Here at watm we love putting together lists and ratings, so it made sense for us to create one for non-fiction books. we read quite often, and unsurprisingly, considering we’re a bunch of military veterans, those books tend to deal with military topics.
These are our picks for the best non-fiction military books of all time. (if you want to see our fiction selections, click here). the books below are numbered but not in rank order. these are all great reads.
You are reading: Books about the military
1. “the eternal war” by dexter filkins
If you want to better understand America’s war against radical Islamists, look no further than journalist dexter filkins’s “the eternal war.” As foreign correspondent for the new york times, filkins begins his book as the taliban rise to power in afghanistan, writes about the aftermath that followed sept. the 11th attacks and then continues through the wars in iraq and afghanistan.
Told from ground level by the only American journalist to report on all of these events, Filkins doesn’t write a neat history lesson. instead, he tells individual stories of people, from ordinary citizens to soldiers, and how they are affected by the incidents that happen around them. he does so using beautiful, unbiased prose.
2. “the pentagon wars” by james burton
former air force colonel. james burton gives an inside look at what it’s like when the pentagon wants to develop a new weapons system. Having spent 14 years in weapons acquisition and testing, Burton details his struggle during the development of the Bradley Fighting Vehicle with those above him who were often more interested in supporting defense contractors than troops in field.
burton spends much of the book writing about the small group of military reformers who toiled away trying to fix the pentagon’s procurement problems from the 1960s through the 1980s, and as a result suffered professionally for “shaking the boat”. For example, after suggesting that Bradley’s armor should be tested against Soviet anti-tank weaponry, the Army, knowing he would never hold out, tried to transfer Burton to Alaska. the very serious book also inspired a very funny movie made by hbo:
3. “fallen black hawk” by mark bowden
Most people have seen the movie, but this is one of those times when you should definitely read the book. This brilliant account by journalist Mark Bowden tells the story of the Oct. 3, 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, Somalia, when hundreds of elite U.S. Army soldiers battled thousands of militants when a routine mission went wrong.
With remarkable access, research, and interviews, Bowden recreates the battle minute by minute, perfectly capturing the brutality of the fighting and the heroism of those who fought and died there.
4. “a bullet away” by nathaniel fick
This book offers an inside look at the transformation from civilian to Marine officer. Fick majors in classics at Dartmouth, joining the Marines in 1998 as an idealistic young man, leaving an experienced and skilled leader after serving in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Sometimes very personal and unpleasant, the book of fick recounts many combat experiences. But that’s not the real draw. its wonderful details on the training, mindset, and actions of naval officers on today’s battlefields make this book a must-read.
5. “band of brothers” by stephen ambrose
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account by historian stephen ambrose easy co. in “band of brothers” is simply a story of ordinary men doing extraordinary things. The book, which later became a 10-part miniseries on HBO, takes readers from the unit’s harsh training in 1942 to the liberation of Hitler’s “Eagle’s Nest” in 1945.
“band of brothers illustrates what one of ambrose’s sources calls “the secret attractions of war…the delight in camaraderie, the delight in destruction…war as a show,” tim appelo writes in his review.
6. “once we were soldiers…and young” by harold moore and joseph galloway
One of the first significant clashes between US and Vietnamese forces in 1965 was also one of the most savage. The Battle of Ia Drang Valley is narrated by Lt. column. Moore and Galloway, a reporter who was there, and serves as a testament to the bravery and perseverance of the 450 men who fought after being surrounded by 2,000 enemy troops.
While the book was later made into a movie, it’s worth reading if only for the stories of Rick Rescorla, the platoon leader featured on the book’s cover whose nickname was “Hard Core.”
7. “the art of war” by sun tzu
Over 2,000 years old and still relevant today, “The Art of War” is a must-read on military theory and strategy. but his maxims can be applied by those who are very far from combat weapons. tzu offers advice relevant to everyone from army generals to CEOs.
“soak this book in and you can ditch all those contemporary books on managerial leadership,” newsweek wrote.
8. flyboys by james bradley
Many contemporary accounts of World War II have been written, but “flyboys” manages to bring to light something that had been hidden for almost 60 years. James Bradley tells the story of nine Americans who were shot down in the Pacific off the island of Chichi Jima.
one of them, george h.w. bush, was rescued. But what happened to the other eight was covered up and kept secret from their families by both the us and the US. uu. and Japanese governments. Bradley, who wrote “Flags of Our Fathers,” did extensive research and uncovered a story that had never been told before.
9. “1776” by david mcullough
Written in a compelling narrative style, David McCullough’s “1776” retells the year of America’s birth in wonderful detail. McCullough is an incredible storyteller who puts you right there, feeling like you’re marching in the continental army.
from amazon description:
In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence, when the entire American cause rested on his success, without which all hope of independence would vanish. they would have been shattered and the lofty ideals of the declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.
10. “kill generation” by evan wright
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As a reporter for Rolling Stone magazine, Evan Wright traveled with Marines from the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion to Iraq in 2003. Embedded among the men, Wright captures the story of that first month of the American invasion along with the mindset grumpy, how the marines interact with and capture the new generation of warriors that has emerged after 9/11.
Soldiers today are “on more intimate terms with video game culture, reality TV and internet porn than they are with their own families,” Wright told Booklist (a 19-year-old corporal compares driving into an ambush to a grand theft autovideo game: “it was fucking great”.)
11. jake tapper’s “the outpost”
A 704-page monster of a book, journalist Jake Tapper tells a powerful story of an Afghan outpost that was doomed even before soldiers built it. Beginning with the decision to build a combat outpost in Nuristan in 2006, Tapper reveals a series of poor decisions that would ultimately lead to a battle for survival at that outpost three years later, one in which several soldiers would win the medal of honor for his heroism.
Known as Keating Combat Outpost, the history of the base is one worth reading. With its bestseller status, rave reviews from critics, and most importantly, the soldiers who fought there, it’s safe to say “The Outpost” gets it right.
12. “by killing” by lt. column. david grossman
Found on many military reading lists, Grossman’s “On Killing” is a landmark study of how soldiers face the reality of killing other humans in combat, and how military training overcomes their aversion to such an act.
A former West Point psychology professor, Grossman delves into the psychological costs of war and presents a compelling thesis that human beings have an instinctive aversion to killing. with this, he also shows how the military overcomes this core trait through real-world conditioning and training.
13. “the guns of august” by barbara tuchman
This Pulitzer Prize-winning book is a masterpiece of military history. Giving an account of the first month of World War I in 1914, Tuchman tells not only a war story, but also an event that would revolutionize the modern world.
“this was the last breath of the golden age, of kings, kaisers and tsars, of pointed or feathered hats, colored uniforms and all the pomp and romance that accompanied war,” reads the description from the publisher. “how quickly everything changed and how horrible it became. Tuchman is masterful in portraying this abrupt change from the 19th to the 20th century.”
14. “the good soldiers” by david finkel
Embedded among the 2-16 infantrymen as part of President Bush’s last-chance “surge” into Iraq, journalist David Finkel captures the grim reality as troops battle the chaotic and often mortals of baghdad the book often follows the overly optimistic column. ralph kauzlarich (motto: “everything is fine”).
but finkel excels at capturing everyone in the chain of command and tells their stories incredibly well. his book is less about the big picture surge strategy and more about the soldiers on the ground who fought against it. that is a very good thing.
Those are our choices. Did we miss one you loved? Leave a recommendation in the comments.
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