Friday, April 27, 2012

Where Men Win Glory - Jon Krakauer (Audio)

I am a huge fan of the true story.  Memoirs, true crime, the expose...they are often stranger than fiction.  I have also been disturbingly drawn to 9/11 books as well, although most of the ones I've read were pre-blogging.  I know that it seems a little gloomy and twisted, but my intellectual side really wants to understand how something like that could have happened.  I have to analyze the rational, factual side of that event to make peace with the emotional side I guess.  


So when Jenners reviewed this book on audio, I thought "bingo".  I knew enough about the story that I knew I'd get really mad when I read it, but sometimes that is good for the adrenaline and the bored soul.  It had the right mix of everything I enjoy in a book:  a story about a fascinating person (Pat Tillman), some more 9/11 facts to make my blood boil, and a well-written and well-researched book by a guy known for his investigative non-fiction.  


Pat Tillman is a guy that anybody would be interested in reading about.  Always a kid on the smaller side of athletic, he was single-minded and determined not to let that stop him, and ended up playing NFL football for the Arizona Cardinals.  He was an adrenaline junkie, loved to hike or dive off tall cliffs.  He yearned to read, and pushed himself to a higher level of learning.  He married his high school sweetheart, was fiercely loyal to his family and friends, and was known as a guy that would always do the right thing.  For that reason, against all logic, he walked away from his lucrative football career after 9/11 to join the Army.  He wanted to make a difference, to fight for his country.  He did not want glory, he wanted to do something that mattered, and to go his own way.  This is the way he'd always lived his life.





But soon after entering the Army and making the ultimate sacrifice, he became disenchanted with the military.  He saw what was happening there from the inside...the waste, the disorganization, the political maneuvering, the lack of sound decisions.  Ultimately, Tillman was killed by friendly fire...something that unfortunately is a part of war.  

What the government chose to do with this tragedy, however, is at the heart of the story.  They covered up, and in some cases flat-out lied, about Tillman's cause of death, then immediately awarded him with a medal of honor before an official investigation to divert attention from the Charlie Foxtrot (military slang for "cluster f**k") that resulted in Tillman's death.  A media circus then ensued, in honor of Tillman, presumably to distract the public's attention from a variety of other public relations disasters including the Jessica Lynch rescue and Abu Ghraib. 

Interwoven with Tillman's story is a detailed history of the birth of Taliban, Bin Laden's rise to power, the US's involvement in Afghanistan and resulting conflicts, and the progression of violence that climaxed on 9/11. Upon this examination of the timeline and the imminent threat, it seems like an attack was a foregone conclusion.  Yet the Bush Administration didn't want to be bothered with the warning signs.  (For another excellent and well-documented read about the events that led to 9/11, put your hands on "The Looming Tower" by Lawrence Wright.  There is more there than your sensibilities would ever want to know or may want to handle.) 

Once 9/11 did occur, however, it was all hands on deck to manipulate and misdirect information for their own purposes, both with the overall war against terrorism and on a smaller level, Pat Tillman.  Swallowing this much toxic spew in one novel is enough to make one ill, but as Americans that live with these facts and events as part of our lives, we owe it to ourselves to be educated.

A side note on the format of this review:  Normally, I put together a short synopsis then offer my thoughts on the book.  I tried here, but was unable to keep my opinions separated from the facts.  As a human being, this story leveled me and deeply disturbed me.  I could not for even a few sentences appear impartial.  


A few words about the audio production:  This audio was narrated by the famous and revered and oft-crushed-upon Scott Brick.  The guy knows his way around a recording studio, and you will see his name on many audiobooks.  He had DONE IT ALL.  When it comes to male voice-crushes, however, I'll just stick with Robin Sachs or Simon Vance. 


5 out of 5 stars         










12 comments:

caite said...

I must say, I was interested in this book when I saw the author was Jon Krakauer but now I am not sure. I will admit it..I am not a fan of books that get my blood all up and this sounds like one that would. Bad for me, but I am sure many would love that factor.

rhapsodyinbooks said...

The whole Tillman thing was just so weird - and no one can tell a story like Krakaeur!

Zibilee said...

I wasn't terribly interested in reading this book before reading your review, but now I feel like I need to get to it right away! It does sound like a story that would totally astound and sadden me, but it also sounds like one that needs to have a wide audience. Fantastic and very moving review today.

Zibilee said...

I wasn't terribly interested in reading this book before reading your review, but now I feel like I need to get to it right away! It does sound like a story that would totally astound and sadden me, but it also sounds like one that needs to have a wide audience. Fantastic and very moving review today.

bermudaonion said...

I'm sure reading this would just tick me off royally. I would never shut up about it and would drive Carl insane with my babbling. It sounds very disturbing.

Jenners said...

I hear you … it is very difficult to hear this story and not get massively angry and pissed off. What they did to Tillman and his memory was just so f*ed up. The other aspect I appreciated about this story was getting a better sense of the history of the Taliban and the war and all that other stuff that happened. Krakauer did a great job of spelling it out in a way that made sense. I'll have to check out The Looming Tower that you mentioned … even though I'm sure it will disturb me mightily.

JoAnn said...

I've read several of Krakauer's books and am trying to figure out why I didn't know about this one...

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

This one sounds intense. I really love this author's work and the subject matter sounds hard to read, but really interesting.

Jenny said...

I'm really drawn to 9/11 books too, so I'll definitely have to keep this one in mind.

Julie P. said...

I wondered about this one. I think I'd actually really like it too.

Ryan said...

I loved this book (I love all of Jon Krakauer's books). I enjoy how Krakauer is able to cut through a lot of information and get to the nuts and bolts of a story. He's a great non-fiction writer.

Kathleen said...

Well you know that whole first paragraph of yours describes me to a "T" too! So this book is already on my list and I know I'm gonna love it and be real angry at the same time. I've read Krakauers other work and he really researches everything so thoroughly and I just love his writing style.