Posted on Dec 19, 2013
Col Regional Director, Whem/Ssa And Congressional Liaison
20.1K
154
113
9
9
0
Yes, the professional reading list, it seems as if everyone has one these days; so have you considered developing your own? In the late 1980s the Marine Corps Professional Reading Program officially got its start as the "Commandant's Reading List," each CMC since has placed his personal "stamp" on the program, though many of the books have remained consistent; apparently, in some form or another "recommended reading" lists have been generated for marines since the 19th century; today we see that each service, organization, etc. have a recommended reading lists of one sort or another... so, have you considered... what would be your "leaders reading list?"  It could be career-field specific, cover leadership and/or management, training, human psychology/achievement, life planning/financial, or any other subject(s) that you find complementary for a fitting and thorough list. So, the challenge here is to determine... what titles would you put on your own personal version of a "professional reading list?"
Edited >1 y ago
Avatar feed
Responses: 51
Votes
  • Newest
  • Oldest
  • Votes
SSG(P) Infantry Squad Leader
2
2
0
"Gates of fire" or any book regarding the Spartan Mentality, Alexander the Great, and a book of Gen. Patten's Quotes
(2)
Comment
(0)
Thomas Rancourt
Thomas Rancourt
>1 y
I have heard of "Gates of Fire"- how is it?
(1)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small
CW2 Special Agent
2
2
0
The Outpost by Jake Tapper
(2)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SSgt Forensic Meteorological Consultant
2
2
0
I am reading a book about Vietnam called 'The Cat From Hue.  I love cats so this goes well and in my era which is even better.  word!!!
(2)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SSG General Services Technician And State Vehicle Inspector
2
2
0


There
are a lot of great books out there to add to one’s professional reading list.
Besides many of the books already mentioned, these are some of what I have on
my bookshelves.



 



“Crazy
Horse and Custer: The Parallel Lives of Two American Warriors” -  Stephen E. Ambrose



“Manhunt:
The Ten Year Search for Bin Laden from 9/11 to Abbottabad” – Peter L. Bergen



“Red
Blood, Black Sand: Fighting Alongside John Basilone” – Chuck Tatum



“Incredible
Victory: The Battle of Midway” – Walter Lord



“Democracy
in America” – Alexis de Tocqueville



“The
First Tycoon: The Epic Life of Cornelius Vanderbilt” – T.J. Stiles



“At
Dawn We Slept: The Untold Story of Pearl Harbor” – Gordon W. Prange



“Makers
of Modern Strategy from Machiavelli to the Nuclear Age” – Peter Paret



“Leadership:
The Warrior’s Art” – Christopher D. Kolenda



“Sherman:
Great Generals Series” – Steven E. Woodworth



“American
Creation: Triumph and Tragedies in the Founding of the Republic” - Joseph J.
Ellis



“Inferno:
The World at War 1939-1945” – Max Hastings



“Midnight
Rising: John Brown and the Raid that Sparked the Civil War” - Tony Horwitz



“Undaunted
Courage” - Stephen Ambrose



“The
H.L. Hunley” - Tom Chaffin



“Catch-22”
– Joseph Heller



“Watership
Down” - Richard Adams



“American
Sniper” - Chris Kyle



“The
Portable Conservative Reader” – Russell T. Kirk



“War
& Friendship” - Colonel Pill-ki Chung



“Flags
of Our Fathers” – James Bradley



“Fighting
For America: Black Soldiers – The Unsung Heroes of WW2” – Christopher P. Moore



“The
Fourth Star” – David Cloud & Greg Jaffe



“American
Soldier” – GEN Tommy R. Franks



“The
Rape of Nanking” – Iris Chang



“The
Founding Fathers Guide to the Constitution” – Brion McClanahan



“Stars
in Their Courses: The Gettysburg Campaign” – Shelby Foote



(2)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SSG Cannon Crew Member
2
2
0
"One Second After" by William R. Forstchen. A story about a few EMP's going off over the U.S. and the aftermath. Great book, pretty damn realistic. You would be surprised to see what big wigs in Washington help promote it.
(2)
Comment
(0)
SSG Cannon Crew Member
SSG (Join to see)
>1 y
sorry about the google thing.. oops
(1)
Reply
(0)
Col Regional Director, Whem/Ssa And Congressional Liaison
Col (Join to see)
>1 y

SSG Broadbent, excellent recommendation much appreciated, this sounds like a great read, thanks for sharing!

 

 

(0)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small
CSM Michael Poll
2
2
0
The Noncommissioned Officer and Petty Officer:
Backbone of the Armed Forces
(2)
Comment
(0)
Col Regional Director, Whem/Ssa And Congressional Liaison
Col (Join to see)
>1 y

CSM Poll, Outstanding selection... thanks for sharing!!  http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=121357

 

