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"Winston's War: Churchill, 1940-1945"
By: Sir Max Hastings
The reason to read about Churchill is summarized on page 3 of this book, “Churchill was the greatest Englishman and one of the greatest human beings of the twentieth century, indeed of all time.” This work takes him through the war years, arguing that he made mistakes but that he was indispensible to victory. |
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"WAR"
By: Sebastian Junger
A raw, first-hand account of several trips to a forward base in Afghanistan. It helps paint the picture of what day-to-day life is like in one of the most hostile areas and how young men make life and death decisions in seconds.
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"Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History"
By: S. C. Gwynne
A terrific history of North Texas and the Panhandle, one of the last areas in the continental U.S. to be settled. The author does not romanticize the Indians or fail to point out where the government did not keep its word. Brutality was a fact of life on both sides. |
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"The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine"
By: Michael Lewis
This book has been cited by people all over the political map to justify their views of the financial crisis. But it is well worth reading to help understand the Wall Street portion of what happened. |
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"Rendezvous with Destiny"
By: Craig Shirley
A blow-by-blow account of Reagan’s 1980 campaign. We tend to think back and remember a landslide, but at several points it was a close run thing. I’m also struck by how much many of the issues Reagan talked about during that campaign and still relevant to today’s debates. |
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"Churchill"
By: Paul Johnson
“Of all the towering figures of the twentieth century, both good and evil, Winston Churchill was the most valuable to humanity, and also the most likable. . . . None holds more lessons, especially for youth.” (p.3)
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"Actions Speak Louder"
By: John C. Bridgman
John Bridgman has written a book full of good, common sense advice, but as a friend told me during my first campaign, “The thing about common sense is that it’s not all that common.” This book inspires with important reminders about what’s really important in life. In a time of intemperate and inflated rhetoric – particularly out of Washington – it reminds us that what we do speaks a lot louder than what we say, and it offers a number of ways to let our actions speak even louder in being a positive influence on others.
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"There Is No Alternative” – Why Margaret Thatcher Matters
By: Claire Berlinski
An interesting, rather informal look at Margaret Thatcher and the reasons she was important to Britain in the 1980’s, as well as the reasons she is still important to us today. Reading of what she faced then will remind you of what Americans are facing now. Studying her courage will inspire you.
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Churchill By Himself
Editor: Richard Langworth
There are so many quotations attributed to Sir Winston Churchill that the great authentic ones sometimes get lost, or at least confused. This book is the ultimate authority on what the great man really said and on some of the most frequent misquotes attributed to him.
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The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One
By: David Kilcullen
Interesting analysis of the threats we face. The author talks about the combination of globally oriented terrorists with regional allies and local guerrillas who get used by them. He sheds light on the situation in Afghanistan, Iraq, and elsewhere and has testified before Congress several times.
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Once An Eagle
By: Anton Myrer
An article noted that our commander in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, had read this book several times, so I decided to try it. It is a long novel that tells an incredible story of a military man who lives with truth and honor and with his eyes wide open. The lessons and the inspiration from this book apply not just to those in the military but to all of us.
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The World is Curved: Hidden Dangers to the Global Economy
by David M. Smick
Very interesting look at today’s economy and the problems we face. Among other points, the author notes that the political and economic worlds increasingly do not understand each other, which produces devastating consequences for our country.
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Tried by War: Abraham Lincoln as Commander in Chief
by James M. McPherson
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Lincoln: The Biography of a Writer
by Fred Kaplan (Hardcover- October 28, 2008)
With the bicentennial of Abraham Lincoln’s birth, there is a flood of new books on our greatest President. These two are excellent. One surveys Lincoln’s role in directing the war. The other is an in-depth look at his influences and development as a writer.
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Redefining Health Care
by Michael E. Porter and Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg
Argues that our health care system should be reformed to have competition based on value for the patient. The book says that mandatory measurement and reporting of results is perhaps the single most important step in reforming the health care system.
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The Shack
by William P. Young
An amazing work of Christian Fiction that is sweeping the country.
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Fixing Failed States
by Ashraf Ghani and Claire Lockhart
Insightful look at what does and does not work in building nations.
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Future Jihad:
by Walid Phares
Terrorist Strategies against America by Walid Phares "The war on terror is winnable if the war of ideas is won." Lebanon-born Walid Phares helps provide the kind of deep understanding of our adversary needed to wage successfully that war of ideas in Future Jihad: Terrorist Strategies against America. Emphasizing that the jihadists are "on a mission to resume what their ancestors began," Phares describes movement's history, objectives and strategies, as well as the danger and the vulnerabilities posed by its ideological prison. He argues, correctly in my view, that the West has reacted to individual terrorist events rather than pursuing a long-term strategy that undermines the root cause of the movement - its ideas. Much has been written on terrorism and jihad in six years since 9/11, but only a few works provide the penetrating insight that will help equip us to wage effectively the broader ideological struggle. This book is one.
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Patriotic Grace
by Peggy Noonan
Pg. 43 “What we need most right now, at this moment, is a kind of patriotic grace- a grace that takes the long view, apprehends the moment we’re in, comes up with ways of dealing with it, and eschews the politically cheap and manipulative.”
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The Forgotten Man, A New History of the Great Depression
by Amity Shlaes
Insightful study of the Great Depression and government actions that made it longer and deeper.
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7 Deadly Scenarios: A Military Futurist Explores War in the 21st Century (Hardcover)
by Andrew Krepinevich
One of the top national security thinkers in the country spells out some nightmare scenarios to help focus our planning and better understanding the security challenges we face. Highly recommended.
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Mac's Reading list
