Just finished:
I just finished a book called
Kill or Capture by Matthew Alexander. I really enjoyed this book. It provided a nice glimpse into how an interrogator with the Air Force was able to solicit information from captured Al-Qaeda supporters in Iraq. Most of the book is just recorded interrogations between him and the targets he captured. But it's great because you get an inside look at the different techniques he uses. He's a big advocate of non-enhanced interrogation techniques (I don't know the technical name), but basically building rapport with the target and gaining information through persuasion and psychological slights. I really loved it.
Currently Reading:
The Good Soldiers by David Finkel: I like this book so far. It's kind of giving me a reality check on the reality of war. That's kind of the purpose of this book: to emphasize what this battalion really went through over there. I'm sort of ticked with myself as I read this book. I keep realizing how much I've romanticized war---a negative side effect of all the episodes of
The Unit and Call of Duty games that I have seen and played. As mad as I am at myself for being so naive, I'm glad I get to read this book. I'd rather suffer some introspective humiliation and move on with a more informed perspective than live with my head in the clouds.
A Greif Observed by C.S. Lewis
Miracles by C.S. Lewis
On my list:
Brotherhood of Warriors by Aaron Cohen
Counterinsurgency by David Kilcullen (I bought a counterinsurgency book way back by a guy named Leroy Thompson. I heard some opinions about Thompson that led me to conclude he wasn't the best source to be learning about counterinsurgency from. I wondered if David Kilcullen was any better, but I took a chance. If anyone has any info about Kilcullen, I'd love to know. Basically I'm wondering if he's legitimate.)
Sorry for all the talking. I'm done now.
