Memorial Day Reads

Happy Memorial Day!

To celebrate the holiday and the start of the summer reading season, I've curated a list of books that feature those in military service.

Because we are talking about the military, and that's not something that I have much knowledge about, I'd like to give a little shoutout to my lovely friend Allie over at The Little Prince Project. Allie and have become super close since we met at American University our sophomore year, and have a mutual goal of becoming educators!
 Allie's passion is for civics and military education; I have learned so much from her about our country's history, the Constitution, and the military in the past few years. Allie's blog is an excellent resource for civics education, and I encourage everyone to check it out! (Plus, today she's featuring a book review-- one that might be perfect for your to-read list!)

Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell // My dad read this one and says he would give it 3 stars, mainly because he felt that the truth must have been exaggerated. It may be worth picking up still; in my experience, this sub-genre is hit and miss. It was also released as a movie this year, and I'm one of those people who prefer to read a book before going to see it in theaters.

The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien // This is one that I read in a literature class in my sophomore year of college. Before we read it, I guessed that it wasn't going to make it onto my list of favorites; two years later, I can still recall specific sentences that moved me. O'Brien certainly has a special aptitude for words. 

The Good Soldiers by David Finkel // This was required reading for me the summer before I entered college. I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. Again, this type of book isn't really my area of interest, but Finkel has such a talent for writing and this story was profound. I passed it onto my brother and it remains one of his favorites. I'd recommend this one most out of any on this list. 

The Monuments Men by Robert M. Edsel // As soon as previews for this movie started playing and I realized that it was based off a book, I went looking for it. I'm a huge fan of books about art. It's a pretty long read, and I have to say that I learned more about WWII in general than about the efforts to save the endangered artworks. Still, I think it's important to recognize that every service member contributes to the big picture, and I was proud that I actually finished a non-fiction work from cover to cover, as that's a pretty rare feat for me.

American Sniper by Chris Kyle // This one made it onto my dad's list of recommended biographical books. It sounds like a really interesting story, and it seems like it would appeal to those who are fans of series that are action-packed and full of intensity.

5 Biographical Books For Your To-Read List

This list comes to you courtesy of my dad (Kevin) who, unlike me, is a big reader of non-fiction books. When in a bookstore or looking for books online, I tend to gravitate towards the historical fiction and fantasy genres, so when it comes to these kinds of books my list of recommendations is rather short. I asked my dad to put together a list of five books that he'd recommend to other readers, and you'll find his picks below: 

I found it difficult to commit to a handful of books that I would recommend because as I began to develop a list it revealed my tendency to read mostly biographical material.  Ultimately I approached this as my list of autobiographies and biographies that I found relevant and engaging to read.  What seems to resonate throughout many of these books is how notable it is that the complexity of genius is so often shrouded by serious character flaws. 

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer traces the very intriguing journey of Christopher McCandless from college graduate to his ultimate demise on the Stampede Trail in Alaska. The fact is I would highly recommend anything written by Krakauer. 

  Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson qualifies as a must read based simply on the enormous impact that Steve Jobs and his life’s work has on modern day society. Has it been more than 5 minutes since you last touched a piece of technology whose origins can be traced back to Steve Jobs? 

American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in US History by Chris Kyle is an account of how this Navy Seal sniper came to accumulate more than 150 confirmed kills. The ironic prologue makes this a very compelling story.   

The Big Miss: My Years Coaching Tiger Woods by Hank Haney makes the list because Tiger Woods is, well, Tiger Woods. Around my house that is enough motivation. 

Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot by Bill O’Reilly is a pseudo history lesson that, unlike most in my experience, did not bore me to tears.    

One of the things that I love most about my family is that we are all readers. My brother and dad share most of their books (like father, like son) and my mom and I read some of the same adult literature but really connect when it comes to children's literature. Books are always a topic of conversation in our house, and I'm so glad my dad was willing to curate this list for you all. Thanks daddy!

Do you have a recommendation that you'd like to share? E-mail me at topshelftext@gmail.com.