2003-12-03T18:35:00.000-08:00

A list of books you really should read (in no particular order)

1) Armageddon by Leon Uris. A great novel about the occupation of Germany after World War II and the years through the Berlin Airlift. The list of characters ranges from American Army Air Corps officers to a Russian general. I read it for the first time I was in Germany as a lieutenant and couldn't put it down.

2) The Killer Angels by Michael Schaara. THE Civil War novel. The biographical wrap-up of what happened to the main characters alone at the end of the book is worth reading. The basis for the movie GETTYSBURG.

3) The Roots of American Order by Russell Kirk. A wonderful outline on how our republic has been influenced by the Greeks and Romans, the Judeo-Christian tradition and many others including an interesting individual named Orestes Brownson. I'm working on one of his books and will let you know what I think. A great bibliography at the end.

4) Battle Cry of Freedom by James MacPherson. If you read only one book on the Civil War read this one. Does not dwell on the battles as much as the overall history of the country during the time leading up to and including the Civil War. Excellent.

5) April 1865 by Jay Winik. Another Civil War book that deals with the last month of the war and the decisions made by such people as Lincoln and Lee that saved the country from what is going on in Iraq. Another must read.

6) The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchman. The events leading to World War I and the war up to the Battle of the Marne. A classic.

7) Victory: The Reagan Administration's Secret Strategy That Hastened the Collpase of the Soviet Union by Peter Schweitzer. Describes Reagan's strategy of getting the Saudi's, the Vatican, the Poles, and anyone else who opposed the Soviets to work together to bring down the Evil Empire. If even half of what is in this book is true then Reagan ranks second only to Churchill as being the man of the century.

8) The Last Lion by William Manchester. The story of Winston Churchil between 1932 when he was an outcast from everything political to 1940 when he became Prime Minister and saved Western civilization as we know it. Outstanding depiction of the proverbial lone voice in the wilderness.

Max On The World's Book List