Elliott Bay Book Company presents: General Jim Mattis
in conversation with Rajiv Chandrasekaran

Mon, Sep 16, 2019 at 7pm

  • Includes a copy of Call Sign Chaos
Online ticket sales have ended but tickets will also be available for sale at the door on the night of the event.

Please note: Our event with Jim Mattis for his book, CALL SIGN CHAOS, will now be held on September 16 due to a change in the book’s publication date.

Added news: General Jim Mattis will appear in conversation with Rajiv Chandrasekaran, author of Imperial Life in the Emerald City and co-author with Howard Schultz of For Love of Country: What Our Veterans Can Teach Us About Citizenship, Heroism and Sacrifice. 

Tonight General Jim Mattis (Ret.), the 26th U.S. Secretary of Defense ( January 2017 until his resignation in December 2018) travels to Seattle to speak about his new book, Call Sign Chaos (Random House), an account of his leadership roles in three wars to ultimately commanding a quarter of a million troops across the Middle East. Along the way, he recounts his foundational experiences as a leader, extracting the lessons he has learned about the nature of warfighting and peacemaking, the importance of allies, and the strategic dilemmas—and short-sighted thinking—now facing our nation. He makes it clear why America must return to a strategic footing so as not to continue winning battles but fighting inconclusive wars. His appearance here  marks a public return to the state he hails from, as he was born in Pullman, raised and educated in the Tri-Cities, and graduated from Central Washington University.

Tickets include a copy of Call Sign Chaos and admit either one person ($35) or two people ($40)

Books will be distributed at the event. Unclaimed, pre-purchased books will be available for pick up at the Elliott Bay Book Company for 30 days after the event and then donated. 

ABOUT CALL SIGN CHAOS

A clear-eyed account of learning how to lead in a chaotic world, by General Jim Mattis—the former Secretary of Defense and one of the most formidable strategic thinkers of our time—and Bing West, a former assistant secretary of defense and combat Marine.
 
Call Sign Chaos is the account of Jim Mattis’s storied career, from wide-ranging leadership roles in three wars to ultimately commanding a quarter of a million troops across the Middle East. Along the way, Mattis recounts his foundational experiences as a leader, extracting the lessons he has learned about the nature of warfighting and peacemaking, the importance of allies, and the strategic dilemmas—and short-sighted thinking—now facing our nation. He makes it clear why America must return to a strategic footing so as not to continue winning battles but fighting inconclusive wars. 
 
Mattis divides his book into three parts: Direct Leadership, Executive Leadership, and Strategic Leadership. In the first part, Mattis recalls his early experiences leading Marines into battle, when he knew his troops as well as his own brothers. In the second part, he explores what it means to command thousands of troops and how to adapt your leadership style to ensure your intent is understood by your most junior troops so that they can own their mission. In the third part, Mattis describes the challenges and techniques of leadership at the strategic level, where military leaders reconcile war’s grim realities with political leaders’ human aspirations, where complexity reigns and the consequences of imprudence are severe, even catastrophic.
 
Call Sign Chaos is a memoir of a life of warfighting and lifelong learning, following along as Mattis rises from Marine recruit to four-star general. It is a journey about learning to lead and a story about how he, through constant study and action, developed a unique leadership philosophy, one relevant to us all.

Advance praise for Call Sign Chaos
 
“In this magnificent memoir, Jim Mattis details many important events in his career, but he also does much more: He explains how he is informed by his experiences in a way that teaches you how to learn from your own. Read, enjoy, and learn.”—George Shultz


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