All In: The Education of General David Petraeus

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All In: The Education of General David Petraeus

3.19 of 5 stars 3.19 · rating details · 149 ratings · 34 reviews

General David Petraeus is the most transformative leader the American military has seen since the generation of Marshall. In the New York Times bestseller All In, military expert Paula 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...more General David Petraeus is the most transformative leader the American military has seen since the generation of Marshall. In the New York Times bestseller All In, military expert Paula 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 reported 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.

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 immediate 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.

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.(less)

Hardcover, First Edition, 352 pages

Published January 24th 2012 by The Penguin Press (first published January 12th 2012)

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Apr 25, 2013 Brian rated it 1 of 5 stars

By now it is well known that the author of this book had an affair with her subject, leading to his resignation as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
But the true scandal of this book is that it is an unquestionably adoring look at both the general and the army by a West Point graduate and true-believer who writes and apparently thinks in the milit-speak of positive affirmations. The book is peppered with words like "great", "superb" and "progress". Petraeus was always making "progres...more By now it is well known that the author of this book had an affair with her subject, leading to his resignation as Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
But the true scandal of this book is that it is an unquestionably adoring look at both the general and the army by a West Point graduate and true-believer who writes and apparently thinks in the milit-speak of positive affirmations. The book is peppered with words like "great", "superb" and "progress". Petraeus was always making "progress". She writes how Petraeus arrives at a meeting at "7:29 AM". Would he be a different man if it was 7:30?
Broadwell describes a world in which war is fought with morning briefings, Powerpoint presentations and billion dollar technology against enemies wearing sandals. She describes one engagement in which a ground force of several hundred Americans required the assistance of an observation blimp, helicopters and a drone armed with Hellfire missiles, as well as F16s with 500 pound bombs in order to kill three insurgents. In the military mind that's a success, but never does Broadwell ask whether that's a war America can afford.
Nor does she spend much time evaluating whether any of this will turn the tide of Afghan history. Many have tried, none have succeeded.
The American military is extraordinary. They have breathtaking skill and competence. But in some of the big moments of history they have been given jobs that possibly just can't be done, and civilizing Iraq and Afghanistan may be among them. The Powerpoints look great and the future looks grim.
Broadwell was apparently given extraordinary access to Petraeus, but you don't see much evidence of it. She doesn't quote him in off the cuff moments and there doesn't seem to be much from personal interviews. Many of her quotes come from e-mails and transcripts of briefings. Petraeus comes off as a bureaucratic stiff.
This is a guy who will sign off an email with "RLTW" ... Rangers Lead the Way. There's a good deal of being in the army that's like high school.
We don't learn much about what moved the man to spend his life in the military, and much of it at war away from his wife and children. What's it like missing your children growing up and was it worth it? Broadwell doesn't ask. Why is he so driven ... driven for what, and why? The author writes that the general's father used to bark at him "Results, boy!" Is that it?
Overall this reads as what it is, an academic paper converted to a book.
What we learned from the revelation of Petraeus's romance with the author was something we never got in 357 pages of the book, that the general is human after all. That's where the book should have started.(less)

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Nov 19, 2012 Sketchbook added it

"The Lady in Question" gets Her Guy. I have not
read this special prophylaxis of humor--.

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Mar 23, 2013 Suzanne Auckerman rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting to really understand the change in strategy and from what I saw when I was there in 2008, was the right thing to do. I was impressed by several things:

1. How much he and the other generals were concerned about the well being of the ground troops and how much time they took to thank them and recognize them for what they were doing, including their families.

2. The commitment to get the injured out and the concern over the number of injured with multiple amputations. I hope these are ac...more

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May 11, 2012 Socraticgadfly rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, politics-public-policy, biography

While there are "sympathetic" biographies in a good sense, like Robert K. Massie's new bio of Catherine the Great, there are sympathetic bios that aren't so good. And this is one of them.

