Page 1 of 3 123 LastLast
Results 1 to 20 of 55

Thread: Why Is The SWJ Recommended Reading List Devoid of Fiction?

  1. #1
    Council Member CPT Foley's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Chicago
    Posts
    23

    Default Why Is The SWJ Recommended Reading List Devoid of Fiction?

    The Yacoubian Building (Arabic: عمارة يعقوبيان ʿImārat Yaʿqūbīān) by Egyptian author Alaa el-Aswany is more insightful on the appeal of the Islamic extremism than anything on the list.

  2. #2
    Council Member jcustis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    SOCAL
    Posts
    2,152

    Default

    Why Is The SWJ Recommended Reading List Devoid of Fiction?
    It doesn't have to be...just seems to have turned out that way. But now we have a recommendation for a new book. Do you have any other info to add, like a brief review or layout of the book's themes?

  3. #3
    Council Member
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Rocky Mtn Empire
    Posts
    473

    Default

    Check out the "what are you reading now" thread. There is a broader inventory there.

  4. #4
    Council Member 120mm's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Wonderland
    Posts
    1,284

    Default

    I vote for he first three books of the "Ender's" series by Orson Scott Card.

    Each one embodies a key element of Small Wars. The first is about leadership, the second is about cultural relevance and the third is about ethics.

    Must read fiction for COIN afficianadoes.

  5. #5
    Council Member Van's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Honolulu, Hawai'i
    Posts
    414

    Default

    "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert A. Heinlein.

    An outstanding work of fiction that describes an insurgency from inception to independence, loosely based on the American Revoltion (or the Irish-German-Presbyterian Uprising for our British readers). The roles of media, communications, lethal force, cell structures, and financing are discussed intelligently.


    "The Prince" by Jerry Pournelle and S.M. Stirling.

    A compilation of the Falkenberg's Legion background and stories in a single volume. The last half is about an insurgency with the full range of insurgent and counter-insurgent activities.

  6. #6
    Council Member CPT Foley's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Chicago
    Posts
    23

    Default Some Info on The Yacoubian Building

    (From Amazon) The Yacoubian Building holds all that Egypt was and has become over the 75 years since its namesake was built on one of downtown Cairo’s main boulevards. From the pious son of the building’s doorkeeper and the raucous, impoverished squatters on its roof, via the tattered aristocrat and the gay intellectual in its apartments, to the ruthless businessman whose stores occupy its ground floor, each sharply etched character embodies a facet of modern Egypt -- where political corruption, ill-gotten wealth, and religious hypocrisy are natural allies, where the arrogance and defensiveness of the powerful find expression in the exploitation of the weak, where youthful idealism can turn quickly to extremism, and where an older, less violent vision of society may yet prevail. Alaa Al Aswany’s novel caused an unprecedented stir when it was first published in 2002 and has remained the world’s best selling novel in the Arabic language since.

    About the Author
    Alaa Al Aswany was born in 1957. A dentist, whose first office was in the Yacoubian Building, Al Aswany has written prolifically for Egyptian newspapers across the political spectrum on literature, politics, and social issues.

    --------------

    It's flat-out disturbing, it paints the portrait of multiple sectors of Egyptian society and it's rotten to the core.

    -The aspiring police candidate who turns to the mosque after he is rejected from the academy simply because his father works as a doorman

    -His ex-girl friend who finally gives in and starts giving her boss what he wants, because that's the only way a woman in Egypt can hold a job outside the home

    -The gay journalist living in fear the police will raid his meeting place

    -"The Big Guy" aka, Mubarak, who gets a 25% cut of any significant commerce

    Etc., etc.

    Disturbing, but insightful.

  7. #7
    Council Member Culpeper's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Roswell, USA
    Posts
    540

    Default

    Heart of Darkness: J. Conrad

    "But suppose everybody on our side felt that way?"
    "Then I'd certainly be a damned fool to feel any other way. Wouldn't I?"


  8. #8
    Council Member Tom Odom's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    DeRidder LA
    Posts
    3,949

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Culpeper View Post
    Heart of Darkness: J. Conrad

    Excellent pick!

