5 comments about Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman.

1. There really is nothing exceptional about Pat Tillman. Like many other devoted and patriotic men and women who were outraged not just by the attack of 9/11, but also by the rise of a syndicate of criminals who would use any means necessary to kill innocents, to trade in the netherworld of drugs and arms smuggling, to launder money and extort bribes and infuse it all with religion and politics, taking advantage of those who either should have known better or were simply to dim and obedient to question authority. Of course, tick it just slightly and instead of the ragheads in the dessert, you're talking about Richard Cheney.
   
   In Tillman's case, he was an honourable man, a loving son and husband and someone with a bright future ahead of him, who did what he did because he felt in his heart that it was the right thing to do. Out of his sense of duty, he fought in a war he thought the workings of an Imperial Fool, and died in the war he set out to prosecute. He was the victim of gunshots from his own troops fired in a moment of extreme panic and under intense duress while carrying out an assignment that was simply stupid, given the circumstances they were in, and had to do more with enforcing obedience than in pursuing the very bad guys they were after.
   
   None of that makes Tillman exceptional. Thousands upon thousands of other men and women in these two conflicts, and hundreds of thousands in prior ones, have all suffered such an end leaving their loved ones devastated. A nation should try to be of some small comfort to these dear people left behind with a massive hole in their hearts, bleeding a slow death the rest of their lives.
   
   And that's where Pat's story becomes something else. This book is as much, if not more, about Pat's mother and wife and how they came to pursue the real villains in this story. Both women had an unnerving sense that they were being lied to from the beginning, and the beginning was Rumsfeld and Cheney deciding to make a poster boy of Pat. GI Joe. Sargeant York. You know, like those propaganda films you see at the multi-plex: Be all that you can be: dead as a doornail, exploited by your government, shattered and broken, if you're lucky to survive the idea that you've just killed people, or been blown half to bits.
   
   Marie Tillman wouldn't let it end there and in her dogged pursuit of the truth underscored the fact that the President of the United States is sworn to protect the country from enemies foreign and domestic. Problem here is, W is one of the enemies. There really is nothing exceptional about generating a myth about an individual soldier in order to inspire, and dupe, others. Speer and Goebbels did it all the time for the Third Reich. Lots of those men died in battle as well. There is also no "fog of war." There is certainly fear, absolute panic, complete loss of discipline in circumstances that are categorically frightening. But there is no fog. You shoot or get shot and sometimes both. Anything that moves. And that's what happened to Pat. Sent into a ravine to tow a humvee, of all the stupid things to save, aware that the Taliban had been tipped off, panic set in. Pat was hit at close range by someone who could clearly see that Pat was not Taliban, but the man paniced. More than likely, if he wasn't subsequently killed, he has received no counselling at all from the VA and wakes most nights in a cold sweat reliving what he did.
   
   Again, there's nothing exceptional about that. What is exceptional is the lengths that Cheney, Rumsfeld and W were willing to go to cover the tragedy up. What is also alarming is the man chosen to carry this out: Stanley MacChrystal. By the Army's own standards and criminal codes, what Cheney, Rumsfeld, W and Stan the Man did was criminal. Stan should have been court-martialed and sent to prison. He was awarded 2 more stars. When the Army's own CID investigated and determined beyond any reasonable doubt that what was done was ordered from the White House through the DOD Secretary directly to MacRollingStone, Cheney and Rumsfeld buried it. Nothing was done. Nothing.
   
   If you're Richard Nixon, you're rolling in your grave. Actively engaging in obstruction of justice is cause for impeachment. And prison. Marie Tillman got the goods on them and they told her clearly that there was nothing she could do. They owned the game.
   
   The "fog of war".... America has been in a fog for a while now. I figure since Reagan. A fog about who pulls the strings, a fog about who stands on their necks, a fog about the deadly mixture of religion and politics, a fog about who the government is beholden to. Along comes two women who simply loved their husband and son, and they blow the fog away. Hog tied by two wars it can ill afford, crippled by deals that gave the financial integrity of the country and the manufacturing heart to criminal oligarchies like China and Russia, duped into bailing out the very perpetrators of their financial collapse, America is a country that ought to be able to see, especially because it is now on its knees, what needs to be done, but like Einstein's definition of insanity, it keeps trying the same thing over and over, convinced a new dawn is just on the horizon. It isn't. And won't be until stories like this are no longer written. And it rids itself first of enemies domestic, before it tackles those on foreign shores.



2. "Where Men Win Glory" is an ambitious, nuanced book about Pat Tillman, geopolitics and the disconnect between the propaganda and leadership of the military and the events on the ground. Krakauer should be applauded for his fearless field work and his research.
   
   There is one minor and one major problem with the book.
   
   The minor problem with the book is that it's most interesting passages are in the first half of the book and claim dominion over Pat Tillman's mother's account "Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman". Although the first half of the book is a page turner, it is mostly about who and how Pat Tillman was raised and what motivated him in his youth and sports career. It is just creepy to this reader, that Krakauer, would try to explain Pat Tillman, better than his own mother.
   
