Buy new:

$25.99

List Price: $40.00 Details

Save: $14.01 (35%)

+ No Import Fees Deposit & $9.91 Shipping to Canada Details

Arrives: Wednesday, Sep 22

Only 3 left in stock - order soon.

Ships from	Amazon
Sold by	Gobelin

Details

Ships from

Amazon

Sold by

Gobelin

Return policy: Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Add to List

Added to

Unable to add item to List. Please try again.

Share <Embed>

Other Sellers on Amazon

$29.99
+ $9.91 shipping

Sold by: book-exchange

$28.41
+ $15.63 shipping

Sold by: MAYABE

$19.16
+ $33.62 shipping

Sold by: American University of Sovereign Nations Books

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See all 2 images

Follow the Author

Peter R. Mansoor

Surge: My Journey with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War (Yale Library of Military History) Hardcover – October 29, 2013

by Peter R. Mansoor (Author), David Petraeus (Foreword)

50 ratings

Part of: Yale Library of Military History (12 books)

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$14.70

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$25.99

$19.16

$1.99

Paperback

"Please retry"

$20.00

$14.01

$2.96

MP3 CD, Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$9.99

$9.29

—

Surge is an insider’s view of the most decisive phase of the Iraq War. After exploring the dynamics of the war during its first three years, the book takes the reader on a journey to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, where the controversial new U.S. Army and Marine Corps counterinsurgency doctrine was developed; to Washington, D.C., and the halls of the Pentagon, where the Joint Chiefs of Staff struggled to understand the conflict; to the streets of Baghdad, where soldiers worked to implement the surge and reenergize the flagging war effort before the Iraqi state splintered; and to the halls of Congress, where Ambassador Ryan Crocker and General David Petraeus testified in some of the most contentious hearings in recent memory.

Using newly declassified documents, unpublished manuscripts, interviews, author notes, and published sources, Surge explains how President George W. Bush, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Ambassador Crocker, General Petraeus, and other U.S. and Iraqi political and military leaders shaped the surge from the center of the maelstrom in Baghdad and Washington.

Print length

384 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Yale University Press
Publication date

October 29, 2013
Dimensions

6.13 x 1.06 x 9.25 inches
ISBN-10

0300172354
ISBN-13

978-0300172355
See all details

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Peter R. Mansoor
42
Paperback
$13.88
Michael R. Gordon
198
Paperback
140 offers from $2.20
David Pietras
4
Paperback
$9.99
Paula Broadwell
184
Hardcover
111 offers from $1.28

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Peter R. Mansoor
42
Paperback
$13.88
Kimberly Kagan
7
Hardcover
$19.55
Peter R. Mansoor
38
Paperback
$22.50
Fred Kaplan
174
Paperback
$11.79
Michael R. Gordon
198
Paperback
140 offers from $2.20

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The definitive account. . . . A fascinating combination of grand strategy and personal vignettes."—Max Boot, Wall Street Journal

(Max Boot Wall Street Journal)

"Lively and vivid. Recommended for readers with an interest in military history and strategy or the challenges of nation building."—Kirkus Reviews

(Kirkus Reviews)

“By far the best account of the decisive campaign of the Iraq War, and the conduct of modern American counterinsurgency, and also the best account anywhere about the inner workings of contemporary Iraqi politics. This book will remain the seminal work on this important part of the American experience in Iraq for many years.”—Conrad Crane, lead author of Army/Marine Corps Field Manual 3-24, Counterinsurgency

(Conrad Crane)

“This is one of the best books to emerge from the Iraq War. I expect it will be remembered as one of the most insightful accounts from an insider of the key ‘surge’ phase of that conflict. The chapter on the Sunni Awakening especially stands out as a terrific overview of that critical development.”—Thomas E. Ricks, author of Fiasco, The Gamble and The Generals: American Military Command from World War II to Today

(Thomas E. Ricks)

Runner-up for the 2013 Southern California Book Festival, in the Biography/Autobiography category, sponored by JM Northern Media LLC.

(Southern California Book Festival JM Northern Media LLC 2013-10-22)

"Few—VERY few—studies of military operations are authored by someone who combines the qualities of an outstanding scholar with the experience of having been the commanding general's executive officer. Mansoor tells the story of a very rare type of military operation: creating victory in the context not merely of ongoing defeat but imminent catastrophe. And he tells it like a scholar: no hero-worship, no pointing with pride and viewing with alarm."—Dennis Showalter, author of Patton and Rommel: Men of War in the Twentieth Century

(Dennis Showalter)

“Peter Mansoor has shed fresh light and understanding on the U.S. experience in Iraq, illuminating war’s political nature as well as its human and psychological dimensions. Surge is a story of adaptation, which highlights the importance of continuously assessing complex situations and acting to seize and retain the initiative. It will be thought-provoking not only to all interested in the Iraq War, but also to those interested in how to lead change in large organizations and enterprises.”—H. R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Lies that Led to Vietnam

(H. R. McMaster)

"Scholars of military history and students of national security affairs will find Surge an invaluable resource. The book is highly readable despite its impressive scholarship and sourcing, and benefits from its author’s professional training as an historian and his rigorous analytical approach . . . . No one seriously interested in the complexities of strategic thinking in general or this conflict, and America’s ongoing struggle to coherently link its policy aims to actionable plans, can overlook Mansoor’s analysis or conclusions."—War on the Rocks blog

(War on the Rocks blog)

Won a Honorable Mention for the 2014 Los Angeles Book Festival in the General Non-Fiction Category.

