_Three Cups of Deceit_

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Aug 112011
 

Three Cups of Deceit: How Greg Mortenson,…

_Three Cups of Deceit_ by Jon Krakauer

Upon sharing with some colleagues that I had really enjoyed reading Greg Mortenson’s _Three Cups of Tea_ last summer, someone said that he thought that Mortenson had been ratted out as having made up some of his story. I hadn’t heard this before, but it bothered me because I had been really been moved by this book. Another friend of mine has also been reading it with her son and thinking about doing the Pennies for Peace program promoted by Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute.

So, I came across Jon Krakauer’s title _Three Cups of Deceit_ and decided it was time to read it especially since I really respect Krakauer’s writing.

Krakauer reveals through correspondences with members of CAI and characters mentioned in the original book many untruths told by Mortenson in his book. Krakauer explains that he had offered an opportunity for Mortenson to be interviewed to dispel these allegations, but suddenly (conveniently) became unavailable shortly before the scheduled interview.

How disappointing to read these facts about a story that was so inspiring and had re-energized me in why I believe in education and my profession. Of course, these facts do not change how I feel, but it is a huge disappointment that a man who had such ability to inspire and motivate could be such a jerk as to lie and embellish when his story could have been just as effective without it. I wonder how people live with themselves and continue to sell their stories despite all the lies….

I am reminded as to why I am so skeptical about charities and stories of great giving…. 🙁

So, on to other reading….

_Where Men Win Glory_

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Mar 022011
 

_Where Men Win Glory:  The Odyssey of Pat Tillman_ by Jon Krakauer

 

I have realized that it is possible that I am reading to avoid the myriad of other tasks that I should be doing to be more productive towards completing research and professional goals. However, I also consider reading a useful and productive endeavor even if it’s not directly impacting what I should technically be doing. 🙂

In any case, after seeing Jon Krakauer on The Daily Show many months ago promoting his latest book, I thought I’d go ahead and round off my Krakauer series of readings. This book follows the story of Pat Tillman, his life and death, and the government’s role in the media and cover-up of the truth.

I remember when I first heard Pat Tillman’s name because the news was so shocked that an NFL player had decided to enlist in the Army to fight during the Iraq war. Most men of our age look for ways to avoid having to go into the military and so it was a surprise to hear that someone making NFL money would give that up to fight a war that I think our generation were not sure was worth fighting despite the 9/11 attacks and aftermath. However, despite the media hype, I just took the man to be someone who felt an obligation to protect and serve for his country, which is something I’m in awe of and respect since I’m not sure where my position on that stands.

Some months later, I also recall the media making a big fuss over the announcement that this same Pat Tillman had been killed in battle. It seemed like a shame, but to someone who was no longer interested and desensitized to all the BS going on about the war, I just pushed it aside as another meaningless loss in a war that we shouldn’t have continued forth with to the level that it went. Still, I was overseas and it was easy to ignore everything.

For me, that was the end of my knowledge and interest in the Pat Tillman story and a bulk of any thoughts I put towards the war; sad but true. 🙁 However, this book really started to bring my attention to just how crazy the whole shenanigans were. The military tried to cover up the truth that Tillman had unfortunately been killed by friendly fire due to poor communications and leadership. It’s amazing to me that people still have not learned that lying and cover ups never ever are successful when it comes to the life of another person and on a scale such as a WAR!

Anyway, as I read, I felt both anger and annoyance at the military and people in leadership positions who think only about saving their own asses rather than what is morally and ethically right. It continued to push me on the side of thinking war is truly a pointless endeavor when the target and goals are not clear or are about something more than the basic protection of our country. I felt sadness for the Tillman family in not only losing a special member of their family, but also for the inability to mourn peacefully as they struggled to find out the truth because of conflicting stories and information.

So, now part of me is interested in reading more about the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, but part of me can’t bear the thought of finding out more lies and truths about decisions and actions made that I probably disagree with. I’ve been watching the TV series of The Band of Brothers and The Pacific on the two fronts of World War II. In these shows I can see both the need to fight for the country and the senselessness of killing other men. Still, it seems that there is honor and pride in these battles despite the horrors and trauma. I’m not getting that sense from our more recent wars, but then again the enemy is different and the world has changed…..