   The major problem in the book comes after Pat Tillman leaves for his fateful Afghanistan mission. Krakauer does a great job of describing the idiotic ways the military uses artificial timelines by politically motivated commanders who are not in the field. He also describes the military as a frustrating system of length-in-the-corps meritocracy vs. the intelligence and skill based system in business and sports. Finally he succeeds in showing the reader the huge problems of execution using many different military corps.
   
   But once he sets all of this up, and with the reader inherently knowing the ending will be bad, but expending so much energy on why it will be bad, he leaves the reader to plow though the second half of the book on just military details.
   
   The books tries to be half biography/geopolitics/military high level analysis AND a detailed written account of warfare. Krakauer leaves his ability to be a great story teller in the first half of the book to be a great reporter in the second half of the book.
   
   If Krakauer would have blended both story telling and reporting throughout the book he would have better succeeded. Imagine "Band of Brothers" by Steven Ambrose describing the entire story of E Company and then a bland account of the great battles they participated in, without the same personalization, and you would have a book that does not totally succeed like "Where Men Win Glory".
   
   Despite that this book should be read. Besides its overarching macro context, it is a powerful and moving account of a special man who is atypical in this non-America's special generation. Pat Tillman, through his daily diaries and other peoples accounts, was a driven, emotional, home body who also was at peace with taking risks. He was also an avid reader of the classics, always was reading a book, and a driven student in college, who graduated with a G.P.A of 3.8. His writing skills in his daily diaries are more poetry than bland journaling. Especially poignant is his journaling on how he has to put up with kids five years younger with no education telling him what to do. Despite his frustration, he did not take the chance of early discharge to sign a big contract with Seattle (a place he and his wife Marie always wanted to live) after an uneventful tour in Iraq.
   
   The title of this review is five stars for Pat Tillman. But number of stars is not enough. Pat Tillman was a real American hero and his stubborn idealism was a "tragic virtue" wasted by a government and military with "tragic flaws".



3. I'll always enjoy the storytelling of Jon Krakauer-- but in this case there was too much of his liberal political agenda. To me, many of the facts were dubious or cherry picked to support his position. This is ironic given that a significant part of this book rants about using propaganda to obscure the facts and make a bogus case.
   
   Nonetheless, it is an interesting read about a fascinating person. 50% of the population (the left leaning) will love this book. The other 50% need to be prepared to wade through a cess pool of nonsense to pull out the gems in the story.



4. I finished this latest by Krakauer with a great deal of perplexity. Having read all of his previous works I have the highest regard for his demonstrated literary competence. Upon perusing the other reviews ,it was apparent that I certainly was not alone.A highly unsatisfying read,plodding between a strangely unemotional almost comic book cariacture of Tillman,flat and lifeless portrayal of the combat actions and highly partisan polemic against the Bush administration,Rumsfeld,the military,conservatives and Republicans. Vacillating between a 3 and a 1,I opted for a 1 in perhaps futile protest of authors whose previous success brings entitlement to force their political spleen upon us. DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK,unless ,of course you are of the far left,antimilitary,democrat,an Obamanaut or anti conservative or Republican,in which case you will love your tired views reinforced.



5. A pretty good read. I finished it off quickly. This is the fourth Jon Krakauer book I've read and he maintains his reputation as an excellent storyteller and journalist. His descriptions of how Pat Tillman lived and died are thorough and eminently comprehensible; Krakauer excels at eliding complex matters into digestible and literary segments. Unlike his previous books, however, the story he tells here is far from original. I learned very little about the political drama of the military cover-up of Tillman's death that wasn't readily available through other sources. The tie-in to Jessica Lynch was fascinating, however, and I credit Krakauer a for contextualizing the phenomena of friendly-fire-response in an expansive manner.

5 comments about Coming Back Stronger: Unleashing the Hidden Power of Adversity.

1. I asked my wife to get this book for me as I am a die-hard Saints and Drew Brees fan. In an effort to be totally honest, I wasn't expecting a whole lot; for a couple of reasons.
   
   First reason, Drew is only 31 years old. I'll admit that I thought to myself, "heck, I've got underwear approaching that age" (well, to hear my wife you would think that). What could he possibly write about when it comes to adversity (and I've been a full-time law enforcement officer for 33 years)!
   
   Second reason, he's a jock! Most jocks (not all), when I was growing up, were not known for their articulate literary ability (in fact I'm not sure many of them could spell that much less tell you what it meant).
   
   However and whatever the reason I asked her to buy the book, I'm truly happy that I did. Yes, it's true that I've been employed in the same job for longer than Drew is old but the adversity, the unknown and the unasked question "what happens if I can't get this fixed?" that he and Brittany faced in their relatively young lives, would have kept MANY a 'better man' down for the count.
   
   As for the 'jock' notion, that never even entered the picture after I began reading (the book was truly hard to put down). It's not only well written in the sense that it's articulate but it flows well and it's easy to keep up with where he was during a given event.
   
   During the few days I spent reading the book, I kept telling my wife, "this is a good book!" She finally couldn't take anymore and she picked it up and began reading.
   