It's not quite craptacular, but it's nowhere near a "critical" study. Written by a West Point grad, and, as one other reviewer notes, some sort of "authorized" bio, it's got enough of a suck-up attitude that it doesn't question him at all. (The type of people who blurb it on the back, starting with Tom Brokaw, a...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Marks54 rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is an approved biography of the career of General Petraeus, with a focus on his development of counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy and his tenure as the commander in Iraq and Afghanistan. The author is a doctoral student in political science who also happens to have been a West Point graduate and who received considerable access and support from Petraeus. She is also the person who challenged John Stewart to a push-up contest on "The Daily Show".

It is an amazing story and Broadwell's telling...more This is an approved biography of the career of General Petraeus, with a focus on his development of counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy and his tenure as the commander in Iraq and Afghanistan. The author is a doctoral student in political science who also happens to have been a West Point graduate and who received considerable access and support from Petraeus. She is also the person who challenged John Stewart to a push-up contest on "The Daily Show".

It is an amazing story and Broadwell's telling of it is well done and rings true. There are several layers to the story and most of them are intriguing. First, there is how someone manages his career to reach the very highest levels of the US Defense establishment - this is not just substantive training, but also the choice/good fortune to receive good assignment, the ability to receive guidance and support from key mentors, and the personal ability to handle the increasingly demanding political, technical, administrative, and military skills of higher and higher roles.

Another key story for Petraeus is his role as a "soldier/scholar" -- a soldier who is also a skilled academic with specialized knowledge to put the military trade in context. Petraeus not only received his Ph.D. from Princeton but also actively supported other soldier/scholars as a brain trust to help him develop and implement his strategies. This is part of a broader history of the US military following Vietnam in which training and doctrine were given a hallowed place in the fundamental organization of the armed services. What other organization do you know of that places training and manuals (such as Petraeus' famous counterinsurgency manual) in a position of such high visibility that the University of Chicago Press will issue a version?

A third critical portion of this story is the idea of counterinsurgency strategy - or the idea that the critical value of a war/combat situation is protecting the local population rather than defeating the enemy (although this is still important). This is a very complex multidisciplinary strategy is must come across as alien to traditional military logic. It was the key behind the "surge" in Iraq and the book gives a good description of how the strategy played out in Iraq in 2006-2008 -- although other books (also mentioned in this book) such as those by Tom Ricks are more informative. The COIN strategy in Iraq is arguably one of the chief claims to fame of General Petraeus and is worth reading about regardless of one's orientation to the conflict.

The core of the book concerns how this strategy was applied to Afghanistan - which differs considerably from Iraq. Here, Broadwell's book is informative by going beyond Petraeus and focusing on the situations of three (actually more) unit commanders facing a variety of different situations in the war. The descriptions are well done and bring out many of the conflicts of this complex strategy with the more traditional parts of the military establishment.

The book is very positive towards Petraeus -- although I must admit that I don't disagree with this focus very much -- he is a huge figure with much about him worthy of admiration. I would have preferred a bit more "deep" analysis of some of the lingering issues about Afghanistan and COIN strategies. For example, given the size, complexity, and population densities of Afghanistan, is it reasonable to expect that COIN could work? In some parts, you get the idea that it cannot, in others, it is presented as reasonable, in other parts of the book it just isn't clear. It is reasonable to address this head on and consider whether the strategy means the same in the Afghan setting as it did in Iraq. There are also other conflicts with COIN. For example, it is to some extent a holding action that is valuable by giving time and space for a political settlement -- which means that the strategy can be done perfectly and still fail for political reasons beyond the control of the soldieers -- not a very satisfying conclusion and one that looms large with Afghanistan under Karzai. How does one balance COIN with other strategies? The author addresses this a bit towards the end but it could have been raised earlier and in more depth. More generally, how does the need for context and continuity that seems critical for COIN square with the regular rotation of troops and commanders that seems inimical to that continuity?

