The Letter
My Journey Through Love, Loss, and Life
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $17.99
Publisher Description
A love story and an inspirational tale of recovery and self-discovery, Marie Tillman opens up for the first time about her marriage to ex-NFL star Pat Tillman, and her journey to rebuild her life after his death.
In 2003, Pat Tillman, serving in the US Army, hastily wrote a "just in case" letter to his wife, Marie. When he returned on leave before his departure to Afghanistan, he placed the letter on top of their bedroom dresser. For months it sat there, sealed and ever-present, like a black hole through which Marie knew her stable life would be pulled if she ever had reason to open it. Then, in April 2004, Marie's worst nightmare came true. In the days following his death, it was Pat's letter that kept her going and, more than that, it was his words that would help her learn to navigate a world she could no longer share with her husband.
In The Letter, Marie's talks for the first time about her journey to remake her life after Pat's death. In it, she recalls meeting and falling in love with Pat when they were kids, his harrowing decision to join the army after 9/11, and the devastating day when she learned he'd been killed. She describes how she withdrew from the public spotlight to grieve, learning along the way the value of solitude, self-awareness and integrity in the healing process. And, finally, Marie recounts her work to rebuild her life, including founding The Pat Tillman Foundation, an organization established to carry forth Pat's legacy of leadership, and her decision to step back into the public eye in order to inspire people to live with meaning and purpose.
Filled with the lessons Marie learned and the wisdom she gained since Pat's death, The Letter is both a heartrending love story and an inspiring tale for anyone, young or old, whose life has taken an unexpected hard turn -- and who struggles to get back on the right path.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this wrought and thoughtful memoir, the widow of Pat Tillman the professional football player who fatally joined the Army navigates lost love and possibilities. Adventurous by nature, Pat left the Arizona Cardinals shortly after 9/11 and enlisted just months before his wedding to the author. His grandfather fought at Pearl Harbor, so Pat believed he needed to do something more meaningful with his life, and Marie acquiesced. "By asking him not to go, I would be asking him to be someone he wasn't." The couple had been high school sweethearts, spending 10 years together before his death and highly publicized memorial service. Officials first announced that he had been shot in the head by enemy fire in Afghanistan. Later, after a series of difficult investigations including a frustrating hearing with Donald Rumsfeld the cause of death was deemed "friendly fire." In a "just in case" letter that Marie kept on her dresser during his deployments, Pat asked her one last favor: to continue living. "Emotionally guarded" by nature, she shuns the spotlight and moves from the West Coast to New York City, where she goes through the stages of grief out of the media spotlight. Though chronologically jumpy and slightly distanced, Marie makes her way back West as a wiser, more compassionate, and well-traveled single woman. She successfully honors her husband's legacy while offering solace and hope for those in anguish.
Customer Reviews
Unbelievably touching.
A beautiful written book about an amazingly strong woman that was married to an exceptional man. Thank you for such an intimate look into an unimaginable situation. And how one can turn a catastrophe into something amazing. Inspirational in every sense of the word. Thank you.