   Finally and to me personally, most importantly, it remains funny to me how one person will percieve something while the person right next to them will have seen something totally different. God knows, I've seen that event countless times in my career as a police officer but for here, I am referring to at least one of the other reviews on this same book.
   
   I read where one other reviewer was 'reminding' Drew that there is no 'I' in teamwork. And while it's true, there is no 'I' in teamwork, I remained consistently and constantly, not to mention, pleasantly surpised to whom Drew did give credit. Virtually every other page had him giving the credit to whom credit should have been given but is often overlooked, if not ignored. God.
   
   Drew Brees is a star quarterback of a team that I suspect will go down in history as making the comeback of the century, yet he did not lose sight of who blessed him with his gift, his focus and the family and team that backs and supports him. To me, that says more than any book can hold in print, about the man.
   
   Great book Drew! Well done! God bless you, your family and your team.



2. As a female Saints fanatic and season ticket holder since '72, this book definitely fulfilled my expectations! Drew Brees is a one in a million guy, and I believe it when he says God led him to N.O. We needed a hero, and Drew fulfilled that need, along with many other caring people, in helping to restore 'the city that care forgot'.
   
   The book was inspirational to me. I laughed, smiled, giggled, and cried. It was so well written that I felt I was sitting there with Drew as he told his story. In the face of so much adversity, his faith kept him going. So many of us would have thrown in the towel, but this man had the strength, determination, and faith to go on.
   
   I don't think I'll read a more heartfelt book for a long while to come. I could barely put it down until I finished it. And the photos! Oh my, they tell the story as well.
   
   A great read for anyone, whether or not a sports fan. A true story of a good man who has achieved great success is my kind of book! Who dat? Drew dat!



3. I recently had my faith tested, not in a religious fashion but faith in myself. I am working on a project that I created and am at the stage of development where others are now involved. I have been told from nearly everyone that, for one reason or the other, I have to change what I have created and do it the way everyone else does. I was close to caving to these critics when I heard and interview with Drew Brees. He talked about staying strong and using adversity as a tool to grow. He talked about having faith in yourself and your abilities. He touched me and I immediately made the call to tell my critics that this project would move forward according to my vision and no one elses. Twenty minutes later, by total coincidence, a good friend calls me from San Diego. She tells me that she is in line at a book store and has just bought me a copy of Drew Brees' new book and is in line to have it autographed. If that isn't the universe reaching out then I don't know what is.
   She sent the book, I read it immediately, and can truly say that it has changed my life. I highly recommend it to anyone who needs a lift.
   I am also a 29 year San Diego Charger season ticket holder. I was at most of the Charger games that he references in the book. I was there when he hurt his shoulder. I miss him in SD. An awful lot of character walked out the door with Drew when he left.
   Hey Drew, I read your book, how about you return the favor? LOL.
   Justice Rules - 2010 Finalist Pacific Northwest Writers Association Literary Contest (A Brian Wylie Novel)



4. This is a great read for football fans (Saints fans in particular), but it is also an encouragement to all who have faced tragedy (such as the suicide of Drew's mother) or have had to overcome adversity (as Drew did following his shoulder injury and as the folks of New Orleans have done since Katrina). It is also encouraging to read of the Christian faith which I share with Drew. I highly recommend this book.



5. Helps the non-athlete drive to the goals in life and remain motivated when the oomph wains.

5 comments about Called to Coach: Reflections on Life, Faith, and Football.

1. Being a Miami fan, I can't help to envy FSU for having one of the Greatest coaches in college football. Great book. Very inspirational.



2. I received this book as a birthday present from a friend at church last week. My first thought when receiving it was: Why in the world would I want to read a book about a football coach? I'm a grandmother and have never even watched a college football game. But my good friend heard Bobby Bowden speak recently at a Christian business leaders group near our hometown and was amazed by his wonderful stories. I read this book over the weekend and she was exactly right. Even if you're not a football fan, this book teaches us some very important lessons about morals, faith and living your life to help others. Bobby Bowden is such an inspiration. His lessons about allowing God to lead each our of lives were very inspirational. I would recommend this book to anyone.



3. This is an excellent book and should do very well.
   
   As former President Jimmy Carter so eloquently wrote on the back of Called to Coach, Bobby Bowden is a true American treasure. Whether your a Florida State fan, college football fan, parent, coach, mentor or Christian, you will find a plethora of inspirational stories from the life story of Bobby Bowden. Coach Bowden was not only one of college football's greatest coaches, but he also was one of our countries greatest leaders. The most inspiring part of this book was reading the stories, testimonials and parables from the pregame speeches Bowden delivered to his teams.
   
   I would highly recommend this book to anyone who cares about faith, values, and teaching our children to live their lives the right way.



4. Not being a Florida State fan, I was surprised that I enjoyed this book as much as I did. It's a moving story of not just an excellent football coach but an inspirational man. Bowden's story - well told by Schlabach - is a real Horatio Alger tale of a man who worked his way up the old fashioned way, through hard work, perseverance and his enduring faith.
   
