And why is it so expensive on Amazon?
Thanks,
Tom

Dear Mr. Ricks,

1) I've read Senator's Son. As a Marine Infantry Officer who did two tours near the western area of Iraq covered by the book, I feel that this book is the best post-911 combat account of all. The memoirs of great generals like Caesar, Patton and Chesty Puller are classic and universal in describing the combat that occurs during war, insurgency or otherwise. Larson's book contains the same universality, but also portrays the current scene like no other book, novel or non-fiction, when describing the war we are facing. If any book can make Americans understand the fight that our country is in, whether in Iraq, Afghanistan, or elsewhere, it is "Senator's Son".

2) It's so expensive because they only did a limited printing and they've probably all been purchased.

William J. Vesterman, Capt, USMCR

This book was required reading while I was at EWS. I recommend it for any lt or NCO to learn about COIN at company level. Takes place during the surge in ramadi, it follows a rifle company pairing up with tribes during the awakening. I don't think it's recieved much press outside of Marine circles although Thomas Barnett calls it a good window into COIN:

http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/5231/the-new-rules-senators-son-a-good-window-into-coin

Not fiction but I still think Nate Fick's book One Bullet Away is the best writing that was come out of Iraq

Senator's Son is a great depiction of COIN battle at the decisive turning point in Iraq. A first hand story of events that take place during a counterinsurgency battle. Great story, well written, very informative; truly a great read.

This book combines many different aspects of combat, counterinsurgency, and culture all into one book that is easy to read since it is written in the language of "combat troops". The text is easy to digest to the NCO and LT, who will win these wars, and is a better view of the other side of COIN from a local national perspective. How many citizens, officers, soldiers or Marines really know what it takes for an insurgent to go "too far" to loose the support of the populace? Most who served in Al Anbar may have and were deployed there?

This a great read that will be passed around for years as we enter into a new age that is not going to be dominated by the large scale wars of Desert Storm or the push to Baghdad that demand General Staff’s planning, but a protracted war in a limited scale with fighters that are indistinguishable from their neighbors won by the decisions of young leaders who in the prior years may have been an average student in high school, indistinguishable from their neighbors.

I was fortunate to have it referred to me early on because there were limited copies out there. I have since mailed it three times to others before they venture out into “the ville”.

- Two time Iraqi War Veteran

Dear Mr. Ricks,

I've read Senator's Son multiple times. It is by far the best (and, so far as I can tell, the only) encapsulation of the Marine Corps' experience in western Iraq after the march up (or OIF I, as they say). Larson weaves the narrative between gruesome and chaotic battle scenes and calm meetings sipping tea in air-conditioned rooms. Though Iraq was not unique in its violence, it was unique in what larded the time between those moments of terror. Larson captures that vividly and effectively; I highly recommend it for those who want to get a ground-level narrative of what happened there.

Sincerely,

Sayce Falk, Captain, USMC(R)

Tom, I appreciate all your candid feedback on some great books. I’m also under the impression that Senator’s Son had a limited printing which briefly affected the pricing. I have read Luke Larson’s Senator’s Son and have also served as a Marine infantry officer. Having conducted two combat deployments to Ar Ramadi, Iraq between 2005 and 2007 I am awestruck at the honest and comprehensive portrayal of the events that have shaped history as well as our nation’s institutional knowledge of counterinsurgency. Other books may describe the geopolitical or strategic effects of the Sunni Awakening, battle field tactics, and U.S. policy more precisely. However, I have not seen anything that, as accurately, depicts the successes, failures, struggles, and individual mentality of the people that were actually involved on the ground.

The book also provides phenomenal insight into the demanding roles our servicemen and their junior leaders fill every day overseas. I only wish that I had this book as a midshipman at the Naval Academy prior to the war to better explain the complex and personal nature of leading Marines in combat. I use Larson’s book and its lessons to further develop my Marines now who are preparing for combat in Afghanistan. Senator’s Son, I am convinced, has 265 pages of wisdom acquired through blood, sweat, and tears. Wisdom that will make our Marines better at accomplishing their mission and keep them safer in dangerous and confusing environments for years to come.

Tony Atler
Captain, USMC

Tom,

I've edited my response somewhat because some of this ground has been covered. Because Senator's Son is a novel it's more than readable, it's digestible to a broad audience and for the young officer and young enlisted crowd the perfect tool when they have a ton of material thrown at them to study, in other words the story sticks. For those more seasoned it simply rings true.

Luke's writing helps to better inculcate our warriors with a sense of why building trust between cultures is a critical component of counter insurgency. My humble encouragement is to get Senator's Son into the hands of as many folks as possible. If our determination is that we must work together and our mutual goal is self governance and maturation then the "decisive terrain is the human terrain" General Petraeus. Does Napoleon's Corporal know how to execute this philosophy? Luke's book provides practical application.

As a Marine I attended Defense Language Institute a total of four times covering a wide range of languages and cultures to include Russian, Thai, and Spanish and with that experience I was afforded the opportunity to travel many parts of the world. It's a hard sell sometimes to teach young warriors that have recently gained proficiencies in killing people and breaking things the importance of a nuanced approach. The simple formula for me in Panama was to take my cab driver to breakfast. The simple formula in Japan was to share a beer with a few folks in the park. Simple acts, but we just don't take the time to train our folks how important sharing breakfast or a beer can be to building a relationships. To be blunt, too oft we have a tendency to swing a broad sword and whore around.

Culturally we have benefited from leaders such as General Mattis, who popularized the quote "no better friend - no worse enemy" than the U.S. Marine. And at the heart of Luke's book I believe that's what he teaches and mentors through cogent and realistic examples. If his book was a diatribe no one would buy in to the concept. As written, Senator’s Son, is an eloquent treatise that young warriors and old academics can equally benefit from. One gains a certain wisdom from intimate knowledge of subject matter and this is the payoff from Luke's personal experiences coupled with his craft of writing. I valued Luke Larson's book enough to recommend it to the Deputy Commander to NATO Training Mission, Afghanistan and for the military community as a whole.

With Utmost Respect ~ Semper Fi, Hank Salmans
Major & Mustang, USMC (Retired)
Owner Devil Dog Brew

I liked the SANDBOX, but I read it as a first novel by a writer more interested in finding his way to a literary interpretation of the material and to his own voice than in creating "true to life" fiction. You'll see what I mean.

This book is non-fiction but still a great read. Lily Burana's "I Love a Man In Uniform" details her problems as an outsider (former stripper) looking into the military culture and then what happens to her and her husband after his deployment.

Anyone who wonders at the supposed stodgy nature of our military culture will find this book entertaining as hell...esp when you come to realize that everyone really is different and military families have lots of interesting characters in the mix. Burana isn't a Stepford wife and she comes to realize that her peers aren't either.

Mooj, get the book, and get ready for a great ride. You may want to start with "the Praetorians", but what you'll find is a great series, no matter where you start in. From the Viet Minh all the way to Algeria, this is a primer on COIN, both successes and failures, with a truly Gallic POV and flavor. It certainly fired my interest, when first read in the early 1960's. Allowing for translation awkwardnesses, at 66 I have yet to see anything more apt and interesting from the fictional side.
Look forward to your take, if you wish to share. emjayinc@verizon.net

Best read in conjunction with watching the movie 'Battle of Algiers.'
Best,
Tom

But I will have to wait till they are republished. Household 6 would NJP me if I spent 400 dollars for an out of print book.

Here's a cheaper edition for you:

http://www.hailerpublishing.com/praetorians.html

Best,
Tom