  9. #9
    Council Member William F. Owen's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    The State of Partachia, at the eastern end of the Mediterranean
    Posts
    3,947

    Default

    All for this thread. Though there are many esteemed writers on this board, there are few novelists

    ...now I just have to write another one!
    Infinity Journal "I don't care if this works in practice. I want to see it work in theory!"

    - The job of the British Army out here is to kill or capture Communist Terrorists in Malaya.
    - If we can double the ratio of kills per contact, we will soon put an end to the shooting in Malaya.
    Sir Gerald Templer, foreword to the "Conduct of Anti-Terrorist Operations in Malaya," 1958 Edition

  10. #10
    Council Member Backwards Observer's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Posts
    511

    Default

    Back in the mid-seventies, an "old" Sea Dog (or he may have been a Devil Dog) noticed me reading F. Spencer Chapman's, The Jungle Is Neutral. The next time our paths crossed he handed over a copy of Robert Roth's, Sand In The Wind, "Here ya go." I never did finish Chapman's book. Go figure.

    The Jungle Is Neutral

    Sand In The Wind

  11. #11
    Council Member Umar Al-Mokhtār's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Cirenaica
    Posts
    374
    "What is best in life?" "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of the women."

  12. #12
    Council Member J Wolfsberger's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    806

    Default

    By Jean Lartéguy:

    Yellow Fever
    The Centurions
    The Praetorians

    "I'd like to have two Armies -- one for display, with lovely guns, tanks, little Soldiers, staffs, distinguished and doddering Generals and dear little regimental officers, who would be deeply concerned over their General's bowel movements or their Colonel's piles; an Army that would be shown for a modest fee on every fairground in the country."

    "The other would be the real one, composed entirely of young enthusiasts in camouflage uniforms, who would not be put on display but from whom impossible efforts would be demanded and to whom all sorts of tricks would be taught. That's the Army in which I should like to fight."

    Jean Larteguy
    French Commando/Soldier/Journalist
    Last edited by J Wolfsberger; 05-17-2009 at 10:47 PM.
    John Wolfsberger, Jr.

    An unruffled person with some useful skills.

  13. #13
    Council Member ODB's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    TN
    Posts
    278

    Default Gates of Fire

    IMO Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield should be required reading for everyone in the military.

    Gates of Fire
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by ODB; 05-18-2009 at 01:13 AM.
    ODB

    Exchange with an Iraqi soldier during FID:

    Why did you not clear your corner?

    Because we are on a base and it is secure.

  14. #14
    Council Member
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Sierra Vista, AZ
    Posts
    175

    Default Brotherhood of War

    For general, good-time, fun Army fiction, try the "Brotherhood of War" series by WEB Griffin. Starts with "The Lieutenants" and follow a group of officers and their families through their careers. Starts in WWII and ends with Vietnam, if my memory serves me. There are a dozen or so books in the series, and this group of guys always seem to be in combat and at the forefront of any new Army trend (ie: tanks, aviation, Special Forces, helicopters, etc...). The series is very entertaining, and you really get to love the characters. Leadership and Army / military history more than any particular small wars, though Vietnam and Congo play key rolls in the later book. I read the series while deployed in Iraq, and they were a good escape. Worth the time if you have it.

    For our Marine brothers, Griffin also has "The Corps" series. I got about half way through those, but got sidetracked. Focuses on pre-WW2 - WW2 Marines. Also great reads, especially if you're a WW2 buff.
    "What do you think this is, some kind of encounter group?"
    - Harry Callahan, The Enforcer.

  15. #15
    i pwnd ur ooda loop selil's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Belly of the beast
    Posts
    2,112

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by patmc View Post
    For our Marine brothers, Griffin also has "The Corps" series. I got about half way through those, but got sidetracked. Focuses on pre-WW2 - WW2 Marines. Also great reads, especially if you're a WW2 buff.
    I have everything WEB Griffin ever wrote except for his behind the badge series. For some reason I don't read police fiction.