   This book is filled with behind-the-scenes stories from from Bowden's long and illustrious coaching career, including his time at West Virginia and coaching against his sons as well as Bowden's early life in Birmingham and as a fledgling coach and husband.
   
   This is not just a book for football fans, but for anyone interested in truly inspirational leaders of our time.



5. This was so disappointing and so ... Bad.
   
   I met Bobby Bowden many times and either his age has really hit him hard in the past five years or Mark Schlabach is the worst writer I've ever read.
   
   This book just rambles through Bowden's life without giving you anything in the way of inspiration or excitement. I read it in a few hours and it's just an awful book. Save your money.

5 comments about Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life.

1. I'm a football fan but more of the college game than the professional game. Since Tony Dungy's prominence has been built within the NFL, I knew very little about him. I knew that he won a Super Bowl with the Indianapolis Colts a few years ago. I knew that he is a public (but not obnoxious) Christian. And I knew that he is very well-respected in the football world and also within the Christian world. This book, his first, filled in many of the gaps and helped me to understand Tony Dungyt.
   
   I'll begin by stating that I don't think that "Quiet Strength" is a great book. But it is very clear to me that Tony Dungy is a truly great man. And this impression comes from this book, not because he boasted and bragged about his many triumphs, but because his genuine humility oozes out of every chapter. He was honest about his personal struggles and disappointments, like the death of his son or the hurtful irony that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl the year after he was fired. He was open about his mistakes, like some personnel decisions that he made which didn't work well and some off-hand controversial comments that he made which created a public stir. But while maintaining transparency, his critiques were generally pointed inward, whereas he was extremely gracious to the countless coaches and players who popped up in the stories of his life. Unlike most sports autobiographies, this one was not utilized as an opportunity to lambast those who hurt him. In fact, one gets the sense that Tony Dungy managed to navigate several decades in the NFL without making any genuine enemies. What a testament to his impeccable character and winsome personality!
   
   And providing the backdrop and reason for his integrity and warmth, Dungy was clear to explain throughout the book that his deep Christian faith informs every aspect of his life, professionally and personally. And he is unapologetic about his faith commitments, without being overbearing or obnoxious. The tone and spirit with which he speaks about his relationship with Jesus reflects Dungy's gracious spirit.
   
   Having appreciated Dungy's humility and spiritual authenticity, the final primary asset of "Quiet Strength" is the smattering of leadership nuggets throughout his many stories. Through the example of other coaches like Chuck Noll and informed by his Christian worldview, Dungy has developed a particular philosophy to coaching and leadership that he explained at some length throughout the book. This philosophy boiled down to a handful of pithy statements and ideas, such as "Do what we do, without explanation or excuse," that were repeated frequently. He was dogmatically committed to the notion that success did not have to come at the expense of a meaningful family life. And it did not have to come from a bombastic style of yelling and intimidation. To Dungy, winning was not everything, and it was not the only thing. In fact, football was clearly a secondary priority in his life, and he led his teams and his staffs accordingly. Amazingly (and much to the encouragement to those of us who share Dungy's philosophies and ideals), he succeeded nonetheless.
   
   So, why do I think that "Quiet Strength" is not a great book? First and foremost, I just don't think that Dungy is a very good story-teller. Frankly, many of his reflections about seasons and games throughout his career were rather dry, even boring. And I'm a sports fan, so I'm inclined to be interested by sports stories. But his story-telling just didn't have much life to it, a glaring weakness in an autobiography. I also found some of his spiritual reflections and leadership lessons to be overly simplistic. I realize that he's not writing for an intellectual audience, and I do not question the authenticity and legitimacy of his spiritual commitments and leadership wisdom. But I felt as if he sometimes offered insight that was simply too generic to actually connect with the complex realities of my life. Finally, having listened to the audiobook, read by Tony Dungy himself, it quickly became clear that Dungy does not have a future in audiobook reading. His voice was so gentle and relaxed that it made me a dangerous (sleepy) driver. Again, his gracious spirit would surely make for a wonderful father and an amazing mentor, but it doesn't work well for audiobook reading.
   
   Ultimately, I'm glad to have read "Quiet Strength" as an affirmation that integrity, healthy priorities, and spiritual commitments are not mutually exclusive with success. It was peppered with anecdotes and tidbits that may reemerge for me at some point in the future. And I finished the book with the highest esteem for Tony Dungy. However, I'm not sure that I walked away with any significant takeaways or new ideas that I can leverage in my future leadership.



2. Great read and even beter look at what it takes to become a real man.



3. This book is great and spoke to my son in so many ways. So many boys are growing up without learning how to be a REAL MAN. If they have fathers or father figures in their lives, some of those men are lacking in the Character Traits of what God intended a Man, Father, Husband to have. And since you can't teach what you don't know and you can't give what you don't have to give, our sons are left not learning these Character Traits while growing up. God and this book has lead my son to starting his journey to becoming a Man of Character, a Dependable Man, and a Happy Man. So thank you Lord Almighty for inspiring Tony Dungy to write his books.



