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Old 09-20-2008, 20:10   #1
BlackDragon0311
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What are you reading now...?

The titles itself says it, just fill us all in on what your reading, as its good suggestion for what you might find others might enjoy, currently i'm reading...

~Star Wars Republic Commando: Order 66 (hey, its actually pretty damn good, think of it as a special ops story in the future :P)

~Because They Hate (Brigitte Gabriel is a excellent and well informed author).

~Politically InCorrect Guide to Islam (says it in its title).

Just finished reading....

~Ghost: Confessions of a Counter-Terrorist Agent

~Lone Survivor



~JohnnyBoy
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Old 09-20-2008, 20:45   #2
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Now: Imperial Grunts / Kaplan

Next: Hot, Flat and Crowded / Friedman

Recently completed:
-Masters of Chaos / Robinson
-Dipomacy / Kissinger
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Old 09-20-2008, 22:48   #3
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Currently working my way through Haruki Murakami’s novels. Though I’m reading translations, there’s just something about the writing that keeps me interested.
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Old 09-20-2008, 23:09   #4
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A Woman at War, The other side of the People's War by Thad Gaebelein. Thad was the recent Commandant at Valley Forge, he has been a USMA Instructor and he and I go way back to our early days in the Army. It is about Nguyen Thi Dinh "Sister Ba" a Senior General in the Viet Mihn / Cong. I was very surprised to find that women played an extensive role in Vietnam. I'd be interested in recollections from the soldiers of that time frame regarding the combat role women had on the other side.

World War Z an Oral History of the Zombie Wars Max Brooks. Picked it up on a whim and couldn't put it down. I'm a teacher and I think it is one of the best examples of "voice". It has the advantage that High School students will actually read it! Plus once you "accept" that there are Zombies the stories are great.

The Canon by Natalie Angier. It is a wonderfully simple introduction to science -- Scientific Process, Statistics, Probability, Physics, Chemistry, Evolutionary Biology, Molecular Biology Geology and Astronomy.

Moby Dick. The fifteen year (and counting) slog through that book continues. I hated it in 1993 and I still hate it, only now I have about 6 copies.
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Old 09-20-2008, 23:20   #5
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America’s Caesar by William Manchester
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Old 09-21-2008, 00:28   #6
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Now: Jonah Goldberg's "Liberal Fascism: The Secret History of the American Left from Mussolini to the Politics of Meaning"

Next: Bernard Cornwell's "Sharpe's Tiger" and Robert Spencer's "The Truth About Muhammed"
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Old 09-21-2008, 03:44   #7
BlackDragon0311
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z...

I read world war z awhile ago, and had read the zombie survival guide too, max brooks is a outstanding author. Heard that brad pitt's productions company bought the movie rights to make world war z a movie, cant wait to see that! remember, everyone should read these books, because its not the terrorists we should worry about, zombies are our greatest threat :P

~JohnnyBoy
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Old 09-21-2008, 08:08   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BlackDragon0311 View Post
I read world war z awhile ago, and had read the zombie survival guide too, max brooks is a outstanding author. Heard that brad pitt's productions company bought the movie rights to make world war z a movie, cant wait to see that! remember, everyone should read these books, because its not the terrorists we should worry about, zombies are our greatest threat :P

~JohnnyBoy
If I aspired to be a SF soldier, I might consider stepping up from the Star Wars and zombie survival guides to something a bit more cerebral and useful in the current wars we are fighting.

The books you have listed tend toward the sensational/political, rather than the solid historical and analytical material that will serve you well in understanding the subjects you will need to for a UW/FID career in SF.

You can read the trash for entertainment, but until I had mastered the basics, I would not mention it here.

You might look through the Library threads to see what serious people are reading.

Best of luck.

TR
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De Oppresso Liber 01/20/2025
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Old 09-21-2008, 08:46   #9
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A Path Out of the Desert

Written by Kenneth Pollack, the author of The Threatening Storm - The Case for Invading Iraq - this book is phenomenal. It begins with a history of Middle Eastern conflict, then examines the socioeconomic issues that have led to the current woes in the ME, continues on to explore WHY America (and our allies) should be present in the region, and discusses the challenges we face. I think it is a must-read for anyone interested in these politics.

Also currently reading two books, Jihad and Taliban, by Ahmed Rashid - a Paki journalist with almost 30 years covering the regional conflicts. Both are very informative.

A Path out of the Desert - A Grand Strategy for America in the Middle East is not to be confused with A Path out of the Dessert - One Man's Struggle with Chocolate Addiction.
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Old 09-21-2008, 08:53   #10
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Just picked this up yesterday at the library.

