Worth Fighting For
An Army Ranger's Journey Out of the Military and Across America
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
“Fanning combines memoir, travelogue, political tract, and history lesson in this engaging account of his 3,000-mile solo walk from Virginia to California” (Publishers Weekly).
Just days after the US military covered up the death by friendly fire of Pat Tillman, Rory Fanning—who served in the same unit as Tillman—left the Army Rangers as a conscientious objector. Disquieted by his tours in Afghanistan, Fanning sets out to honor Tillman’s legacy by crossing the United States on foot. The generous, colorful people he meets and the history he discovers help him learn to live again.
“Fanning’s descriptions of the hardships and highlights of the trip comprise the bulk of the book, and he infuses his left-wing politics into a narrative peppered with historical tidbits, most of which describe less-than-honorable moments in American history, such as the terrorist actions of the Ku Klux Klan and the nation’s Indian removal policies. What stands out most, though, is the selflessness and generosity―which come in the form of stories, hospitality, and donations for the foundation―of the people Fanning encountered during his journey.” ―Publishers Weekly
“Rory Fanning’s odyssey is more than a walk across America. It is a gripping story of one young man’s intellectual journey from eager soldier to skeptical radical, a look at not only the physical immenseness of the country, its small towns, and highways, but into the enormity of its past, the hidden sins and unredeemed failings of the United States. The reader is there along with Rory, walking every step, as challenging and rewarding experience for us as it was for him.” —Chicago Sun-Times
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fanning combines memoir, travelogue, political tract, and history lesson in this engaging account of his 3,000-mile solo walk from Virginia to California to raise money for the Pat Tillman Foundation. Fanning recounts his childhood struggles and his rocky military career as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan, during which he grew severely disillusioned with the war over the course of two tours. That disillusionment led him to become a conscientious objector and request a discharge the service. Several years later, in 2008, he decided to walk coast-to-coast for the foundation that was set up to honor Tillman, the NFL safety who joined the Army and was killed by friendly fire in Afghanistan. Fanning's descriptions of the hardships and highlights of the trip comprise the bulk of the book, and he infuses his left-wing politics into a narrative peppered with historical tidbits, most of which describe less-than-honorable moments in American history, such as the terrorist actions of the Ku Klux Klan and the nation's Indian removal policies. What stands out most, though, is the selflessness and generosity which come in the form of stories, hospitality, and donations for the foundation of the people Fanning encountered during his journey.
