portrays Tillman warts and all: we see his propensity to give in to his temper (he beat a man he didn’t even know so badly that the guy required multiple dental surgeries, and the judge let Tillman off easy so as not to hurt his football career), we see his sexism…but we also see a man who, by all accounts, was nevertheless constantly pushing to improve himself, to think deeply and ready widely, and who was kind almost to a fault to everyone he met while enlisted. He hated the yelling, dominate-for-the-sake-of-rank culture of the military and made a point of welcoming new recruits.
.
Despite the in-depth portrait of Tillman, the book left me somewhat disappointed. Krakauer spends too much time recounting, often play-by-play, football games of old (and I’m a huge football fan) or firefights and battles that don’t come to life on the page. We get a lengthy examination of the Jessica Lynch hoax, admittedly because it served as the precursor to the military’s strategy of using disinformation and lies to create self-serving propaganda out of people’s lives (and deaths). Only the last 60-70 pages are devoted to the actual government cover-up and betrayal of the Tillman family. While Krakauer’s total disgust of the government’s actions comes through (as does that of Tillman’s fellow soldiers, who were forced to be part of the cover-up and are still processing the trauma and fallout from his death and what followed), there’s a fatalistic tone toward the end, a strange detachment, as though Krakauer grew so revolted by the whole thing that he just wanted to wrap it up and be done with the story.
.
Not Krakauer’s strongest work, but nevertheless a powerful story. Unfortunately, Krakauer stated on Instagram that he’s retired from writing, which is a shame; I hope he changes his mind someday soon.
kickpleat's review against another edition
4.0
I think it's important to get a background on a story like this one, so I didn't mind that the story of the army cover-up regarding Tillman's death takes place within the last hundred pages or so. I got to know Pat Tillman as the person he was and this is what makes his death so tragic. Tillman was a good man with a strong sense of self who gave so much to his country only to have his country fail him and his family in the most callous way. This book also introduced me to an Afghanistan that I didn't know - it's tribal history, their battle with the Soviets and just how the USA implicated itself into the current Taliban conflict. Krakauer is a great journalist and storyteller, and while I skimmed over some of the pages, I found this to be a relatively engaging portrait of a hero.
ikahime's review against another edition
5.0
I'm interested to go see the new documentary about Pat Tillman after finishing this book, but am afraid I will cry through the whole movie. Pat Tillman was such an unusual, inquisitive, forthright man, an unlikely soldier, but one you'd feel supremely proud of. The excerpts from Tillman's diary drive home the point that America as a nation lost a true and thoughtful leader. The cover-up of the true nature of his death is not terribly shocking if you have read any kind of analysis of the Bush administration, but only because that bar keeps getting pushed higher.
The Pat Tillman Foundation provides educational scholarships to fill the financial void left by our government to veterans and their families. It brings true meaning to the phrase "Support Our Troops." I urge you to donate after reading this book.
The Pat Tillman Foundation provides educational scholarships to fill the financial void left by our government to veterans and their families. It brings true meaning to the phrase "Support Our Troops." I urge you to donate after reading this book.
hrloflin's review against another edition
4.0
My mind is blown. A great read, but could have done without the Bush bashing.
areader09's review against another edition
4.0
"Where Men Win Glory" follows the trend of Kraukauer's other works that I have read (Into Thin Air and Into the Wild) by being well written, well researched, and crafted into a narrative that is hard to put down.
This book does not just focus on Pat Tillman's life (most notably his decision to leave the NFL to join the Army Rangers after 9/11) until his death by friendly fire in Afghanistan. In addition to a thorough examination of the US Army's shameful coverup of the events surrounding Tillman's death and the willful choice to deceive his family and the American people about these events, the book also touches on other events, this time in Iraq, where the US government/military presented misleading narratives about the war, beyond the "big lie" that Iraq had WMDs, that were intended to maintain public support for the Iraq War.
All in all, a very interesting read, and quite sobering now that the US has left Afghanistan, purportedly for good.
This book does not just focus on Pat Tillman's life (most notably his decision to leave the NFL to join the Army Rangers after 9/11) until his death by friendly fire in Afghanistan. In addition to a thorough examination of the US Army's shameful coverup of the events surrounding Tillman's death and the willful choice to deceive his family and the American people about these events, the book also touches on other events, this time in Iraq, where the US government/military presented misleading narratives about the war, beyond the "big lie" that Iraq had WMDs, that were intended to maintain public support for the Iraq War.
All in all, a very interesting read, and quite sobering now that the US has left Afghanistan, purportedly for good.
samanthadilley's review against another edition
3.0
I didn’t like this but I don’t think it was “bad.” The beginning dragged and I didn’t care about Pat Tillman’s upbringing. When it finally got to the part where Pat had enlisted and the actual cover up, I was much more invested. I liked that it entwined the history of what was happening in Afghanistan at the same time as where Pat was in his life pre-enlistment but it didn’t flow while listening to it. Definitely not my favorite nor is sports/war my usual subject matter for books but still a good journalistic piece.