I don't mind a good hagiography every now and then, but a bit more analytic edge would have been appreciated. For example, compare this with Bing West's book on the Afghan war, "The Wrong War". Maybe the author's doctoral advisers (including Petraeus?) will spur her to this as she finishes her studies. These are relatively minor points, however, and the book was hard to put down, even after reading lots of other books on these wars. (less)

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Dec 15, 2012 Hal rated it 2 of 5 stars

In the wake of the affair scandal that cost General Patraeus his job as CIA Director and besmirched his distinguished military career I wanted to find out what his paramour had to say in this lengthy book she wrote on his career. General Patraeus should not be seen as less than a most honorable man who dedicated his life to this country through his distinguished military service. Yet it seems puzzling that he could risk it all for an affair that tarnished it so and put so many on a national spec...more In the wake of the affair scandal that cost General Patraeus his job as CIA Director and besmirched his distinguished military career I wanted to find out what his paramour had to say in this lengthy book she wrote on his career. General Patraeus should not be seen as less than a most honorable man who dedicated his life to this country through his distinguished military service. Yet it seems puzzling that he could risk it all for an affair that tarnished it so and put so many on a national spectacle that no one would care to be. For all his intelligence and savvy to climb his way through a military career to the very pinnacle he did not seem to take heed in what a woman’s unpredictability could do to jeopardize and indeed bring it all down.

The book itself was the result of an extending embedding of Paula Broadwell with the general as he served commanding troops in Afghanistan after a more or less successful command in Iraq halting a deterioration of the political landscape there. The book was extensive in its very detailed account of strategic and tactical operations in Afghanistan as the US military plodded from village to village in pursuit of infiltrated Taliban insurgents. I would estimate 80% of the content covers these day to day decisions and undertakings in the field that at times for me became tedious. She would then skip back in time to give snippets of General Patraeus’ career path to this top position in the Army. Limited personal information on the Patreaus family, his wife Holly and two children would enter into this narrative also. We learn of the Generals’ drive and determination as he takes on each significant challenge through his career as a military officer and completes these assignments for the most part successfully.

There will likely be a number of books to come on the scandal that brought his career in public service to an unfortunate conclusion. This book adds considerable background leading up to the tragic event and of course is unique that the key player, Paula Broadwell, is the messenger in the tale. There will be much dissecting and speculation as to why he would risk it all as he did. As he stated himself on the matter, he screwed up royally.

The real story of the wars we have been in for over ten years now is there also to see first hand. As we prepare to leave the scene in the next several years we will have to consider what we really accomplished in this considerable toll of lives and resources. The Taliban who will certainly still be in the picture after we are gone, the Afghan government which has its element of corruption, the Pakistan equation, and the cultural ramifications are all matters that will continue to play out and we will witness just what impact we had in it all.

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Jun 22, 2012 Gordon rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: afghanistan, coin, history, leadership, military-history

A well written and enjoyable narrative that intertwines the defining moments of GEN Petraeus's early military career (assignments, mentors, Princeton studies, operations in Haiti and Bosnia) with his final decade as a senior leader and theater commander of first operations in Iraq, then Afghanistan. His early career study, then extensive practice and doctrinal development of counter-insurgency is a theme worthy of review of the modern military leader. The book offers a number of very recent pers...more

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Dec 13, 2012 Betsy Ashton rated it 3 of 5 stars

Forget the scandal around Paula Broadwell and General Patraeus. None of that is in this biography. What is here is a decent look into Patraeus's life and military career.

Yes, he was a great general by most accounts. Again by most accounts he modernized the army from a traditional ground force supported by air. Given the two major wars where he led troops were not standard ground wars, he was asked to develop and execute a counterinsurgency program. Think "winning hearts and minds" of the locals....more

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Mar 22, 2012 K.J. Wetherholt rated it 3 of 5 stars

This was an informative book that revealed some about what could be considered the Petraeus psychology of war--but the structure was a bit irritating, in going back and forth in time. It would have been better for it to have run solely chronologically. There was also the sense, having been written by a former West Point graduate and officer, that there was a bit of hero-worship going on. One thing I did appreciate, and something that I, too, have had to deal with--that this was written by a woma...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Tom rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was disappointed with the book, especially given the access and background available to the author. She should have decided if this was a book on Petreaus, his background and leadership, or whether it was a book on the Afghanistan war, or on the Iraq war. All could have been covered, but bouncing across topics and time weakened the presentation. In place she seems to have lost objectivity and presented a one-sided view of positions. When those lapses in objective completeness showed up, it cau...more

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Mar 01, 2012 Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars

A glowing biography of General David Petraeus. He's just an amazing leader, and his accomplishments and perseverance in the face of the conflicts he's been charged to lead are nothing short of incredible.