4. I read this book in 3 days. It was a great read that travels Tony's life as a football coach. The focus is not on football but how events in his career impacts him internally and personally. I would recommend reading this book if you love football and even if you do not. While Tony was a football coach, this focuses on his faith and his approach to hard dicisions in his life.



5. Great book! Great man! This is the best! Everyone should read "Quiet Strength". A TD (touchdown) for Tony Dungy.

5 comments about Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman.

1. First off, the title of my review needs to be qualified: I was hoping for a more thorough discussion on the events surrounding the investigation of Pat Tillman's death. This book is not the book to read if you are looking for a comprehensive examination of the cover up of his death, but it does delve into the subject and covers it completely, just not in the level of detail I would like to see. That said, the book is touching, well written, and very compelling. I will further investigate Pat's death on my own, and by reading other books and articles. How cool it was to discover that Robert Scheer was writing about Pat Tillman and his wife co authored the book. I listened to Scheer on a weekly podcast a few years back and really liked his intellect, his sense of humor, and his commentary on politics, and know I'm in good company if I use him as a source for more info., as this book revealed he took an investigative tack from the beginning. Not surprising it would be investigated by someone with integrity, sorely lacking in the corporately owned/monopolized mainstream media.
   
   This entire episode, stunning and reprehensible in its callous and deceitful portrayal of this man's death by friendly fire, provides perhaps one of the greatest contrasts one can find between the duty and honor of an ordinary American (and exceptional over achiever) who sacrificed wealth and fame for duty to country, an American citizen/soldier that brought forth the same spirit of sacrifice not seen since WWII, and a political operation calling the shots in Washington D.C. that practiced subterfuge as a matter of official course and conduct.
   
   The book looks at Pat, his upbringing, and his life with his family and his time in college for the first 200 pages, after that, the story on his life, and death, while a U.S. Army Ranger begins in earnest. I found the first 200 pages as interesting as the rest of the book. Interesting that one of the chief conspirators in the cover up was Stanley McChrystal, the recently sacked head of the so-called "War On Terror".
   
   You cannot divorce this lack of character from those who have none, and McChrystal, while maybe an expert soldier, shows little character in standing up for the truth. Most of the administration, perhaps most notably Sec. of Defense Rumsfeld, as well as the very highest levels of the military, deny knowledge of certain emails and other pertinent details that followed his death, which goes totally against their characters as micro-managers. The deceit surely reached the highest levels of government and the military in the cover up following Pat's death, and this, in my opinion, serves as an ominous harbinger of the so called "Long War" that Rumsfeld imagined (and wished named). There are many questions I have that remain unanswered: chief among them I had read there were plain clothes C.I.A. types accompanying Pat's serial but dont remember any explanation or mention of them in the book. And it did raise even more questions: Who ultimately ordered the serials to split, and why tow a disabled Humvee, through mountainous terrain, over the appeal of the company commander? It all adds up to something that seems orchestrated from somewhere else, all of which raises very troubling questions concerning why this ever happened.
   
   This book will appeal to everyone, is very well written, and definitely feels as though two women are behind it. I found myself enjoying it more than I thought I would and made quick work of reading this. I know about Pat the person now, and this book served as a great "jumping off" point for a more detailed examination surrounding his death.



2. One of the best books I have ever read. You really get to know what kind of child and man Pat was thru his mothers stories.



3. This book is a great companion-piece to the Krakauer book on Pat Tillman, "Where Men Win Glory," which I also loved. This one is from Tillman's Mom . . . and what a Mom she is. I have two sons in the military and thank God every day and night that they are still alive and well. Everyone in this country should know that not every family is so lucky. Many, like the Tillmans, have experienced that great loss and I think we should recognize their sacrifice and their love.



4. We all know war is stupid and deadly, but sometimes necessary for survival, but in this case, a sad commentary for the cover-up and the way Pat died in 2004. There are still unanswered questions, even after seven investigations, several inquiries, and two Congressional hearings. We,as the American public, finally learned that he was killed by "friendly fire" by our own troops. I felt so emotional for the mother,and Narda Zacchino, going over the details and attending the hearings, being precise and accurate, and then putting it all to paper; but probably it was a catharsis and helpful in the healing process. Any parent thinking of sending their child to war should read this and get a honest sense of what can happen, and if a tragedy occurs, how to go about getting to the truth. A timeless book to be read by every new generation.



5. Having just read Jon Krakauer's "Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman", I felt like I learned more about this man than just what the media presented --- from a distance. That biography was insightful and did a fine job of paralleling the on-going middle east conflict with Pat Tillman's life --- and the infamous decision he made to leave a multi-million-dollar NFL career to serve his country in the Rangers following the events of 9/11. A nice job --- but did not have that "personal" touch.
   