Boots on the Ground by Dusk My Tribute to Pat Tillman

by Mary Tillman and Narda Zacchino
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Old 09-21-2008, 09:55   #11
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Work Commando 311/I...

American paratroopers become forced laborers for the Nazis. It's written by Claire E. Swedberg. It's a story about American prisoners mostly paratroopers from the 101st and 82nd Airborne who were captured,sent to Stalag XII-A, the massive prison compound in Linburg,Germany. They were treated extremely harshly by there Nazi guards and it tells how proud members of these elite fighting units managed to survive until the end of the war.......Good read, if your interested I can send it to anyone who may want to read it.
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SF is a calling and it requires commitment and dedication that the uninitiated will never understand......
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Last edited by greenberetTFS; 09-21-2008 at 10:13. Reason: Needed to finish the paragraph.
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Old 09-21-2008, 10:14   #12
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Maybe I'm not getting this, but didn't the thread begin “What are you reading now...?" Not what are you reading to impress the others on this site.

Now, as a “certificated” teacher I read lots of stuff because I am always on the lookout for books that will help me teach what our students need to know. In the art (not science) of writing a big component is called voice.
“Voice shows the writer's personality.
The writing has a sound that is different from everyone else's.
It contains feelings and emotions so that it does not sound like an encyclopedia article.
The reader should be able to sense the sincerity and honesty of the writer. The writer should be writing from the heart.
The language should bring the topic to life for the reader.
The voice should be appropriate for the topic, purpose, and audience of the paper.” (Cited from kimskorner4teachertalk.com).

World War Z meets all these Points of Performance admirably! It is a book many high school and college students will read. (You gotta get them to read it to get them to learn it!)
FOR EXAMPLE -- The story of the female C-130 driver’s E and E will appeal to a 17 year old girl, (and a SERE Instructor). The reflections of the Infantry Sergeant on the initial battle when the “Fulda F**k-tard” Generals tried to fight a conventional war against an enemy “incapable of fear” might be illuminating when one faces Religious extremists. Plus any grunt who has had to do something because “The Generals” said too, will smile.

Next, I read lots of stuff. I have a pretty beatup copy of Dufffer's Drift I pull out and sometimes I just leaf through my autographed copy of Five Years to Freedom just to think about a great soldier. I’ve read everything I can lay my hands on about Afghanistan. Some of it very solid (Charlie Wilson’s War and the CIA Country Study) some a little softer (The Kite Runner) and the books by that interesting English guy who walked from Heart to Kabul -- Can’t remember cuz I give a lot of my books away, sorry. -- I learn as much from the fiction. I’ll be reading Three Cups of Tea soon. Do you understand the significance of the third cup?


Finally, I’m not an aspiring SF soldier I am one.
I served on active duty (It’s in my profile). And now I’m back in the Guard. I’m lucky enough to be able to share my SF and Conventional experience with a new generation (Literally – I have Privates who were born when I was 32 years old) My Long Tab, that I beat them on the APFT run and because I served a tour in Afghanistan give me some “street cred”. I don't expect to be "dis'd" here.

In conclusion, Lets remember that SF has always been about being the “right cut of cloth” not being the right set of clothes”. We are all entitled to walk our own paths as long as we make the objective within the time on target.
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Old 09-21-2008, 10:43   #13
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Che Guevara Guerrilla Warfare with Introduction by Marc Becker

The Art of War By Mao Tse-Tung

on deck: An Enormous Crime by Bill Hendon
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Old 09-21-2008, 10:52   #14
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Principles of Everyday Behavior Analysis
Educational Psychology
Behavior Modification Principles and Procedures
Behavior Disorders of Childhood

Am I a party animal or what?
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Old 09-21-2008, 10:58   #15
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The House of Purple Hearts,by Paul Solotaroff...Stories of Vietnam Vets who find their way back. When I went over to "Nam I was just a kid,a baby. But a year later, when I came back home,I was a very old man,and only these guys know what that felt like.
- from The House of Purple Hearts.
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I believe that SF is a 'calling' - not too different from the calling missionaries I know received. I knew instantly that it was for me, and that I would do all I could to achieve it. Most others I know in SF experienced something similar. If, as you say, you HAVE searched and read, and you do not KNOW if this is the path for you --- it is not....
Zonie Diver

SF is a calling and it requires commitment and dedication that the uninitiated will never understand......
Jack Moroney

SFA M-2527, Chapter XXXVII
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