(Los Angeles Book Festival JM Northern Media LLC 2014-03-13)

Finalist for the 2013 Guggenheim-Prize in Military History.

(Guggenheim-Lehrman Prize in Military History The Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation 2014-03-18)

"Indispensable. . . . Surge should be in any serious reader's short stack of books on the war in Iraq."—Mark Kukis, Michigan War Studies Review

(Mark Kukis Michigan War Studies Review)

From the Author

Praise for Surge: My Journey with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War

“Surge is an extraordinary account of a decisive campaign in the Iraq War by one who is uniquely qualified to write it. Colonel (Ret.) Pete Mansoor not only is a history professor, he also was a brigade commander in Iraq during our first year there and then was my executive officer for the first fifteen months of the surge. I am confident that his firsthand account of that chapter of our involvement in Iraq will contribute enormously to the understanding of what our military men and women—and their coalition, Iraqi, and civilian partners—accomplished in 2007 and 2008. It is gratifying to see their exceptional work recounted by one who was there and who has the academic expertise and military understanding to provide context to their achievements and depth of understanding to their sacrifices. This superb account of a critical period will inform scholarship on the Iraq War for years to come.”—General (Ret.) David H. Petraeus

Praise for Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq

"Unflinching. . . . [Mansoor] tells the story of that fateful first year in Iraq from the point of view of one who saw decisions being made at the highest echelons, yet led soldiers in executing those orders day by day."—Bill Murphy, Washington Post

"Colonel Mansoor displays the knowledge of a soldier alongside the narrative gifts of a true historian, weaving dramatic events together, capturing the thoughts and emotions of street-level fighters, and describing Iraqi society as it tries to emerge from the maelstrom of war."—Mark Moyar, Wall Street Journal

“Destined to be studied in war colleges for generations. . . . A far better guide to counterinsurgency warfare than the official manual published by the Army and Marines."—Ralph Peters, New York Post

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Yale University Press; 1st Edition (October 29, 2013)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0300172354
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0300172355
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.55 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.13 x 1.06 x 9.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,324,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #679 in Iraq War Biographies
- #1,430 in Iraq War History (Books)
- #46,732 in Memoirs (Books)

Customer Reviews:
50 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload video

Customer reviews

5 star		69%
4 star		20%
3 star		3%
2 star		4%
1 star		4%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Mark T. Patterson II

A Soldiers Perspectve

Reviewed in the United States on May 23, 2015

Verified Purchase

There have been a few books out on the Surge now, mostly from the perspective of the NCO on the ground in a specific sector. These are good, gripping tales but leave the reader without the history from a macro perspective. In that sense this book is a refreshing chronicle of an obviously educated man who was also a soldier in the fight on two fronts: Iraq and Washington DC.

Written with emotion, we get the facts nonetheless. The advantage of this chronicle is the proximity the author had to the men in charge and the politicians that could at any moment pull the plug on a supreme effort. What I will remember most about this book was how the author helped his superior, General Petraeus prepare a good argument for the Congress on how things were going and why we should continue with the Surge, then along with Ambassador Crocker then spent hours having to listen to members of Congress bash the policy of his Commander in Chief.

I thought the conduct of Senator Clinton and Senator Obama were unforgiveable, using all their time allotted to probe these men for answers to assist them in deciding what to do to instead declare the surge a failure. I came away with the sense these people did not really care what the soldiers and diplomats were trying to salvage in Iraq, but just wanted to use their presence to grandstand their own ideas. It was just pathetic to read about that conduct. Judging from what I see on C-Span I don't think it was inaccurate.

I drop a star because I thought the book read a little like a Tom Clancy novel; all the soldiers are good, the marriages solid, the fight complex with some allies in unpredictable places. While it was refreshing to see an endorsement of President Bush and reflect on the courage he showed to correct the flawed decision to invade initially, events that have transpired for the other hero in the book, General Petraeus, that bring him back to mere mortal status. He is after all, just a man, but a remarkable man nonetheless.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

Thomas M. Magee

The story from the inside

Reviewed in the United States on July 9, 2014

Verified Purchase

Excellent book here!! This book will become the history of the surge. It will be a must read for both military officers and Department of State officials. The author was the chief of staff for General Petraeus. He was on the front row for the surge. Other authors reviewed accounts and records of the surge. This author lived the surge at the highest levels. Mr. Mansoor does a superb job of recording that adventure. The time period of the surge comes alive like a Tom Clancy novel.

