Knife Fights: A Memoir of Modern War in Theory and Practice

Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife is an unparalleled memoir of one of the most important army officers of his generation, John Nagl.

This book provides a profound education in modern warfare through the lens of Nagl's experiences in combat and Washington.

As an early convert to the view that America's greatest future threats would come from asymmetric warfare, Nagl scorned the conventional path to a general's stars and instead studied the history of counterinsurgency in earnest.

His ideas finally met their war in Iraq, where theory met practice violently.

No one knew how messy even the most successful counterinsurgency campaign is better than Nagl, and his experience in Anbar Province cemented his view that when it comes to war, there are only bad choices; the question is only which ones are better and which worse.

This memoir is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the complexities of modern warfare and the sacrifices made by those who serve.