[Robert Mcgovern]All American : Why I Believe in Football, God, and the War in Iraq(pdf){Zzzzz}

Imagine what it's like to come face-to-face with a terrorist in a foreign courtroom—and you're the lawyer looking to put him away.

Imagine what it's like to see happy children in Iraq and Afghanistan smiling and waving at U.S. military helicopters.

Imagine what it's like to be an undersized linebacker in the National Football League, where most of the players you're supposed to tackle weigh more than you.

Imagine what it's like to be the seventh of nine kids growing up in an Irish Catholic family in the 1970s.

Imagine what it's like to be Robert McGovern, current captain in the U.S. Army, National Football League veteran, and proud member of a loving New Jersey family.

Robert McGovern has a story to tell—not about himself, although he's a part of it—but about the men and women he has called friends, mentors, and heroes. From his days in Catholic school to his years as a college and professional football player to his current career as an army judge advocate general, McGovern knows an all-American when he sees one. And in this book he introduces you to the ones he's met from all walks of life.

McGovern traded his shoulder pads for legal briefs more than a decade ago. He prosecuted drug dealers while working in the office of Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. On September 11, 2001, he was in lower Manhattan when the Twin Towers fell. After working the pile at Ground Zero, McGovern asked to be mobilized from his Army Reserve duty to active duty. He was first sent to Afghanistan, where he advised battlefield commanders on legal rules of engagement. He then went to Iraq to prosecute terrorist suspects. He returned from both tours convinced that Americans needed to hear another side of the war on terrorism—the side he saw firsthand.

Publisher: William Morrow (February 20, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061227854
ISBN-13: 978-0061227851

Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
God and football are justified by the author's Catholic education and his four-season stint as an NFL linebacker (with the Chiefs, Steelers and Patriots), full of gridiron pratfalls and hymns to teamwork, goal setting and perseverance. The war in Iraq is justified by his experiences as an army lawyer prosecuting terrorists and insurgents in Baghdad, which he elaborates with strident rhetoric—"we serve the cause for [sic] peace and life, while our enemy seeks only chaos and death"—and tendentious argument. McGovern's case is simplistic and one-sided. He blames the violence in Iraq entirely on foreign terrorists while ignoring the sectarian strife engulfing the country. He insists that Saddam was a "clear and present danger" who would have attacked America if he could. Instead of confronting critics of the Iraq War head-on, McGovern conflates them with unnamed straw men who allegedly want to coddle Osama bin Laden. It all merges into a manifesto, complete with broadsides denouncing drugs and supporting the death penalty, a touch of France-bashing and jockishly cloying salutes to lawyer colleagues ("Deep down inside, John is really just a big old Teddy bear"), revered coaches and other all-Americans. McGovern's stay-the-course cheerleading seems irrelevant to the agonizing quandaries confronting America in Iraq or the results of the recent elections. Photos. (Jan. 30)
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Review
"Destined to win accolades..." -- Kirkus Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

Autobiography and Apologetic
By John Yuskaitis on September 20, 2007
Several reviews I have read have come down hard on the author for his stand on the war in Iraq. But this is his autobiography, the story of his life, and his opinion of the war is just one part of it. It is a well-written account of his childhood, his family, his education and his aspirations, and continues into his adulthood to the present time. He lets us know how he was trained by his parents to be unselfish and give back to the community some form of service, and this was undoubtedly the motivation for joining the Army Reserve, and eventually finding himself on active duty in Iraq.

A good part of his story comes before that. He was competing with his older brothers in athletics, trying to be as good as they had been in high school football, and then in college football. He received an athletic scholarship from Holy Cross, an enormous accomplishment in his eyes, and he was grateful for the opportunity. And then came pro football, four years of it on three different teams. He was pretty good at it, but not outstanding. He simply was not big enough (hefty, bulky) to be a great linebacker. He was thankful for this chance to make the big league, but took the advice of one of his coaches to give it up. From there he decided to study law and with his law degree took a job as an Assistant DA in New York City. Then came 9/11, to which he was an eyewitness. In his role as a US Army Reserve officer he volunteered to help. Immediately following, he applied for active duty, leaving his job as assistant DA, and became a prosecutor for the Judge Advocate General Corps, and then deployed to Afghanistan and later to Iraq

A Little Patriotism Goes a Long Way
By Adam on February 20, 2007
I just finished reading Captain Rob McGovern's "All American". Rob McGovern has had a front row seat to our country's most significant historical moments over the last 6 years, and his perspective is one of hope and optimism, rather than the constant pessimism and defeatism that are shoved down our throats. I was refreshed to hear a perspective from someone who doesn't want to make their name by seeing how many bad things they can say about their family, religion, and the United States. Captain McGovern tells stories about his life and the lessons he's learned through the people he met along the way; learning from both failures and successes. He uses a conversational style to talk to the reader, and relays a genuine passion for what he believes. Far from ignoring critics, he acknowledges the negative, but does not make it his job to rehash what we hear in the news everyday. He wants us to know the other side of the story; where good people are doing their best to do good things.

I was very disappointed in Publisher Weekly's review, as I think whoever wrote it missed the point entirely. Apparently being a book reviewer doesn't require knowing the definition of an "autobiography". They seem to feel that when a person writes a story about THEIR OWN LIFE they must give equal time and confront potential critics. Captain McGovern's note to the reader at the beginning of the book makes clear he is talking from his point of view. Interestingly, PW's last review of Al Franken's Book "The Truth" (which is not an autobiography) is hailed for its attack on "the Right wing". Opposing points of view are not necessary as long as PW is happy.

I highly recommend "All American". Captain McGovern balances the funny moments (e.g. his encounter with John Elway) with the seriousness of the subject matter. For anyone interested in sports, law, politics, and stories about people exceeding their potential through hard work, Captain McGovern's is a great story.