The non-fiction selection for May is Mary Tillman's new book about her son, Pat, entitled Boots on the Ground by Dusk: My Tribute to Pat Tillman. You can read a recent interview with Mary Tillman about her family's ordeal in trying to get the straight story about her son's death from the Army here.
3 points of view:
I'm a little behind in my reading, but halfway through this book and my stomach hurts as I turn each page. The book tells the heartwrenching story of the loss of a son and reveals the horrifying experience of being on the wrong side of the military. Growing up with a father who was wedded to the military, I can't help but feel for and imagine what it's like being on both sides. It makes me want to close my eyes and plug my ears and say this can't be happening. But, unfortunately, I know all too well that it does happen. And, no matter how honorable the original intentions, people's lives are often left on the scrap heap. I'll check back again when I'm done...
A of GABS
I'm back -- after finishing the book last week. I'll start (and end) with my main impressions. The narrative of Pat's life is inspirational until it is sadly cut short during wartime. Then, as a reader, I experience his mother's deep grief and then the frustration, horror and pain that Mary lived through as she tried to simply understand the real circumstances of her son's death. The military's inpenetrable veil made her search for answers like the experience of being lost in a hellish maze or fun house, where nothing is as it appears. The combination of secrecy, stupidity, attitude and deceit that Mary faced would be enough to make anyone crazy, furious...you name it. And yet she continued her honorable fight for truth. From a purely literary perspective, as the book ended, I was left wanting more of the family's (or at least Pat's mother's) emotional landscape. What made the book so hard to put down through the first half (the way she described who Pat was and his spirit and how she explored the depth of her grief) began to get lost -- understandably so -- in the midst of her search for answers. I felt the editor could have done a better job of balancing the plethora of military paperwork and research that was included. Granted, much of it needed to be included in order to round out the story of the government's ineptitude and how the military closes ranks around its own. Yet, I felt that the story of who Pat was and the emotion of his family (and mother, in particular) began to get lost as the book closed. There were numerous typos and places where the text was repetitive. It was as if the wall that Pat's family was facing simply fell on them (and after three years) Mary simply couldn't sustain the beauty of her writing that carried the first half of the book. While the editor and/or Pat's mother could have pushed for the same high literary standards at the end of the book that are in the beginning, I still believe it's a book that needed to be written. A story that needed to be told. While the ending remains unsatisfying because of the lack of answers and acknowledgment of culpability, the book could have been more satisfying from an emotional standpoint. Of course, that would require some resolution and, sadly, while Mary and her family are not quite there, they are closer to one that it appears the military ever will be.
A of GABS
Wow, thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book. I too am behind, but opted to read poetry this month. It sounds as if she really captured those experiences that are unique to a "military family." It is disappointing to read that she didn't get more or better help from her editor toward the end of the book.
Having watched this woman testify before Congress, I am impressed with her courage, but even for all her strength, you could detect a kind of shock; her disbelief at how her family was being treated was palpable. She just kind of radiated an attitude of "this can't be happening, can it?"
Thank you for your insights. Hugs.
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