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.