Really - your calling me out for calling Krakauer a lib? He lives in Boulder. By definition, I think that alone might classify him as liberal.
Below is one of several review that describes pretty well what I don't like about Krakauer - in regards to this book.
Glad you liked it, I didn't...
Marc D. Mootchnik (Laguna Niguel, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Where Men Win Glory: The Odyssey of Pat Tillman (Paperback)
I loved Into The Wild and Into Thin Air. Drawing from his mountaineering and outdoors experiences, Krakauer told engrossing stories. In Where Men Win Glory, Krakauer is clearly out of his element.
He lacks the knowledge of football that sports writers have. While Tillman was a very accomplished athlete, Krakauer's embellishments were a bit too sappy. Krakauer's attempts to write like Grantland Rice or sound like John Facenda nothwithstanding, Krakauer would have been better to approach this part of the book in humbler fashion.
Regarding Tillman's participation in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, Krakauer lacked the expertise of military writers. His description of the battles and life in the military, while colorful, are superficial and fail to give the reader the appreciation that so many other soldiers sacrificed their lives for the same causes. That Tillman gave up a multi-million dollar contract to play in the NFL does not make him a better person or soldier than the many others who enlisted.
Truly disappointing were his gratuitous attacks on the Bush administration. His discussion of the 2000 election was unnecessary as was his scathing rebuke of the Supreme Court in the Bush vs Gore decision. His pointed criticism of the Bush Administration leading up to 9/11 suggested this section was written by Michael Moore and his description of the events leading up to 9/11 were simplistic and lacked the understanding demonstrated by more knowledgeable writers. If one really cares to learn of the roles of both the Bush and Clinton Administrations and other events leading up to the attacks on 9/11, I recommend Ghost Wars by Steve Coll. Indeed Krakauer cited Ghost Wars several times, sometimes inaccurately.
Tillman's story, particularly the military cover-up, is one that should be told. Unfortunately, given Krakauer's gratuitous and inaccurate diatribe against the Bush Administration, it is unclear whether the book expresses Tillman's disenchantment of the wars or Krakauer's. Thus, in the most critical portions of the book, Krakauer's biases undermine his credibility, a fatal flaw when attempting to expose a conspiracy.
There are other books and sources regarding the subjects of this book that are far better. Anyone interested would be well advised to skip this book and look elsewhere. In the future, Krakauer will hopefully stick to the subjects he knows best.