Fallujah Awakens: Marines, Sheiks, and the Battle Against Al Qaeda

"Attacks in the Fallujah peaked in 2006 when American and Iraqi government forces struggled with a reinvigorated insurgency and the prospect of premature withdrawal by U.S. forces. Fallujah Awakens tells the story of the remarkable turnaround that followed. Journalist Bill Ardolino explains how local tribal leaders and U.S. Marines forged a surprising alliance that helped secure the famous battleground. It is one of the few books to recount events from both American and Iraqi perspectives. Based on more than120 interviews with Iraqis and U.S. Marines, Ardolino describes how a company of reservists, led by a medical equipment sales manager from Michigan, succeeded where previous efforts had stalled. Circumstance combined with smart, charismatic leadershipenabled Americans to build relationships with members of a Sunni tribe who pushed al Qaeda and other insurgents from their notoriously rebellious area"--