Jim Proser

This was touted as a biography of the great general and Secretary of Defense James Mattis. And it was, to an extent. What I found most disappointing about the book was it really was a reenactment and descriptive action of the many battles and campaigns of the wars in the Middle East.

Proser touches very lightly on biographic material surrounding the general's upbringing and how he got to where he got. He spends an exorbitant amount of writing on the minute detail of the many battles and show more strategies linked to them.

Biographies generally delve into the very personal side and what makes these people tick. There is some of that here concerning General Mattis but it is mostly related to how he commands in the field. What is missing is what is going on away from the battle in how he conducted his life and his personal experiences. That is unfortunate because this man is certainly unique and deserving of the greatness bestowed upon him. show less

I absolutely could not get into this book. It's creatively written from the imagined first-person, but however painstakingly and attentively done, I could not surmount the cognitive frame that I was reading historical fiction--the author's well-intentioned, historically researched but, in the end, made up story.

I could not imagine Basilone having sat himself or even with an experienced ghost-writer (had he survived) and produced a narrative like this.

It was a courageous and creative idea, show more but executed in a way that drew me away and distracted me from what may have been its redemptive feature--the story. show less

This is a brief history of a remarkable warrior. Given his experiences, it is certainly unusual that he made the move from battlefield leader to head of the defense establishment. Clearly, he has the topic of delegation firmly in hand. He sets an example that would not normally be expected of a leader with stars on his shoulders. Author Proser gives us a good history but the book lacks the sense that he has any real idea who James Mattis is. Certainly, Proser is quite confident that Mattis show more can fill the shoes of the position in which he is now employed. show less

1st of all I love General Mattis. This book obviously wasn't written with his help. It's recycled stories and excerpts from various books by other authors, newspaper publications, military briefings, speeches, & second hand accounts by some people who served with Mattis. If you want real Mattis, read his own book "Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead" by Mattis & Bing West. Proser skips all around from 9/11 back to 2003 to 1991 and back to 2000, accounting for different battles and plans, it's show more confusing to follow. The books Proser took excerpts from (such as "One Bullet Away" by Fick, "Generation Kill" by Wright, "No True Glory" by West) are far better reads than this book. show less