   When reading, "Boots On the Ground By Dusk: My Tribute To Pat Tillman", you see the man not just through the eyes of his mother but through an entire family that grieved for his senseless death while continuing to battle for vindication of his name over the suspicious circumstances surrounding his being killed in action. Instead of reading like a straight-narrative of Pat Tillman's life, Mary Tillman jumps right into the adult Pat not long before the decision that would ultimately cost him his life. The better part of the novel focuses on the effects Pat's death initially had on those who loved him --- including a heartbreaking chapter covering his wake with all eulogies printed in their entirety. The family does not have long to grieve before their emotions shift right through anger and into action. This action is spurred by the disgraceful military cover-up over the circumstances of Pat Tillman's death at the hands of his own troops. Not only did the military (and ultimately the government) capatalize on his death for the purpose of propogandizing the war, but evidence may have surfaced that point towards the fact that Pat may actually have been murdered in an effort to become a martyred face of the U.S. conflict in Iraq & Afghanistan.
   
   While not all is proven cleanly --- the battle still wages on for the truth --- the chapters breeze along neatly, angering the reader with each passing page. I applaud Mary Tillman for adding the appropriate "personal" touch needed for this book while remaining neutral enough to present the entire picture and allow the reader to sit right beside her as she deals with the horror of losing her heroic son.
   
   Long live the memory of Pat Tillman!

5 comments about Boys Will Be Boys: The Glory Days and Party Nights of the Dallas Cowboys Dynasty.

1. I sat down one Saturday to read Boys Will Be Boys, about the 1990 Dallas Cowboys, and couldn't put it down. This book chronicles the hard partying team that won three Super Bowls in four years and is definitively the team of the 1990's.
   
   Given the drinking, drugs, women, and super hard partying this team engaged in during their run in the 1990's it is simply amazing that they were able to win championships. I'm not sure if it is a testament to just what phenomenal athletes these men were, or their dedication to football and winning despite their debauched lifestyle off the field. According to this book it seems nearly the entire team, with the exception of a few like stars like Troy Aikman, were engaged in a wild years long party off the field, while racking up wins and championships off of it.
   
   Michael Irvin, the Hall of Fame wide receiver and guard Nate Newton appear to be the ringleaders of this band of imbibers. Of course Irvin has been busted enough times with drugs and women that it comes as no surprise. What is surprising is just how pervasive the lifestyle was. Certainly we all know there are a handful of players on every team that lead pretty wild lifestyles, but how a team that seemed to be immersed so deeply in drinking and womanizing (and presumably other illicit activities as well) could be so successful is really amazing.
   
   Another completely bizarre character is defensive end Charles Haley. Basically run out of San Francisco by his teammates for his horrible behavior, he nearly fit right in with the Dallas Cowboys. This nasty fellow was known for exposing himself to his teammates and constantly harassing them and stirring up trouble. Only professional athletes could ever get by with the horrendous behavior and bizarre antics of Haley.
   
   There is also plenty of other inside information about the 1990 Cowboys. We learn more about Troy Aikman and his leadership on the field. And of course there is great detail about coach Jimmy Johnson who turned a blind eye to off field behaviors as long as the team kept winning. We follow how he turned a losing team into a powerhouse with adroit drafting, his arrogant yet winning ways, and his falling out with owner Jerry Jones, when two Texas sized egos found they could not coexist. We also get a view of the inevitable decline after the inept blowhard Barry Switzer took over as head coach.
   
   All in all this was a wildly informative book about a wild but winning team.



2. Boys Will Be Boys is a well written and fun book to read. In a way, it's like reading about a rock band and it reveals how pro football players can live like rock stars; especially in those days.
   
   Good info about Landry and the old Cowboys, in addition providing a human side to Tom Landry, which is rare. Explains what happened when Jerry Jones bought the team and why the firing of Landry went wrong.
   
   Incudes the famous moment of the Jerry Jones bar incident the night he fired Jimmy Johnson.
   
   Great stuff about Michael Irvin, you could make a movie based off of him alone.
   
   There are some possible stances that seem biased, such as towards the end of the book where Superbowl 30 is discussed, the author mentions how the fans at the superbowl were primarily "Steelers" fans. However, watching the DVD of the game, it seems to me that the fans are overwhelmingly Cowboys fans.
   *(It was about half and half).
   
   Another thing I found interesting is the story of Dallas Sports writer Skip Bayless who is on a show on ESPN now.
   Makes me wonder if the Anti-Cowboy Conspiracy just might be true.
   
   I've read Landry's Bio, The Chalie Waters and Cliff Harris book, Ive read Staubach's Bio. This ranks up there with those books even though I may not recommend it for someone under 18, ;)



3. I am a Dallas Cowboy fan, but for some reason I could not get into this book. I am going to give it to my son. mabe He will like it.



4. This is the perfect sequel to Landry's Boys by Peter Golenbock. Together they tell the inside story of the rise and fall, and rise and fall, of America's Team in lurid detail.
   
   At times seamy, at others shocking, Pearlman recounts the characters and events that shaped the NFL's most visible franchise. Perspectives on players, coaches and ownership will change as the story unfolds.
   
   I found this book to be fascinating and highly recommend it.



