Jon Krakauer – Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman
Sock Monkey Sound Book Review
By Jojo Wrinkles
I’ll be honest, I didn’t want to like Pat Tillman. He sounded like a meat head, psuedo-intellectual jock in love with himself…at first. The genius of Krakauer is how he presented Tillman’s evolution as a person. In my eyes, Tillman ended up being a martyr for the silent(?) portion of the military that does still believe in public service as an essential right of passage for Americans. He didn’t seem to have any illusions about what was going on behind the scenes. He just wanted to serve and put in his time. From there, it just gets painful.
The friendly fire/murder in Afghanistan was just the rancid icing on the cake. The cover up by the Army and government was just disgusting and repulsive. Krakauer pieced it all together (from nothing) brilliantly, just like he always does (Into Thin Air anyone?). By the end, I just felt empty. The cliche, ‘nothing changes,’ would not leave my mind. Still, I don’t believe Tillman died in vain, but instead of serving as inspiration for others about to join the Armed Forces, his story should serve as a warning. What a sad story.
- JW
Jon
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