The Raider

“A life well-lived is a work of art. The life of Marine Corps legend Evans Carlson was certainly that, and so too is Stephen R. Platt’s biography, The Raider. This compelling story is meticulously researched and told on a canvas that spans hemispheres, revolutions, and world wars. What a life! What a book!” —Elliot Ackerman, author of Places and Names and 2034

“Evans Carlson’s legacy is both legendary and mythical. Dr. Stephen Platt, an expert in modern Chinese history, cuts through the fabulism to provide an accurate and insightful portrait of Carlson, both as a Marine and as a man. Carefully researched and thoughtfully written, The Raider is highly recommended.” —Frank Kalesnik, former Command Historian, United States Marine Forces, Special Operations Command and Chief Historian, Marine Corps History Division

“Through the life of one man caught, in a way, between the U.S. and China, Stephen R. Platt tells a larger tale about the two countries whose relationship helped shape the last century and which may define this one. A fascinating, moving, and unexpected story.” —Adam Hochschild, author of American Midnight: The Great War, a Violent Peace, and Democracy’s Forgotten Crisis

“This is a gripping and beautifully written history of the controversial life of General Evans Carlson and his tumultuous times. The book vividly shows Chinese Communist armies fighting against the Imperial Japanese invaders, U.S. Marines launching a daring raid from submarines against a remote Japanese island stronghold in the Pacific Ocean, as well as the delusions of Americans who swooned for Chinese revolutionaries. Stephen Platt gives deep insights into the Pacific theater in World War II, the Chinese Civil War, the forging of the modern U.S. military, and the tangled American encounter with China. Drawing deeply from primary sources, he has produced a rip-roaring tale of battlefield courage and postwar scandal that happens to be all true.” —Gary Bass, author of Judgment at Tokyo: World War II on Trial and the Making of Modern Asia

“When he was stationed in China in the 1930s as its modern state was emerging, Marine Corps icon Evans Carlson saw the genuine possibility of US-China allyship—for which he bravely advocated while critiquing the military-industrial complex, fascist dictators, and drawing the ire of J. Edgar Hoover. This riveting and nuanced biography resurrects a once-beloved American hero whose stalwart moral compass stands out as an example—and exception—to today’s ruling polity.” —Helen Zia, author of Last Boat Out of Shanghai: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Fled Mao’s Revolution

“[A] masterful storyteller . . . the depth and complexity of Platt’s book mirror the depth and complexity of the historical actors portrayed in its pages.” —Kelly Hammond, Los Angeles Review of Books

“A remarkable hybrid of traditional soldier’s biography, rousing Special Forces history, and thoughtful, Tuchmanesque exploration of the tangled ‘American experience in China’ . . . [Platt’s] narratives of the Raiders’ melees in the Pacific—namely, Makin Island and Guadalcanal—are excellent, clear, vivid and informative . . . A top-grade [book].” —Alexander Rose, Wall Street Journal

“I loved The Raider. . . . [Carlson’s] interactions with the rising Chinese Communist Party offer, in microcosm, a history of modern America’s fraught relationship with China. Platt is one of his generation’s leading archival, narrative historians of modern China, and he brings the era to life in grippingly vivid prose.” —Julia Lovell, History Today (“Books of the Year 2025”)

“The Raider by Stephen R. Platt is more than a military biography; it’s a resurrection. . . . Platt doesn’t romanticize Carlson, but gives him his due. This is military biography as political and cultural history, rich with insight into a man who tried to remake the armed forces from within. In an age of renewed U.S.-China tension, The Raider reminds us that history is shaped not just by wars, but by the people who imagine different ways to fight them” —Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat Gazette

“Carlson’s career is not a historical footnote—it is an instructive case study for the Marine Corps and the joint force . . . More than a combat biography, Platt’s book serves as a case study on partner force development and the challenges of overcoming institutional inertia in order to innovate. As the Marine Corps again prepares for distributed operations across the Pacific, Carlson’s example offers lessons on innovating, partnering, and fighting in the Pacific . . . Platt’s background as a Chinese historian is ideal for telling Carlson’s story.” —Benjamin Van Horrick, RealClear Defense

“An engaging story.” —Steve Pfarrer, Daily Hampshire Gazette

“Offers an outstanding history not only of the birth of modern American special forces but also of the conflict between communists and nationalists in pre- and post-war China . . . A masterful account of mid-twentieth-century Chinese geopolitics and its profound influence on the emergence of modern American unconventional warfare tactics.” —Tom Hines, QuarterDeck Reviews

“A riveting read. . . . Vivid and deeply researched. . . . The Raider holds many timely lessons for today’s general readers and scholars alike about the origins of current U.S. military tactics and force culture, military and civilian leadership, ideological ambiguity, and navigating alliances in a shifting global landscape. . . . Platt’s account of how Carlson negotiated these changes humanizes the sweeping military and political changes of the era.” —Sara Bush Castro, The Journal of America’s Military Past

“Thoroughly researched and rich in detail of a fascinating life.” —Seapower Magazine

“Platt traces [Carlson’s] character arc brilliantly, presenting him as a courageous and innovative military leader.” —Lawrence D. Freedman, Foreign Affairs

“Rousing . . . Platt’s narrative delivers plenty of blood and guts action while serving as a revealing exploration of the ardent attraction many Westerners felt toward Chinese communism. The result is a gripping, complex study of a military romantic who mixed ruthlessness with idealism.” —Publishers Weekly

“Details the incredible story of Carlson’s life [and] highlights an important period in U.S. relations with China.” —Library Journal (starred review)

“The Raider is more than a biography; it’s a tale of adventure, cultural exchanges gone awry, and one man’s realization of the vast opportunities the world has to offer. This groundbreaking book fills a significant gap in historical literature and is an essential read for casual history enthusiasts and professional historians alike.” —Booklist