    I just bought blackfoot. I don't read much military fiction beyond hammers slammers, and WEB Griffin. I did read the "Net" series by Clancy but though it has elements of military it is sideways to the topic.
    Sam Liles
    Selil Blog
    Don't forget to duck Secret Squirrel
    The scholarship of teaching and learning results in equal hatred from latte leftists and cappuccino conservatives.
    All opinions are mine and may or may not reflect those of my employer depending on the chance it might affect funding, politics, or the setting of the sun. As such these are my opinions you can get your own.

  16. #16
    Council Member Culpeper's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Roswell, USA
    Posts
    540

    Default A lot of great suggestions by everybody

    The Man Eaters of Tsavo

    Considered nonfiction but the colonel did embellish quite a bit to make it fiction enough and much later a great fiction movie.

    BTW, did anyone recommend The Killer Angels yet?

    There is also this really thick book titled, Once an Eagle.

    America's fighting men have turned to Once an Eagle as a sourcebook for the military's core values since its publication at the height of the Vietnam War. The novel, following the careers of virtuous Sam Damon and opportunistic Courtney Massengale, is required reading for all members of the United States Marine Corps and frequently taught in leadership courses at West Point.
    Last edited by Culpeper; 05-18-2009 at 04:02 AM.
    "But suppose everybody on our side felt that way?"
    "Then I'd certainly be a damned fool to feel any other way. Wouldn't I?"


  17. #17
    Registered User Marble Model's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Afghanistan
    Posts
    3

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 120mm View Post
    I vote for he first three books of the "Ender's" series by Orson Scott Card.

    Each one embodies a key element of Small Wars. The first is about leadership, the second is about cultural relevance and the third is about ethics.

    Must read fiction for COIN afficianadoes.
    Agree; the Ender's series could serve as a refreshing change of pace for those that only read non-fiction warfare literature. Many parallels to leadership that could be applied in modern business or Small Wars in the first title--Ender's Game...just a great book.
    Do your duty in all things. You cannot do more, you should never wish to do less. ~REL

  18. #18
    Council Member marct's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Ottawa, Canada
    Posts
    3,682

    Default My, we DO think alike!!!!!

    Quote Originally Posted by Van View Post
    "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress" by Robert A. Heinlein.

    "The Prince" by Jerry Pournelle and S.M. Stirling.
    Add in the Draka series by Sterling, Starship Troopers (BOOK, not movie) by Heinlein and Count Belisarius by Robert Graves.

    Of course, I also have a major weakness for Eric Flint's 1632 series, and Rob Thornton introduced me to the John Scalzi Old Man's War series which is pretty good.
    Sic Bisquitus Disintegrat...
    Marc W.D. Tyrrell, Ph.D.
    Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies,
    Senior Research Fellow,
    The Canadian Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies, NPSIA
    Carleton University
    http://marctyrrell.com/

  19. #19
    Council Member J Wolfsberger's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Michigan
    Posts
    806

    Default Thought of another

    The Dogs of War by Frederick Forsyth

    The rest of you have already mentioned most of the SciFi. Except for Dune.
    John Wolfsberger, Jr.

    An unruffled person with some useful skills.

  20. #20
    Council Member marct's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Ottawa, Canada
    Posts
    3,682

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by J Wolfsberger View Post
    The rest of you have already mentioned most of the SciFi. Except for Dune.
    Never really liked Worms in a Sandbox much . Of course, there's always the Aldenata series by John Ringo .
    Sic Bisquitus Disintegrat...
    Marc W.D. Tyrrell, Ph.D.
    Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies,
    Senior Research Fellow,
    The Canadian Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies, NPSIA
    Carleton University
    http://marctyrrell.com/

Similar Threads

  1. Small Wars: a wide reading list
    By YellowJack in forum RFIs & Members' Projects
    Replies: 73
    Last Post: 11-23-2013, 01:30 PM
  2. COIN Academy Reading List
    By SWJED in forum OEF - Afghanistan
    Replies: 7
    Last Post: 12-26-2007, 10:58 PM
  3. Brave Rifles Reading List
    By DDilegge in forum Strategic Compression
    Replies: 11
    Last Post: 11-18-2005, 04:59 AM

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •