Team Of Rivals Doris Kearns Goodwin "My favorite book on our most impressive president." Personal Memoirs Ulysses S. Grant "Completed just before his death, this may be the best memoir ever written by one of history’s greatest battle generals." Army At Dawn Rick Atkinson "An amazing account of how unprepared we were as a nation to enter WWII! Thanks goodness we were fast learners." 1776 David McCullough "This should be mandatory reading for every US citizen! Incredible cat and mouse account of how George Washington avoided annihilation against the greatest fighting force of the day." Steve Jobs
Walter Isaacson "One of the 20th century’s greatest entrepreneurs: he was a tortured genius with a terrible leadership style but managed to accomplish so much!"
How to Win Friends and Influence People Dale Carnegie "At the end of the day, life and leadership comes down to people. It’s been a classic that you think about the ways to help people." First, Break all the Rules Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman "This books is one of my favorite because it examines the real reasons people are motivated and yet still many organizations neglect the basics and their people “sub-perform” It has 12 questions everyone in leadership and management should commit to memory." Bowling Alone Bob Putnam "This book is an American classic looking at the bonds norms and trust between people. It examines what happens when communities of people work together— and when they fall apart." The Tipping Point Malcolm Gladwell "This fascinating book looks at why things actually happen. What leads to change in a group or community? How do you explain it? It’s a must read." The Da Vinci Code
Dan Brown "You can’t read only non-fiction. The Da Vinci Code was the most exciting book I ever picked up. I read it in 2 todays over Christmas break one year."
With the Old Breed at Peleliu and Okinawa E.B. Sledge "As you know JFK fought in the Pacific war as commander of a PT boat so I think he would have been fascinated by Sledge’s memoir (initially published in the early 1980s). I’ll let film maker Ken Burns, who did a series about the Second World War, speak for me about this book. “In all the literature of the Second World War there is not a more honest, realistic or moving memoir than Eugene Sledge’s”" The Things They Carried Tim O’Brien "A hybrid work of fiction and nonfiction, part memoir, and part fiction about the Vietnam War. These short stories demonstrate the impact of war on individuals. I think JFK would have been fascinated because he had repeatedly overruled advisors who recommended sending combat units to Vietnam, although he did increase the number of US advisors. Six weeks before his assassination he announced that he would be withdrawing 1000 US advisors from South Vietnam by the end of the year with a view towards removing them all by 1965. This, of course, did not happen." The Liberation Trilogy-An Army at Dawn: The War in N Africa 1942-1943 Rick Atkinson "All three books manage to combine dramatic and moving descriptions of combat with an insightful analysis of strategy and tactics. JFK’s older brother Joseph was killed in action in Europe while flying a dangerous mission, and I’m sure this personal connection would have led JFK to Atkinson’s trilogy." The Liberation Trilogy - The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy 1943-1944 Rick Atkinson "All three books manage to combine dramatic and moving descriptions of combat with an insightful analysis of strategy and tactics. JFK’s older brother Joseph was killed in action in Europe while flying a dangerous mission, and I’m sure this personal connection would have led JFK to Atkinson’s trilogy." The Guns at Last Light: The War in Europe 1944-1945
Rick Atkinson "All three books manage to combine dramatic and moving descriptions of combat with an insightful analysis of strategy and tactics. JFK’s older brother Joseph was killed in action in Europe while flying a dangerous mission, and I’m sure this personal connection would have led JFK to Atkinson’s trilogy."
Street Without Joy Bernard Fall "The late Dr. Bernard Fall’s best work on Indochina. I carried this book in my pack in Vietnam to read and re-read and occasionally scare the crap out of myself when we would transit the pass where the Viet Minh ambushed Group Mobile 100 in last days of the French war." This Kind of War T.R. Fehrenbach "The best single volume history of the Korean War. Col. Fehrenbach’s work is unflinching and impeccable. I carried this fat volume in my pack in Vietnam as well!" Gates Of Fire Steven Pressfield "Mr. Pressfield tells the story of the 300 Spartans who held off thousands upon thousands of Persians at the pass….and tells it so vividly that by the end you are ready to sign on as a Spartan yourself!" The Praetorians, The Centurions Jean Larteguy "Two interlocking volumes that tell the story of the French paras captured at DienBienPhu and their trial by fire at hands of the Viet Minh. Those who survive return to fight in Algeria, using the torture tactics used against them on the Algerian rebels. Ultimately they drift into the plot to assassinate President Charles de Gaulle. Very well written stories in these two books. If they intrigue you see if you can find a lesser known Larteguy book titled Yellow Fever." Barrack Room Ballads
Rupyard Kipling "No reading list for warriors would be complete without a volume of Kipling. I love this one for a short dedication at the front in which Kipling celebrates his years covering the British Indian Army. Kipling’s words illustrate and illuminate my own years covering America’s soldiers and Marines at war: “I have eaten your bread and salt; Drunk your water and wine. The deaths you’ve died I watched beside, and the lives you’ve lived were mine.”" The March of Folly Barbara W. Tuchman In it, Tuchman examines Tuchman examines 4 major conflicts: The Trojan Horse, The Protestant Secession, The American Revolution, and The American War in Vietnam. Interestingly all had success or lack thereof because one side either grossly underestimated the opponent, became complacent or let their guard down. Eisenhower in War and Peace Jean Edward Smith An intriguing look at one of this nation's timeless leaders in very different world circumstances - not a dry or boring biography by any stretch. Leaders Richard Nixon A fantastic look at some of the most notable leaders of the 20th century - their differing styles, challenges and personalities, and interestingly, the author, President Nixon, knew each one of the leaders he writes about personally. The Years of Lyndon B. Johnson: The Passage of Power
Robert A. Caro It is a clear and real depiction of what happens at this country's highest levels in times of emergency and bewilderment.
The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt Edmund Morris "An incredible story of growth from an incredible man." Lord Jim Joseph Conrad "The study of ethics and leadership…one of the Conrad’s best books, which is saying much." 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Stephen Covey "I reread this once every couple of years" Anna Karenina Leo Tolstoy "Currently reading. Fantastic example of fiction and the inner monologue we all think…Tolstoy articulates." 4 Hour Work Week
Timothy Ferriss "I hate to admit it but there are some powerful maxims in here. Ferris is not a man to model in many ways but his perspective on delegation and choices is important."
The Tragedy of Great Power Politics John J. Mearsheimer "Mearsheimer’s masterpiece about great power relations over time. Motivations, goals, strategies, and resources all factor in his theory about these relations. Realism trumps idealism in his view because in the end, a nation’s survival is what really matters." The German General Staff Walter Goerlitz "This book may be out of print but it covers the development of the German military staff system – and its generals — from its roots in Junker society in 1657 until Hitler destroyed it in 1945. A real gem for those who want to understand our own staff system." Defeat into Victory Field-Marshal Viscount William Slim "The best autobiography by any senior leader of WW II. He is refreshingly self-critical and frank." The Most Noble Adventure - The Marshall Plan and the Time When America Helped Save Europe Greg Behrman "The logical end of any war is the reestablishment of peace and Behrman masterfully tells the story of how the Marshall Plan was crafted and implemented to bring peace to Europe at a time when the Cold War was just beginning." Insurgencies and Terrorism
Bard O’Neill "O’Neill hits the target with his almost scientific analysis of insurgency, its various types, and supporting strategies. Had US leaders studied this before 2001 we would have fared far better in our subsequent campaigns." |