Cannonball Read 10

Sticking it to Cancer One Book at a Time

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More things should be full of win

Tigerman by Nick Harkaway

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I was expecting something more in the fantasy realm from Tigerman, given Nick Harkaway’s first two novels, and although there is the titular superhero, this book stays much more grounded, more of an existential thriller with military and cloak-and-dagger elements, and for that, it’s a lot of thought-provoking fun. The story takes place on a mythical island in the Arabian Sea, an island previously controlled by the British and French, among others, but which has become an environmental disaster due to chemical companies pumping toxic waste deep beneath the island. The international community has decided to incinerate everything to ward […]

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3/28/2018 | 's CBR10 Review No:17 |

Army Chief of Staff Reading List #7

Fiasco: The American Military Adventure in Iraq by Thomas E. Ricks

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I looked forward to reading this book for a while.  I really enjoyed another of the author’s books, The Generals, and its critical take on U.S. military leadership.  Fiasco did not disappoint. Fiasco is the story of the early part of the Iraq War.  There is a little background so that one understands the main players, namely Wolfowitz and Rumsfeld, and then it jumps headfirst into a chronological discussion of the decisions made and their repercussions.  Fiasco discusses how the war was basically preordained.  The decision to go to war was made before the evidence was evaluated, if it ever […]

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3/6/2018 | 's CBR10 Review No:13 |

Repeating history?

This Kind of War by T.R. Fehrenbach

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I have many thoughts about this book but as always, here’s the situation that led to me reading it.  This Kind of War is another book from the Army Chief of Staff’s reading list.  It has also been recommended by Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis as a must-read. Secretary Mattis is known, colloquially, as the Warrior Monk due to his dedication to his craft and his knowledge and understanding of making war.  He is known to be a voracious reader and believes that all leaders should be reading.  From Task and Purpose, Secretary Mattis said “You need to have that […]

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2/16/2018 | 's CBR10 Review No:9 |

Some Perspective…

What It Is Like to Go to War by Karl Marlantes

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I read this book because I loved the author’s novel, Matterhorn.  What It Is Like to Go to War is a non-fiction book that is, essentially, a behind the scenes look at Matterhorn.  It also reads as two different books and I have mixed feelings about the two parts. The first part, which represents nearly the first two-thirds of the book, is Marlantes discussing his decision to join the Marines during Vietnam and his experiences in combat.  I found this aspect of the book very familiar as I was not dissimilar in that I joined the Army after college and […]

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1/19/2018 | 's CBR10 Review No:5 |

Army Chief of Staff Reading List #3

The First World War by Hew Strachan

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I read The First World War by Hew Strachan mostly because it was recommended by the Army Chief of Staff.  I also realized that my knowledge of WWI is woefully inept considering I have a history degree.  I took a class on World War II and the US Civil War.  There are dozens of movies about WWII and the Civil War.  We joke about the days in which the History Channel showed only profiles of Hitler, as opposed to Ancient Aliens, as a sign of the times.  Outside of of the tales of Diana, Princess of Themiscyra, I know very […]

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1/12/2018 | 's CBR10 Review No:3 |

Army Chief of Staff Reading List #2

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes

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Matterhorn reminds me a little of The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead in I had to look up to see if the books were fiction or non-fiction.  I found Marlantes’ depiction of war that believable and visceral.  While not an expert in any way, I have deployed twice so I understand some of what that means.  Unlike the characters from Bravo Company in this novel, I never spent time “in the bush” and if I am being completely honest, they would look down on me without a doubt.  This book is about the men we call grunts.  The infantry.  The […]

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1/5/2018 | 's CBR10 Review No:2 |

Army Chief of Staff Reading List #1

Blood Year: The Unraveling of Western Counterterrorism by David Kilcullen

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I read this book because it entered the Army Chief of Staff reading list last year. The author, David Kilcullen, begins by discussing his qualifications and more importantly, declares his biases or specifically, the lack thereof. Kilcullen is an Australian and acknowledges that he is not registered to vote in the United States nor does he affiliate with any particular party’s politics. Books like this often seem politicized so it was refreshing for the author to be so candid. In Blood Year, he is highly critical of both the Bush and Obama presidencies and decisions they made that led to […]

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1/4/2018 | 's CBR10 Review No:1 |

Needs more sandworms

Under Pressure by Frank Herbert

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Did you know Frank Herbert wrote non-science fiction stuff? I had never read anything of his except Dune, so when I found this at the library book sale, I was intrigued. Unfortunately, it reads like a less-interesting and not-quite-as-cohesive Alistair MacLean. There’s some kind of war on, against the Eastern Powers. It seems to maybe be in the future (keeping it sci-fi adjacent?). However, none of what’s going on in the outside world is really addressed. Ninety percent of the story takes place in a submarine, with a crew of four hardy soldiers on a mission to steal oil from […]

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11/30/2017 's CBR9 Review No:24 |


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