B+
This work of nonfiction tells the story of Pat Tillman, a complicated man who turned down a multimillion dollar NFL contract to enlist in the US Army following 9/11. It chronicles his emotional journey, eventual death from friendly fire, and the subsequent military/government cover-up. His story is engrossing, exploring complex questions of virtue, masculinity, and responsibility that keep the mind spinning after the book is put down. The only place where Krakauer misses the mark, in my opinion, is in the postscript, where he discusses seriously (though ultimately rejects) the notion that society may be suffering from a scarcity of alpha males
--a concept that probably seemed less absurd and dated in 2009 than it does in 2025. I would also argue against Krakauer's final conclusion: that it wasn't a tragic flaw that brought Tillman down, but a tragic virtue
(344). It seems to me that Tillman's fatal flaw was not his courage and idealism, but rather, his judgment--he put his faith in an institution that did not care about him.
That said, this is a book well worth reading, both for the fascinating history lesson, and the moral questions it raises, which are relevant today as they were in the Bush era.