5. The story begins with Michael Irvin's shocking stabbing of a fellow teammate and ends with his triumphant induction into the Hall of Fame. This book chronicles the history of the Cowboys from the Jones takeover to the end of the amazing Cowboy dynasty of the 1990s. Pearlman gives in-depth details of the ousting of Tom Landry and the events that created the Cowboys of today. He not only gives an excellent history of events, but also gives in-depth details of the off-field activities of the Dallas Cowboys: sex, drugs, partying, and ridiculous behavior.
   
   Pearlman is a brilliant storyteller and reporter, who has obviously done his research prior to writing this book. He describes Jerry Jones' unorthodox firing of Tom Landry in great detail. He then describes the rise and fall of Jimmy Johnson, the dedicated, successful, and often self-centered head coach who built the dynasty of the 90s. He also discusses the mishaps of the Switzer era and the eventual downfall of the team. The story ends with the tearful Hall of Fame induction of Michael Irvin.
   
   The amazing thing about this book is not just the brilliant, often explicit writing style, but also the details Pearlman uses to describe off-field shenanigans of NFL greats such as Michael Irvin, Nate Newton, and Charles Haley. He gives detailed and explicit background information on many famous, and not so famous, Cowboys of the past. He uses firsthand accounts from past players, reporters, coaches, and wives to get a behind-the-scene look at the Cowboys in both their strengths and shortcomings.
   
   The best part about Pearlman's writing is that he does not pass judgment on these events or people. Sure there are a few biased sentences, but for the most part, he is impartial. He tells the story like it is. If you are a Cowboys fan, football fan, or anyone who enjoys a good read, I would definitely recommend this amazing book.

5 comments about When Pride Still Mattered : A Life Of Vince Lombardi.

1. i went to a play about Vice Lombardi based on this book. and i have so much respect for Vice he is a hard nose coach who wants to push his players so hard and sometimes i am like that when i play a video game. any one who was a fan of the Green Bay Packers then will really love this book and understand how he was able to turn this team around from losers to winners so quick. I haven't started to read this book yet but soon i will and when i do i will be reading it more often then my other books i have now. He was the best coach in the NFL and still is to this day. If u like history about the National Football league in the past when Bart Starr was the Quarterback or Paul Horning or Jim Taylor then this book is the book for u.



2. This is definitely one of the best biographies I have ever read. I knew little of Vince Lombardi before going in other than he was an exceptional coach and motivator. My interest in the NFL and desire to learn about the game lead me to this book and I can honestly say I got more than I bargained for with it.
   
   Not only is there great insight into the game at a time when the NFL was being formed but you also get a good feel for how Lombardi was such a great innovative coach and leader. I took from the book how the need for someone in a leadership role needs to maintain a strong authoritarian presence amongst those they oversee, easing up when needed but never falling in to being 'one of the boys' as I see happens all too often in the corporate world. There is a comparison in the book after Lombardi leaves Green Bay between him and his successor, who was not seen as being forceful or hard, and how this lax, easy-going attitude, caused the players to have a lack of respect for him and as a result play with almost half a heart, contrasting how Lombardi maintained strict order with players and in return made them play better and be better. Interviews relayed throughout the book from these players back up how this Lombardi attitude made them better players and people.
   
   As far as the writing style, it was great and the easy flow and attention to detail that was used just heightened the read all that much more.
   
   I recommend this book to any Football or biography fan as well as to anyone who enjoys reading about someone who made a difference. Five stars all the way.



3. 
   I am a huge sports fan, old enough to remember the Packers glory days under Lombardi, and while I spend a lot of my free time reading, I usually try to avoid sports biographies. For the most part, they are puff pieces about men who often don't deserve accolades for anything other than physical prowess. I really picked up this because I was impressed with a more recent work by David Maraniss, especially They Marched Into Sunlight: War and Peace Vietnam and America October 1967
   
   What Maraniss has done here is write a serious biography about an important sports figure, and he presents him warts and all. He shows Lombardi to be not just an effective, charismatic coach, but also a much less than devoted parent and husband.
   
   The actual football sections of the book could have been stronger, fuller, more detailed. Frankly, a lot of the book, particularly the chapters that recap seasons of the Packer dynasty are redundant and pretty lightweight - just rehashing the sports pages of the day.
   
   I enjoyed reading it, as I am sure most football fans will. It is better than the author's book about the Rome 1960 Olympics, but it is far short of his masterful account of the Vietnam war and the anti-war movement in America.



4. I was looking forward to reading this biography on one of my favorite coaches - Vince Lombardi. 'When Pride Still Mattered' is a complete biography of the life of Vince Lombardi. From his humble beginnings as the son of a butcher to one of the all time greatest coaches.
   
   I found the book a bit uneven. There were segments of this book that I couldn't stop reading. While there were other parts that were dry and slow moving. I enjoyed reading about Lombardi' early career and the frustrations of waiting for his chance at a head coaching position.
   
   It was sobering to learn how distant he was from his children. It was sad to see how he loved his players so much, but couldn't find the time or the ability to communicate with his kids. It was clear that he loved his children, bhut had a very difficult time showing that affection.
   