Anyway, I think I need to stop reading for a while to focus on more academic pursuits and to give my head a wee break. Though, I may have to return to some mindless fiction eventually! 😀

More to come later,

-T

_Into the Wild_

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Feb 112011
 

_Into the Wild_ by Jon Krakauer

After reading Jon Krakauer’s _Under the Banner of Heaven_, I thought I’d try another one of his recommended novels. This 2007 novel, _Into the Wild_ follows the story of Chris McCandless who walks away from his family, possessions, and way of life in hopes of finding his ideal future. With natural parallels made to Jack London’s _Call of the Wild_, Krakauer retraces McCandless’s journey once he has walked away from everything he’s known.

McCandless’s journey takes him across the United States, leaving behind lasting impressions with those who crossed his path. He seemed to be well-liked, charismatic and intelligent. While he is often described as lacking in street smarts, he presents himself as a hard-worker and realistic despite his propelling search for a utopic world. These contradictions within him make the story compelling to follow.

Of course, when McCandless is found dead in the wilderness of Alaska, it’s no surprise and the varied critics of his lack of preparedness to expect a different ending are unsympathetic. As Krakauer explores the area around where McCandless finally starved to death or died from toxic plants he had eaten, it is ironic to learn that just a few miles down river he could have gotten back to civilization or found better shelter with the chance of finding food.

In some ways, though it is a tragic ending to a young man’s life who clearly was searching for something more fulfilling in his life, it is somehow fitting and almost romantic that he did die this way. Krakauer suggests that McCandless had started to realize a way of making his ideal world and the real one work together, but it will forever remain a mystery as to whether or not such a character would really have been able to  find a way to be satisfied or not.

Of course, readers/critics must feel for his family that he left behind and though some might make him out to be some sort of hero, the reality is that he was a troubled soul looking for a way to reconcile the realities of life and his dreams of one he aspired to make true.

Perhaps from this in-depth explanation of the novel, you can guess how I felt about the book. I found it engaging and a very easy read. Again, I like Krakauer’s style of mixing different lines of stories that all connect back to the main one. I hear there is a Sean Penn movie out about this book, so I may take a look at that. All-in-all, I recommend reading it as it also brings out philosophical questions, which are always of interest to me. 🙂

More to come…

-T

_Under the Banner of Heaven_

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Jan 182011
 

_Under the Banner of Heaven:  A Story of Violent Faith_ by Jon Krakauer

This book was a doozy of a tale of the foundations and progress of the Mormon religion. Jon Krakauer writes in an easy-to-read journalistic style telling the story of the beginnings, divisions and transformations of the Latter Day Saints centered around the story of the Lafferty brothers who are supposedly told by God to kill a number of people. They manage to complete the murders of their sister-in-law and baby with no remorse or guilt regarding their actions.

Krakauer weaves the history and varied beliefs and practices of the followers of Mormonism from the spiritual visions of Joseph Smith to its current-day position.

I don’t want to give much more detail as there is so much information and many stories that he shares throughout the book. It was a great read. I have/had friends who are LDS members and at various times was curious about their faith and the religion. Religion has always played an unsatisfactory role in my life and remains a topic that I cannot fully accept in all its various incarnations, sects and divisions. God does exist, I believe. Satan does exist, I believe. A spiritual presence does exist in man, I believe. Beyond that, I have questions and doubts.

The LDS church has always seemed a mystery to me. A friend many years ago sent me a book when I began to ask her about her faith. I was not satisfied with what it said as the Bible, which I have read numerous times front to back and back to front, did not match up – not just didn’t match, but contradicted. Laws seemed to be conjured up upon convenience and the role of women in the religion just didn’t vibe with me. Still, I respect everyone’s right to believe as s/he likes or feels called/moved to believe. I’m interested in all spiritual movements even if I don’t agree or they scare me.

So, I’m glad I read the story. I’m not sure if the author’s intent was to inform or to shed a certain tinted light on the religion itself, but I was drawn to his writing and the story. It’s not easy reading or necessarily good for the faint of heart, but it definitely opens the mind. 😀

More to come,

-T

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