American Spartan

Lawrence of Arabia meets Sebastian Jungers War in this unique, incendiary, and dramatic true story of heroism and heartbreak in Afghanistan written by a Pulitzer Prize–nominated war correspondent.

Army Special Forces Major Jim Gant changed the face of America’s war effort in Afghanistan. A decorated Green Beret who spent years in Afghanistan and Iraq training indigenous fighters, Gant argued for embedding autonomous units with tribes across Afghanistan to earn the Afghans’ trust and transform them into a reliable ally with whom we could defeat the Taliban and counter al-Qaeda networks. The militarys top brass, including General David Petraeus, commander of U.S. Forces in Afghanistan, approved, and Gant was tasked with implementing his controversial strategy.

Veteran war correspondent Ann Scott Tyson first spoke with Gant when he was awarded the Silver Star in 2007. Tyson soon came to share Gant’s vision, so she accompanied him to Afghanistan, risking her life to embed with the tribes and chronicle their experience. And then they fell in love.

Illustrated with dozens of photographs, American Spartan is their remarkable story—one of the most riveting, emotional narratives of wartime ever published.

This unflinching account of a maverick Green Beret’s mission is a story of:

Unconventional Warfare: Major Jim Gants controversial “One Tribe at a Time” strategy, a plan to embed with Afghan tribes that was championed by General David Petraeus himself. A War Correspondents Story: Pulitzer Prize-nominated journalist Ann Scott Tyson risks her life to embed with Gants unit, determined to chronicle a story the world needs to hear. Wartime Romance: The unexpected love story that unfolds between the reporter and the soldier on the front lines, blurring the lines between observer and participant. Special Operations Heroism: A decorated Green Beret and Silver Star recipients relentless fight against both the Taliban and a rigid military bureaucracy.