Book recommendations

 For the optional blog topic, I chose book recommendations. I am a fairly avid reader and I also like to listen to audio books when I travel long distances for work which is pretty often. I listen to a few different genres but for this list I am going to stick to books that fit with the theme of this blog.

1.      On Combat by Dave Grossman

Dave Grossman is a big name in the military and law enforcement community. He retired a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army. Now he is a successful author and public speaker teaching people about the psychological and physiological response to combat and other situations involving lethal force. On Combat is kind of a sequel to On Killing which is another great book of his. On Combat focus on the psychological and physiological of combat before during and after the battle. His book explains some of the physical effects of fighting such as tunnel vision, how to control/ deal with the adrenaline in your body, and even why some many soldiers and police officers experience loss of bowel control during lethal situations. On Combat also discusses the psychological effect of combat and explains why some people have an easier time dealing with stressful situations than others and why some people suffer from PTSD and others don’t. It’s definitely a must read for anyone in the military or in law enforcement.

2.      Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

This one is kind of a no braining. Jocko Willink and Leif Babin are retired Navy Seals that now own a company that helps educate people and organizations on how to be better leaders. Their book Extreme Ownership is a big name in both the military and the business world and is actually required reading in several business management programs. The book covers several lessons on leadership and provides a story example from the military and the business world to go along with each lesson. It’s a really good book for anyone in a leadership position or for anyone with aspirations of leadership in their career.

3.      Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein

I like to include at least one fun book in every book recommendation list that I give, and Starship Troopers is one of my all-time favorite book. First off let me just say that the book and the movie are nothing alike; and I’m not just saying that in some stereotypical book reading elitist humble brag kind of way. The creator of the film disliked the book for political reasons which is why the film is an over-the-top satirical look at a fascist society, and if you don’t think that’s what it is, or you’re one of those people that took the film seriously then you’re wrong. The book on the other hand is serious piece of art that follows the life a man named Johnny Rico and his early career in the military. The story begins with a raid on an alien world where we a introduced to Johnny as jumps into combat in a leadership position for the first time. The story then jumps back to Johnny nearing the end of high school and trying to decide what he wants to do with his life. He eventually decides to join the Mobile infantry. Then we follow him through basic training and then the beginning of the arachnid war. Later on in the war he decides to go to OCS, and we see him go through the process of learning how to be an officer and then finally leading troops into combat. It’s an amazing book that is a must read for anyone think about joining the military. Despite its Syfy setting it is an incredibly accurate portal of life in the military that every veteran will relate to.