   It was difficult to read the end of the book. It was hard to see the great coach, teacher, and leader being ravaged by cancer. For a fan of football this is a book well worth reading.



5. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Maraniss' book. Maybe there was not enough football commentary for some, but I thought there was enough. After all, the story was about the man's lifetime. I think the best biographers are those who can reveal the strengths as well as the weaknesses of an individual. The author reveals weaknesses and flaws without disrespecting Lombardi. Lombardi was not a superhero; he was a very human person who took opportunities that came his way and dedicated his total self to meeting each challenge and succeeding. He was a fighter to the end, and even cancer did not claim him easily. There is much we can learn from this biography and I would advise spending the hours necessary to carefully perusing it.

No comments about Playing with Purpose: Inside the Lives and Faith of the NFL's Top New Quarterbacks.

5 comments about Dixieland Delight: A Football Season on the Road in the Southeastern Conference.

1. I'm in the middle of reading it, but it is well written and hilarious at times. I often find myself laughing out loud, making for awkward moments on the morning metro ride. The section about Jefferson Pilot is perfection.



2. Hilarious and insightfull look at the teams, fans and structure of SEC Football. Once you read this, you'll be a fan forever.



3. Clay offers a glimpse of what SEC football is like from a fan's perspective. There's nothing groundbreaking especially if you are already an SEC fan. He simply visits every campus, offers a few opinions about the places, throws out a few tired jokes that SEC fans have heard countless times and lets us know he went to Vandy Law School. It was boring to me, but for someone completely unfamiliar with southern college football culture, it might be somewhat entertaining.



4. Just a fun read for SEC fans (I love his ranking of schools by parties, women, etc). Well written and just a fun book to read and pass on to another SEC fan. We take ourselves too seriously and this is just a light hearted look at "our conference". Roll Tide!



5. This was a great book with interesting stories of how football is done right. No football in the country beats SEC Football! Great job telling it like it really is. I only wish I could have come along.
   
   Gary,
   Zionsville, IN

5 comments about Never Die Easy: The Autobiography of Walter Payton.

1. Very good read. Especially interesting were the chapters about his childhood, and dealing with life after football.



2. I am not a sports fan but Walter Payton's behavior on and off the field had caught my attention. How many people would earn the nickname "sweetness" especially in sports. I remember his illness and the day his death was announced and I called my daughter at work to let her know. She was a huge fan. My cousin recomended this book; I had never heard of it. He had said he was not a reader but this book was so inspiring he said I should read it. It was no longer in print so I tried Amazon.
   
   Everything about this man and his family just screamed character and loyalty. Not only was he a fantastic athlete, he was also an honorable man who did not let his abilities and fame turn his head. The books detail on his training was inspiring in that it spoke of his self motivation in detail and how he did not take time off between seasons. Training was too important to him. He also never got tired of his fans and always made time for them. The book is an easy read, it is well laid out and detailed about a man who had very little and made the most of it and never tried to take the spotlight from anyone else.



3. This has to be one of the most powerfull books I have ever read. The story of how Walter Payton lived is a great reminder that we all have more in us.
   This biography explained how Walter played and why he beleived that he should. This book will be read again.



4. NEVER DIE EASY is the story of Walter Payton the NFL Superstar, and more importantly, what he was as a man.
   
   The book starts out with Walter's last days fighting cancer. The circumstances leading to his announcement of his illness were brought to light.
   
   Walter, his brother Eddy, and sister Pam shared what it was like attending school before and during integration. Walter's football talent and personality made the process easier in Columbia,MS. On Walter's high school and college career there is a lot of contributions from teammates that played with him.
   
   Walter explained how he approached playing the game of football- "You can't work towards two different goals - individual and team. You have to play for the team goal."
   
   The book has shared insights from Bear backfield mates- Roland Harper, Matt Suhey, and Jim McMahon.
   
   Walter's view of his retirement, and the failed bid for ownership of an NFL franchise were some things that probably aren't common knowledge among fans. The two issues were directly related. That was a big disappointment to Walter Payton - not being part owner of an NFL expansion franchise. He came very close in St. Louis. If he had different partners, he might have fulfilled another of his dreams.
   
   Transcripts of the eulogies were included in the book. His son Jarrett, brother Eddy, Mike Singletary, John Madden, and Mike Ditka all spoke.
   
   This book focused more on the man than the player. There are a lot perspectives from his family members and close friends. "Never Die Easy" described Walter's running style. As great as he was on the field, he was even greater as a private citizen, contributing to charitable causes, often anonymously.
   In the days where contract size and celebrity reign in the NFL, Walter Payton was more like the Bears of old who played for the love of the game.
   If you want to read about a modern football hero with an "old school" work ethic, this is the book.



5. The title of this book says it all! Walter Payton lived life the best way anyone should, doing your very best at whatever you do! Walter Payton was extraordinary both off and on the football field. He is a true hero who touched many lives and leaves a great legacy behind; Walter you are still missed by all! I never met Walter and I was too young to see witness his amazing football skills but I am inspired by his personal story. Everyone should read this; it's inspirational!