The Snake Eaters - by Owen West (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Every deploying adviser, and every American interested in how we are fighting our wars, should read Owen West's gripping and important book" (The Wall Street Journal).

From 2005 through 2007, the battle for the poisonous city of Khalidiya became so intensely personal that an Iraqi battalion, its American military advisors, and the insurgents they hunted knew one another by name. A third-generation U.S. Marine, Owen West was one of those combat advisors. This is his gripping account of how a team of underprepared reservists built an Iraqi battalion from the ground up and with them plunged side by side into a mystifying insurgency.

Revealing war as a series of human acts, West makes the young American and Iraqi soldiers on patrol and the local townspeople come alive. From the bighearted American medic stalked by a sniper, a tough Iraqi major who is respected by the Americans because he likes them the least, and an enemy who blended into a population that dared not speak the truth, the characters in The Snake Eaters are as complex as the war that changes them.

Review Quotes

"Every deploying adviser, and every American interested in how we are fighting our wars, should read Owen West's gripping and important book." --Max Boot, "Wall Street Journal"

"Gripping, disturbing . . . an unholy combination of "Black Hawk Down" and "Catch-22". . . One of the better reflections on the war in Iraq, with enough sense of on-the-ground combat reality to hold disturbing portents for future 'small wars.'" "--Kirkus"

"The single most important book to come out of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. West captures the courage and competence, the brilliance and bumbling, the hopes and horrors, of a generation of warriors: combat advisors. They are our Lawrence of Arabia, our unsung heroes who turned the tide in Iraq and show us the way to success and survival in the generations to come. This""should be required reading, inspiring and informing our military, our politicians, and the citizens of our nation as we face the challenges of the 21st Century." --Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, author of "On Killing" and "On Combat"

"A momentous page-turner about an unlikely group of Army reservists, Iraqi soldiers, and Marines who faced down a reign of terror in an Iraqi city. It will make you swell with pride at plain old American ingenuity and courage. Read it! You will never again hear the words 'handing it over to the Iraqis' in the same way." --Karl Marlantes, bestselling author of "Matterhorn"

"Of all the Iraq books, this stands alone. It's an action-packed narrative that should be read by everyone, whether it's military advisors, the generals or politicians who send them to faraway lands and anyone interested in military stories. As a fellow advisor, I stand alongside West and the rest of our tribe and shout that advising is fighting, first and foremost, not training. His account will be timeless."--Dakota Meyer, former Marine advisor and 2011 Medal of Honor recipient.

"Outstanding study of the advisers' role in Iraq." --"Booklist"

"Owen West has written a brilliant and insightful account of battle in Iraq. The unique and complex experiences he witnessed are recounted in an exciting and moving style that makes "The Snake Eaters" an exceptional read. This book is chock full of superb lessons learned that make it required reading for all those who truly want to understand the complicated nature of today's conflicts."--General Anthony C. Zinni USMC (Retired)

"Owen West's "The Snake Eaters" is a searing combat tale from the darkest days of the Iraq War, but it's also much more. Combat advisors training indigenous security forces to fight their own wars must have a key role in American defense policy in the 21st century. This book shows how it's done." --Nathaniel Fick, author of "One Bullet Awa"y and CEO of the Center for a New American Security

"Stunning in its portrayal, this highly personal book conveys a tremendous sense of time and place, set in a wickedly complex war zone that our young men faced in a foreign land, coaching a foreign force, in a type of combat foreign to those who have forgotten that war is ultimately a human endeavor. Vivid and honest, it holds true the real lessons of counter-insurgent war and is essential reading for those who seek to understand what we demand from those we send to fight for us." --Four-star General James Mattis, Commander of the U.S. Central Command

"West makes a convincing case for the importance of military advisers who train indigenous security forces to fight insurgencies." --"Publishers Weekly"

About the Author

Owen West is a former Marine major who served two combat tours in Iraq. He is the author of two novels, including Sharkman Six, which won the Boyd literary award for best military novel, and his work has appeared in Men's Journal, Playboy, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and numerous other publications.