Broadwell is clearly a fan of Petraeus, and while she does acknowledge some of his shortcomings, I would have preferred a bit more skepticism and critique. But I can see why that would be difficult. Petraeus is utterly likeable: A workaholic, who values education amongst his officers, and requi...more

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Jan 17, 2013 False Millennium rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography-memoirs, history-middle-east

I've read a great deal about the Middle East, and everything on Petraeus. One reviewer called this book craptacular. That about sums it up. Given her most intimate access to the General, this book falls flat in prose and could use some Viagra. She falls guilty of dropping SATC POTUS NRC and if it's a battalion you get the FULL name and numbers. Your eyes glaze over. Hardly an unbiased full portrait of a complex man. My own pet peeve with him? He won't admit he married the General's daughter at W...more

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Jan 23, 2012 Kathleen rated it 5 of 5 stars

An insider’s gripping examination of General David Petraeus’s command of the Iraq surge and then Afghanistan. Broadwell and her coauthor Vernon Loeb deftly weave early battlefield experiences (Kuwait and Bosnia) and personal history (son of a sea captain, top West Point cadet, and competitive athlete) into the contemporary accounts as a means of explaining how his past informs his decision-making today.

This is a book for military history buffs and undoubtedly will be studied at West Point, Broad...more An insider’s gripping examination of General David Petraeus’s command of the Iraq surge and then Afghanistan. Broadwell and her coauthor Vernon Loeb deftly weave early battlefield experiences (Kuwait and Bosnia) and personal history (son of a sea captain, top West Point cadet, and competitive athlete) into the contemporary accounts as a means of explaining how his past informs his decision-making today.

This is a book for military history buffs and undoubtedly will be studied at West Point, Broadwell’s alma mater, alongside Petraeus’s own Counterinsurgency Field Manual. But it’s also an appropriate book for anyone who is interested in learning what makes a good leader tick. His “four tasks” that “strategic leaders” must perform are:

1. Get the big ideas right
2. Communicate the big ideas
3. Oversee the implementation of the big ideas
4. Collect best practices and lessons and cycle them “back through the system to help refine the big ideas.”

One could imagine Steve Jobs, Warren Buffet, or even Mark Zuckerberg subscribing to these strategic principals.

Petraeus is portrayed as an advocate of surrounding oneself with brilliant advisors rather than Yes Men. This is not what I expected of a lifelong military man. What struck me again and again was his own ongoing pursuit of education (a PhD from Princeton) and his sincere encouragement to his mentees, like Broadwell, to pursue higher education. Additionally, he expected the best ideas from whomever could supply them, regardless of rank or chain of command.

The book concludes with the now-retired General’s confirmation as CIA Director. In his hearings he alluded to his belief in listening to all voices in the situation room. He is a man who has been criticized as having an outsize ego, but the book well portrays a thoughtful, wise, and philosophical intellectual and leader. It is too soon to know if his strategies for Afghanistan will win the war, but Petraeus surely will not be seen as this generation’s Westmoreland.
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Apr 21, 2013 Allan Colgan rated it 1 of 5 stars

I pity the people who will have to read her doctoral dissertation. As for this book, it was so badly written that it defies description. In over 60 years of reading books, I can honestly say that there were only two books I started to read that I never finished. This is the second one, the first one was in 1958. I thought it might be a good book considering all the publicity of the people in question. Wrong! As a writer, she is bad. She might be better at being the alleged mistress in question....more

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Jan 02, 2013 SA rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012

I had actually checked this out of the library in September, but didn't end up reading it until November when the scandal hit and suddenly there were a slew of holds on the book.

