From the former secretary of defense, a strikingly candid, vivid account of serving Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.When Robert M. Gates received a call from the White House, he thought he’d long left Washington politics behind: After working for six presidents in both the CIA and the National Security Council, he was happily serving as president of Texas A&M University. But when he was asked to help a nation mired in two wars and ...

On October 27, 1962, at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Soviet submarine B-59 was trapped deep in the Caribbean. US Navy destroyers were dropping depth charges to force it to surface. Inside, the air conditioning had failed, temperatures rose to 120°F, and carbon dioxide levels were toxic. The captain, believing war had already started, ordered the launch of a nuclear torpedo. "The Depth of Silence" focuses on Vasili Arkhipov, the Commodore on board who stood between humanity a...

From the former secretary of defense and author of the acclaimed #1 bestselling memoir, Duty, a candid, sweeping examination of power, and how it has been exercised, for good and bad, by American presidents in the post-Cold War world.Since the end of the Cold War, the global perception of the United States has progressively morphed from dominant international leader to disorganized entity. Robert Gates argues that this transformation is the result of the f...

From the former secretary of defense and author of the acclaimed #1 best-selling memoir Duty, a characteristically direct, informed, and urgent assessment of why big institutions are failing us and how smart, committed leadership can effect real improvement regardless of scale.Across the realms of civic and private enterprise alike, bureaucracies vitally impact our security, freedoms, and everyday life. With so much at stake, competence, efficiency, and fiscal prudence are...

Written by a former director of the CIA, this is the story of America's and the agency's role in the collapse of communism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.As the only person to rise from entry-level analyst to Director of the CIA and to serve on the White House staffs of four Presidents, Robert Gates is uniquely qualified to tell the unprecedented inside story of the Cold War. Drawing on his access to classified information and top-level involvement in polic...

From the former secretary of defense, a strikingly candid, vivid account of serving Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.When Robert M. Gates received a call from the White House, he thought he’d long left Washington politics behind: After working for six presidents in both the CIA and the National Security Council, he was happily serving as president of Texas A&M University. But when he was asked to help a nation mired in two wars and ...

Leadership lessons in higher education and what they can teach us about leadership in all walks of lifeIn an era when college presidents serve for on average fewer than six years—leaving out of personal ambition for a next post or being forced to leave under fire—there is an inspirational counterexample of leaders dedicated to the long-term success of their institutions. This book weaves together the stories behind what the Washington Post dubbed “Virginia...

From the former secretary of defense and author of the acclaimed #1 best-selling memoir Duty, a characteristically direct, informed, and urgent assessment of why big institutions are failing us and how smart, committed leadership can effect real improvement regardless of scale.Across the realms of civic and private enterprise alike, bureaucracies vitally impact our security, freedoms, and everyday life. With so much at stake, competence, efficiency, and fiscal prudence are...

To the world, Henry is an oddity-his behavior teetering between eccentricity and something far more misunderstood. Whispers follow him, questioning whether grief, war, or loss have left him this way. But those who truly see him know better.Henry possesses a rare gift-an unwavering kindness and a way of seeing the world through untainted eyes. In a town divided by wealth and circumstance, his quiet compassion touches lives on both sides of Main Street, changing them in ways no one e...

From the former secretary of defense and author of the acclaimed #1 bestselling memoir, Duty, a candid, sweeping examination of power, and how it has been exercised, for good and bad, by American presidents in the post-Cold War world.Since the end of the Cold War, the global perception of the United States has progressively morphed from dominant international leader to disorganized entity. Robert Gates argues that this transformation is the result of the f...

In the Kingdom of Yorh, magic is fading.Fantastic creatures vanish and once-caring people turn to fear and mistrust as a mundane alternate reality replaces their enchanted one.Even the king has fallen into a state of funk so deep that no bard, jester, or wizard can restore his spirits. Desperate to save her father, the most excellent Princess Jessica decrees to marry any man who can entertain him and lift his curse.Galendor dreams of becoming a legendary bard, but h...