All In: The Education of General David Petraeus

By: Paula Broadwell, Vernon Loeb

Narrated by: James Lurie

General David Petraeus is the most transformative leader the American military has seen since the generation of Marshall. In All In, military expert Paul Broadwell examines Petraeus's career, his intellectual development as a military officer, and his impact on the U.S. military.

Afforded extensive access by General Petraeus, his mentors, his subordinates, and his longtime friends, Broadwell embedded with the general, his headquarters staff, and his soldiers on the front lines of fighting and at the strategic command in Afghanistan to chronicle the experiences of this American general as they were brought to bear in the terrible crucible of war. All In draws on hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with Petraeus and his top officers and soldiers to tell the inside story of this commander's development and leadership in war form every vantage point.

When Petraeus assumed command in Afghanistan in July 2010, the conflict looked as bleak as at any moment in America's nine years on the ground there. Petraeus's defining idea - counterinsurgency - was immediately put to its most difficult test: the hard lessons learned during the surge in Iraq were to be applied in a radically different theater. All In examines the impact in Afghanistan of new counterinsurgency as well as counterterrorism strategies through the commands of several Petraeus protégés, with special emphasis on those who, like Petraeus, have served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault).

To inform this unprecedented reporting of Petraeus's command in Afghanistan, Broadwell examines his evolution as a solider from his education at West Point in the wake of Vietnam to his earlier service in Central America, Haiti, Kuwait, Bosnia, and Iraq. All In also documents the general's role in the war in Washington, going behind the scenes of negotiations during policy reviews of the war in Afghanistan in Congress, the Pentagon, and the White House.

Broadwell ultimately appraises Petraeus's impact on the entire U.S. military. Thanks to this man's influence, the military is better prepared to fight using a comprehensive blend of civil-military activities. As America surveys a decade of untraditional warfare, this much is clear: The career of General David Petraeus profoundly shaped our military and left an indelible mark on its rising leaders.

©2012 Paula Broadwell (P)2012 Penguin

Critic reviews

"General Petraeus is one of the most important Americans of our time, in or out of uniform. This riveting, insider's account of his life and education is at once instructive and inspiring." (Tom Brokaw)

"This majestic biography will set the standard for all future works about General Petraeus. With superb narrative skill, Broadwell simultaneously provides an intimate look at Petraeus the man, a fascinating account of modern warfare, and an elegant study of leadership." (Doris Kearns Goodwin)

"Paula Broadwell, soldier-scholar in her own right, tells the Petraeus story masterfully, providing especially rich detail and insight into his Afghanistan mission. This book helps us understand how Petraeus has become the living legend he is." (David Gergen)

Too monotonous

I admire General Petraeus and was very sad to see the way politics destroyed this great soldier and leader’s carrier. I looked upon this book with the illusion to learn more about this great man, unfortunately the reading is too slow, the reader does not do the general any favor. I would have preferred to read the generals point of view rather than a news paper recount of the events what took place.
Would have love get his thought process. I prefer to hear the story from the point of view of Petraeus, not from a second or third person point of view. I am very disappointed.

Excellent!

This book is a little biased toward General Petraeus but I don???t care ??? I like the guy. To me, he???s an American Super Hero. (I???m not so sure it would be wonderful to work for him or to be married to him but I???m sure has heck glad he???s on our side!)

However, even if you are not a Petraeus-o-phile, this book is valuable for the background information on the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Well written and perfectly narrated.

Couldn't find what I was looking for

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Was All In: The Education of General David Petraeus worth the listening time?

I was hoping to learn about the "military education of Davit Petraus". What I found is some stories from wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. It was a waste of time.

Any additional comments?

I think this book may not be categorised as a Biography. Previously I have read/listened biographies of Seteve Jobs and Albert Einstein. This book can not even be compared to those.

The scholar general

An interesting story of the life of David Petraeus showing how he learned from one assignment and applied the knowledge gained to the next. A good over view of the wars in Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan. The book also allow an insight into the sacrifice a high ranking officer wife and family must make. Petraeus's wife was the daughter of a famous General so she knew what was expected of her. The book tried to give a favorable view of the war in Afghanistan but I was left with a feeling we should have approached this problem differently, we expected to much from a tribal culture. Paula Broadwell is a person one should keep an eye out for she may become a leader herself. James Lurie did a good job narrating the story. This is a good book to understand the making of a famous General and to get more in-depth insight into current affairs.

story bounced all over the place

I really struggled to follow along .. it would bounce all over the place. I feel like it would have been better delivered in chronological order. With chapters being as long as they are I found myself trying to remember when each story was.

Incredibly Detailed

This book was certainly worth listening to, especially years later, to reflect on its historical significance given further global developments today. It is very well researched.

Story was dull. Not much insight.

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

If you haven't kept up with the wars in the last 10 years this will be interesting, otherwise this is just a summary of the wars overseas in the last 10 years.

The non-truth of Patraeus

This guy was a joke who managed to slip through the cracks. His leadership style was simple: Take all the credit, blame someone else for your failures, get someone else to do the heavy lifting while you sit back and enjoy the ficade and have an affair with someone who has fallen for your BS. We need too stop using this guy as an example of hero, leader or savior.

Good on Patraeus, But Too Political

Be prepared to take your medicine. I liked the book when it stuck to Gen. Patraeus. I felt it was way too political and Pro-Obama/Anti-Republican. It is not very objective in this regard. James Lurie did a very good job reading the book though.

Average

I did not find this book very interesting and don't feel I learnt much about General Petraeus.