American Spartan: The Promise, the Mission, and the Betrayal of Special Forces Major Jim Gant

A gripping account of a U.S. Army Special Forces major’s journey into the tribal Pashtuns of Afghanistan by a Pulitzer Prize–nominated author.

One of the most charismatic, controversial U.S. commanders of modern memory, Army Special Forces Major Jim Gant changed the face of America’s war in Afghanistan when his critical white paper, “One Tribe at a Time,” went viral at the Pentagon, the White House, and on Capitol Hill in 2009.

A decorated Green Beret who had spent years training indigenous fighters, Jim argued for embedding autonomous units with tribes across Afghanistan: these American soldiers would live among Afghans for extended periods, not only to train tribal militias but also to fight with them in battle. He argued that these small U.S. teams could earn the trust of the Afghans and transform them into reliable allies with whom we could defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda networks.

Correspondent Ann Scott Tyson came to share Jim’s vision that Americans and Pashtuns could fight side-by-side and create real change across the region, so she accompanied him to Afghanistan. This remarkable story—of Jim’s close relationships with village elder Noor Afzhal, the fierce fighting they took straight to the enemy in the mountains of Konar Province, and Ann and Jim’s deepening love for each other—is told with a keen sense of drama and immediacy.

A story like no other, American Spartan is one of the most remarkable and emotionally resonant narratives of war ever published.