"Basile's conceptual discussion about everything from strategic communication to ground realities make the book worth reading. . . . Tough Sell is highly recommended."—Parameters
"An engrossing account."—Kirkus
"This book masterfully blends military history with politics and media studies, thus representing the truly multifaceted nature of warfare in the twenty-first century."—Foreword
"A fitting contribution to a field needing balance."—Kevin Swift, American Journalism: A Media History Journal
"Tough Sell provides a unique contribution to communication strategies in war zones and offers thought provoking insights into understanding the barriers and what makes strategic communication in conflict areas effective."—Flora Khoo, Communication Booknotes Quarterly
“This fair, honest, and intensely personal story should inform journalists, policymakers, and the public as we make tough decisions in the fight against ISIS.”—Dr. Bob Arnot, New York Times bestselling author and former NBC News foreign correspondent
“Tough Sell is a must-read for students of conflict, practitioners of war, and a public eager to understand what is really at stake as we continue forward in a multidecade struggle against radical Islamic terror.”—Gary Berntsen, former senior CIA operations officer and station chief and the New York Times bestselling author of Jawbreaker: The Attack on Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda
“This candid and engrossing first-person account of communications and media relations in the early days of the occupation in Iraq is full of lessons for ongoing conflicts today.”—Max Angerholzer III, president and CEO, Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress
“It’s the war in Iraq like you’ve never seen it before. A must-read for truth seekers about the courage, progress, and challenges we faced, and still do, to prevent media bias from dictating our foreign policy.”—Jerry Doyle, nationally syndicated radio host and author of Have You Seen My Country Lately? America’s Wake-Up Call
“Tough Sell gives readers his unique insight into forging the delicate balance between winning wars and informing the public about realities on the ground in foreign conflicts. . . . Basile’s perspective will become a classic and help readers understand the dangerous politicizing of foreign policy coverage by today’s media. It is an easy and necessary read that uses media coverage of the Iraq war to help Americans select better sources of information and make their own judgments about critical policy issues.”—Walid Phares, author of The Lost Spring: U.S. Policy in the Middle East and Catastrophes to Avoid and Fox News national security and foreign policy contributor