The reader will be put in the inner councils of the Army in Iraq. You will get an understanding of the difficulty of the surge. General Petraeus had to not only navigate dangerous Iraq he had to overcome hazardous Washington too. The author breaks down the event to give a very comprehensive look at the event. You will hear of the operational demands but also how things like internal Iraqi politics contributed or hindered victory. His analysis of Iraqi President Maliki's political work during the surge has the seeds of the current problems Iraq faced. He never quite created a sense of unity among the different groups then.

The book also illustrates how staffs support VIPs. I think his stories of how the personal staff to the General operated can have lessons for staffs of large organizations of all types here in the states.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

DMgraphicGlass

Important and unique "first draft of history"

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2014

Verified Purchase

It has often been said that journalism is the first draft of history. But what if that first draft was written not by a journalist but by a soldier-scholar and trained military historian? And what if that same individual had a position that was at the absolute center of the headquarters of the general (David Petraeus) that was, with a lot of help, turning a war around. That is what we, the American public, have the good fortune of having occurred because Peter Mansoor is that soldier-scholar (first in his class at West Point) and trained historian (doctorate in military history from Ohio State). And the fact that he later chose to retire from the Army to accept a position as Chair of the Military History Department at Ohio State rather than be considered for promotion to general officer allows us to read this now rather than ten or more years from now. I base that number on GEN. Eric Shinseki's estimate that the average general officer is a general for about ten years. Had Mansoor become a general he wouldn't be able to write this book until much later because he most likely would still be in the military.

This book covers the period of the “surge” of the Iraq War. But unlike Professor Mansoor's earlier, superb book (Baghdad at Sunrise) this is not really a memoir. It is superb history. But I must caution potential readers. It is, by necessity, written in the first person which is not characteristic of most history and that takes a little adjustment. And if you are a political animal you could feel distracted by his calling-out of politicians that play to their political base during congressional hearings. Perhaps that is the soldier (with their almost pathological belief in individual accountability) coming out in the author. I happen to agree with him (for the most part) but others will not. And it is a relatively small part of the book. I address it because such hearings are about the only peek that most people ever get into the personalities of our military leaders. And because of that one can have a visceral reaction.

What is important is the even-handed, detailed portrayal of the “Surge”. If you are interested in military history and no matter where you fall on the “wisdom” of the Iraq War, you should read this. It details how strategy and policy are implemented into operational and tactical reality and covers all of the events and personalities, both famous and obscure, that were involved. As an example, then-Colonel Mansoor relates the importance of managing the flow of information to a general in a war zone because there is just so much of it. How even he, as both gatekeeper and “hatchet-man” (General Petraeus' description) rarely had an opportunity to express his personal opinion. That is both a telling admission and explanation.

I am tempted to compare it to Albert Speer's Inside the Third Reich but that would be misleading because Speer was never a military man and this is written much more “from the inside” of a military campaign rather than a man trying to justify the fact that he was an enabler of the Nazi War Machine.

I purchased the audio book and then the hard cover and found them both terrific.

- Don Middleton

6 people found this helpful

Helpful

Amazon Customer

Incredible insight into the Iraq War

Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2019

Verified Purchase

The author provides insight to the Iraq War that no journalist can provide. Whether you agree or disagree with his views he clearly was a soldier who did his duty with honor. I think this book also provides a personal view of the men and women of the United States Army who serve without acknowledgement from our country

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

Irkedtadpole

Behind the Surge

Reviewed in Canada on June 12, 2015

Verified Purchase

An interesting look behind the scenes at the way the "Surge" actually played out in the operational battlespace.
Mansoor brings a credible sense of the way things unfolded and doesn't spare a lot of punches about certain
senior figures (and some people who are even more senior now). A lot of the book is taken up with the behind the scenes
of an army engaged in figuring out not just who but how to fight. Well worth the price for an inside look at
a critical time in 21st century America.

See all reviews

Customers who bought this item also bought

Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1

Buy new:

$25.99

Shipping & Fee Details

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the Author

Similar authors to follow

Surge: My Journey with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War (Yale Library of Military History) Hardcover – October 29, 2013

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the Author

About the Author

Product details

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Customers who bought this item also bought

Price		$25.99
AmazonGlobal Shipping	+	$9.91
Estimated Import Fees Deposit	+	$0.00

Total		$35.90

Buy new: $25.99

Shipping & Fee Details

Sorry, there was a problem.

Sorry, there was a problem.

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the Author

Similar authors to follow

Surge: My Journey with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War (Yale Library of Military History) Hardcover – October 29, 2013

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

What other items do customers buy after viewing this item?

Editorial Reviews

Review

From the Author

About the Author

Product details

Videos

Customer reviews

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Customers who bought this item also bought

Buy new:

$25.99