Petraeus is a very intriguing figure in our contemporary war history. Unfortunately, Broadwell (whatever the context of their relationship) did not do him justice here as a biographer. There is little critical lens applied to him or his actions; even the thread of what I believe was her doctoral thesis, on the matter of...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Tracie rated it 3 of 5 stars

I picked this up on a whim I guess, having just read Black Hawk Down. It is light on personal details and heavy on technical stuff--I feel like I know more about counterinsurgency than I will ever need to, but again, I have a new found respect for what our troops are trying to accomplish in Afghanistan. I am simply amazed at their dedication to protecting, training, and rebuilding the Afghan people and their villages. And General Petraeus is an absolute wonder.

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Apr 24, 2012 Lee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, military-history, it-found-me-at-the-library

Pretty good coverage of an amazing career.

My only quibble was that there were inadequate breaks to indicate when the narrative was flashing back 5 or 10 or 20 years. Several times, it jumped from the war in Afghanistan to Gen. Petraeus' earlier life and career without warning, and back again.

In addition, there was essentially a "subplot" of a Major Lujan, and his tour in Afghanistan and after. I kept waiting for this officer to interact meaningfully with Gen. Petraeus, but I didn't see it happen...more

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Nov 26, 2012 Clare rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: abandoned

I expected a biography written by someone having an affair with her subject to be... better written. Yawn. I was bored to tears and skipped through. It did seem almost strangely about Paula Broadwell, too - how competitive she is and how much Petraeus admired her for her physical fitness. (No snicker needed, please. SNL has done it all so well.)

Then, Paula Broadwell has the nerve to thank her husband for taking care of their kids.

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Aug 07, 2012 Jeremy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, military

Disclaimer for my high ignorance of military affairs and history. Okay book on an interesting figure. It seems like Broadwell had incredible access to Petraeus, but the perspective felt one-sided. I guess that's a common critique and, without knowing much else, the book did feel super sympathetic. Did enjoy it though, and it does bring out the complexities of Afghanistan and COIN.

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Nov 15, 2012 Christi Montgomery rated it 2 of 5 stars

Poorly written, this book rarely flows in chronological order making it difficult to place seemingly meaningful moments in the General's career into the broad context of world history as might be recalled by an average person. I would not recommend this book.

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Apr 03, 2012 Mindy rated it 4 of 5 stars

This book helped me to understand the system a little better along with the history of the Afghanistan war. An incredible man but felt only got a small portion of the story. Maybe one day he will write a memoir.

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Sep 03, 2012 Marcy rated it 4 of 5 stars

It is very interesting reading. I'm not a history or military person but I find this book insipiring and intriguing. Little over half way and at times is very hard for me to put this book down.

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Nov 19, 2012 Nick Swanson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Say what you want about David Petraeus and the controversy surrounding this book, but along with Rajiv Chandrasekaran's Little America, it is one of the best histories of America's efforts in Afghanistan between 2009-2011.

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May 26, 2012 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, military, politics

Narrative is weak,
But a wealth of good detail.
Uncritical eye.

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Nov 11, 2012 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars

Interesting but a little too much hero worship.

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Feb 12, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: political-economics, nonfiction

Excellent synopsis of his transformation from simple Army man to the Director of the CIA. My hubby says he's the most brilliant General in ages... This coming from a former Marine.

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Nov 10, 2012 Craig rated it 1 of 5 stars

What an unfortunate title.

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Jan 13, 2013 Erica rated it 1 of 5 stars

This was terrible.

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May 27, 2013 Umberto rated it 2 of 5 stars

Started off okay but it got bogged down and became really dry and dull. it was a struggle to finish

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Mar 02, 2012 Joe Robertson rated it 4 of 5 stars

It was a good book that described the background of general Petraeus and discussed in detail his management of the war in Afghanistan.

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About Paula Broadwell

Paula Dean Broadwell is an American writer, academic, and anti-terrorism professional. She is the co-author with Vernon Loeb of the The New York Times best seller All In: The Education of General David Petraeus, a biography of then International Security Assistance Force commander David Petraeus. On November 9, 2012, she was reported to have been involved in the extramarital affair with Petraeus t...more

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