(0)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small
SSG General Services Technician And State Vehicle Inspector
2
2
0
Sir, I have so many books on my reading list, it's not even funny. I would recommend just about anything historical with an occasional dab of fiction (i.e. Vince Flynn, Brad Thor).
(2)
Comment
(0)
Col Regional Director, Whem/Ssa And Congressional Liaison
Col (Join to see)
11 y
SSG Redondo, thanks for sharing and very good point, this would definitely help to create a more well-rounded list, do you have any titles (by Flynn, Thor, et al) that you'd like to share?
(1)
Reply
(0)
SSG General Services Technician And State Vehicle Inspector
SSG (Join to see)
11 y
Sir, I definitely recommend all of Flynn's and Thor's books. Both are phenomenal writers. My two favorite Flynn books are "Term Limits" and "Extreme Measures". I also read Steve Berry, David Baldacci, John Lescorat (sp?), Alex Kava, Alex Berenson, John Grisham, Tom Clancy, B. Kent Anderson (for the history buffs), Stephen Hunter, Orson Scott Card, Clive Cussler. I have many others too.
(1)
Reply
(0)
Avatar small
CW3 Standardization Officer
1
1
0
E6ef9309
Fantastic read Col (Join to see)
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SSgt Alex Robinson
1
1
0
Read biographies. I personally enjoy them yet use them as a learning tool.
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SSG Fire Support Specialist
1
1
0
Message to Garcia and the things they carried both great books well actually the first is a short story and the second is a collection of short stories
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
LTC Retired Veteran
1
1
0
Great thread...sorry I am so late to the game.

I try to rotate -- 1) a military book, 2) a biography (leader or distinguished person) or non-military history and then 3) an off-topic book (sports, sports leadership, pop-culture bios, or misc)

Here are 20 of my top choices, some found in previous posts or in attached lists (in no particular order):

1) Young Men and Fire -- Norman McLean
2) Once an Eagle -- Anton Myrer
3) Catch-22 -- Joseph Heller
4) When Pride Still Mattered -- David Maraniss
5) On Becoming a Leader -- Warren Bennis
6) Blink, Tipping Point, David and Goliath -- Malcolm Gadwell
7) 1776 and Adams -- David McCoullough
8) The Gold Standard -- Coach K
9) Unbroken --Laura Hillenbrand
10) My Share of the Task -- GEN (ret) McChrystal
11) The Outpost -- Jake Tapper
12) Rikki-Tikki-Tavi -- Kippling
13) Paterno -- Joe Posnanski
14) Legacy of Ashes -- Tim Weiner
15) The Mission, the Men and Me -- Pete Blaber
16) Good to Great -- Jim Collins
17) The Five People You Meet in Heaven -- Mitch Albom
18) The History of Surfing -- Matt Warshaw
19) Bright Shining Lie -- John Paul Vann
20) Dereliction of Duty -- H.R.McMaster

Enjoy!
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SGM Mikel Dawson
1
1
0
http://www.amazon.com/Citizen-Soldiers-Normandy-Beaches-Surrender/dp/ [login to see]
Should be required reading by all ranks!

STOP THE COMING CIVIL WAR,
http://www.amazon.com/Stop-Coming-Civil-War-Savage/dp/ [login to see] /ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid= [login to see] &sr=1-1&keywords=michael+savage

This book is not only one man's opinion, but is written with references to back up all statements made. Michael Savage does the current situation justice. A must read for everyone. I've got mine!
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
Maj Wayne Dahlke
1
1
0
I recommend military fiction. The truths tend to come through for me a little better in story format, without having to put myself into the places I have been so many times before.

The WEB Griffin Army and Marine stories
The Honor Harrington series By David Weber (military SciFi)
Level Zero Heros by Michael Golembesky
All of the Tom Clancy books
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SSG Multichannel Transmission Systems Operator/Maintainer
1
1
0
Muddy boots leadership!
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
PO3 Jim Deming
1
1
0
Reading for a purpose, my recomended list includes
How to win friends and influence people, Dale Carnaghie
"Fearless"
Magic of thinking big,
7 habits of highly effective people, Steven Covey
Speed of trust, Steven R Covey
Good to Great, Jim Collins
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
LTC Retired
1
1
0
Here are a couple of my favorite books but I have a large library full of many more, some already have been mentioned.

"Carnage and Culture: Landmark Battles in the Rise of Western Power" by Victor Davis Hanson
"Once a Warrior King, Memories of an Officer in Vietnam" by David Donovan
"Ghost Soldiers" by Hampton Sides
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SPC Geoffrey Jenkins
1
1
0
The Long Walk by Brian Castner
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SA Harold Hansmann
1
1
0
Louis lamour
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
PO3 Account Management Specialist
1
1
0
Tsp
Thou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin.

I started reading this book this weekend while I was at the beach (yes, I'm a nerd, not your typical beach reading). It came highly recommended during the Legacy Journey class that my husband and I just finished facilitating our first session of. It's written by a Jewish rabbi, and Jews are known for their prosperity in business. It's written for people of ALL faiths. Y'all should check it out.

You can also check out a 5 part series on Youtube about this topic. The first session is located here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OA-BqYkysiA

It is NOT a "get rich quick" scheme. It debunks the myths about the "sneaky" Jews, and discusses why it's a moral and spiritual obligation to prosper. It's a REALLY REALLY good read.
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small
SFC Mark Merino
1
1
0
"The Shack"...inspirational. The power of forgiveness and how it frees us from anger.
(1)
Comment
(0)
Avatar small

Join nearly 2 million former and current members of the US military, just like you.

How are you connected to the military?
  • Active Duty
  • Active Reserve / National Guard
  • Pre-Commission
  • Veteran / Retired
  • Civilian Supporter