THREAD: Inspired by others, each day I’ll tweet two of the books that I recommend on specific topics. Mostly national security, politics, intelligence, history, and world affairs, but with some twists thrown in.
Today’s topic: How the Cold War ended.
“The United States and the End of the Cold War” by John Lewis Gaddis
“The End of the Cold War, 1985-1991” by Robert Service
“The United States and the End of the Cold War” by John Lewis Gaddis
“The End of the Cold War, 1985-1991” by Robert Service
Today’s topic: The value of science, reason, and critical thinking:
“The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark” by Carl Sagan
“Skeptic: Viewing the World with a Rational Eye” by Michael Shermer
“The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark” by Carl Sagan
“Skeptic: Viewing the World with a Rational Eye” by Michael Shermer
Today’s topic: Camp David.
“Inside Camp David: The Private World of the Presidential Retreat” by Michael Giorgione
“The President is at Camp David” by W. Dale Nelson
“Inside Camp David: The Private World of the Presidential Retreat” by Michael Giorgione
“The President is at Camp David” by W. Dale Nelson
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic: Catastrophic endings.
“Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed” by Jared Diamond
“The Ends of the World: Supervolcanoes, Lethal Oceans, and the Search for Past Apocalypses” by Peter Brannen
“Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed” by Jared Diamond
“The Ends of the World: Supervolcanoes, Lethal Oceans, and the Search for Past Apocalypses” by Peter Brannen
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic: Herbert Hoover.
“Herbert Hoover in the White House: The Ordeal of the Presidency” by Charles Rappleye
“The Memoirs of Herbert Hoover, 1920-1933: The Cabinet and the Presidency” by Herbert Hoover
“Herbert Hoover in the White House: The Ordeal of the Presidency” by Charles Rappleye
“The Memoirs of Herbert Hoover, 1920-1933: The Cabinet and the Presidency” by Herbert Hoover
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic: the ethics of the intelligence business.
“Ethics of Spying: A Reader for the Intelligence Professional” edited by Jan Goldman
“Fair Play: The Moral Dilemmas of Spying” by Jim Olson
“Ethics of Spying: A Reader for the Intelligence Professional” edited by Jan Goldman
“Fair Play: The Moral Dilemmas of Spying” by Jim Olson
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—John Quincy Adams:
“John Quincy Adams: American Visionary” by Fred Kaplan
“The Lost Founding Father: John Quincy Adams and the Transfirmation of American Politics” by William J. Cooper
“John Quincy Adams: American Visionary” by Fred Kaplan
“The Lost Founding Father: John Quincy Adams and the Transfirmation of American Politics” by William J. Cooper
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—intelligence in World War II:
“Destination Casablanca: Exile, Espionage, and the Battle for North Africa in World War II” by Meredith Hindley
“OSS Operation Black Mail: One Woman’s Covert War Against the Imperial Japanese Army” by Ann Todd
“Destination Casablanca: Exile, Espionage, and the Battle for North Africa in World War II” by Meredith Hindley
“OSS Operation Black Mail: One Woman’s Covert War Against the Imperial Japanese Army” by Ann Todd
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—the political and social history of central Arabia:
“Politics in an Arabian Oasis: The Radishis of Saudi Arabia” by Madawi al Rasheed
“Arabian Oasis City: The Transformation of ‘Unayzah” by Soraya Altorki and Donald P. Cole
“Politics in an Arabian Oasis: The Radishis of Saudi Arabia” by Madawi al Rasheed
“Arabian Oasis City: The Transformation of ‘Unayzah” by Soraya Altorki and Donald P. Cole
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—close presidential elections:
“The Last Campaign: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election” by Zachary Karabell
“Deadlock: The Inside Story of America’s Closest Election” by the political staff of the Washington Post
“The Last Campaign: How Harry Truman Won the 1948 Election” by Zachary Karabell
“Deadlock: The Inside Story of America’s Closest Election” by the political staff of the Washington Post
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—in memory of Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart:
“Ghost Rider: Travels in the Healing Road” by Neil Peart
“Clockwork Angels: The Novel” by Kevin Anderson from a story and lyrics by Neil Peart
“Ghost Rider: Travels in the Healing Road” by Neil Peart
“Clockwork Angels: The Novel” by Kevin Anderson from a story and lyrics by Neil Peart
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—attempts to kill Franklin Roosevelt:
“The Five Weeks of Giuseppe Zangara: The Man Who Would Assassinate FDR” by Blaise Picchi
“Operation Long Jump: Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill, and the Greatest Assassination Plot in History” by Bill Yenne
“The Five Weeks of Giuseppe Zangara: The Man Who Would Assassinate FDR” by Blaise Picchi
“Operation Long Jump: Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill, and the Greatest Assassination Plot in History” by Bill Yenne
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—the brilliant writing of one of my favorite authors:
“The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce”
“The Devil’s Dictionary” by Ambrose Bierce
“The Complete Short Stories of Ambrose Bierce”
“The Devil’s Dictionary” by Ambrose Bierce
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—espionage and atomic weapons during/after WWII:
“Spies in the Congo: America's Atomic Mission in World War II” by Susan Williams
“The Nuclear Spies: America's Atomic Intelligence Operation against Hitler and Stalin”
by Vince Houghton
“Spies in the Congo: America's Atomic Mission in World War II” by Susan Williams
“The Nuclear Spies: America's Atomic Intelligence Operation against Hitler and Stalin”
by Vince Houghton
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—attempts to kill presidents in the 1900s:
“American Gunfight: The Plot to Kill President Truman—and the Shoot-out That Stopped It” by Stephen Hunter & John Bainbridge, Jr.
“Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan” by Del Wilber
“American Gunfight: The Plot to Kill President Truman—and the Shoot-out That Stopped It” by Stephen Hunter & John Bainbridge, Jr.
“Rawhide Down: The Near Assassination of Ronald Reagan” by Del Wilber
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—ancient stoicism:
“The Handbook of Epictetus”
“Letters from a Stoic” by Seneca
“The Handbook of Epictetus”
“Letters from a Stoic” by Seneca
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—the (fictional) end of civilization as we know it:
“Childhood’s End” by Arthur C. Clarke
“Lucifer’s Hammer” by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
“Childhood’s End” by Arthur C. Clarke
“Lucifer’s Hammer” by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—the intriguing Adams-Jefferson relationship:
“Adams vs. Jefferson” by John Ferling
“Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson” by Gordon Wood
“Adams vs. Jefferson” by John Ferling
“Friends Divided: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson” by Gordon Wood
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—the US constitutional convention:
“Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution” by Richard Beeman
“The Framer’s Coup: The Making of the United States Constitution” by Michael Klarman
“Plain, Honest Men: The Making of the American Constitution” by Richard Beeman
“The Framer’s Coup: The Making of the United States Constitution” by Michael Klarman
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—that feeling of “knowing” you’re correct, and why it’s OK when you are *not* right:
“On Being Certain: Believing You are Right Even When You’re Not” by Robert A. Burton
“Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error” by Kathryn Schulz
“On Being Certain: Believing You are Right Even When You’re Not” by Robert A. Burton
“Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error” by Kathryn Schulz
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—allied deception operations in World War II:
“Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory” by Ben Macintyre
“Fortitude: The D-Day Deception Campaign” by Roger Hesketh
“Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory” by Ben Macintyre
“Fortitude: The D-Day Deception Campaign” by Roger Hesketh
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—the classics on oil and politics:
“The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power” by Daniel Yergin
“Arabia, the Gulf and the West” by J.B. Kelly
“The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power” by Daniel Yergin
“Arabia, the Gulf and the West” by J.B. Kelly
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—why alliances are hard:
“Knowing Your Friends: Intelligence Inside Alliances and Coalitions from 1914 to the Cold War” ed. by Martin Alexander
“Arguing about Alliances: The Art of Agreement in Military-Pact Negotiations” by Paul Poast
“Knowing Your Friends: Intelligence Inside Alliances and Coalitions from 1914 to the Cold War” ed. by Martin Alexander
“Arguing about Alliances: The Art of Agreement in Military-Pact Negotiations” by Paul Poast
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—a man who wrote like he was running out of time:
“Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow
“Washington & Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America” by Stephen F. Knott and Tony Williams
“Alexander Hamilton” by Ron Chernow
“Washington & Hamilton: The Alliance that Forged America” by Stephen F. Knott and Tony Williams
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—fired by Trump:
“Doing Justice: A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law” by Preet Bharara
“A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership” by Jim Comey
“Doing Justice: A Prosecutor's Thoughts on Crime, Punishment, and the Rule of Law” by Preet Bharara
“A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership” by Jim Comey
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—works by one underappreciated president:
“Have Faith in Massachusetts” by Calvin Coolidge
“The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge”
“Have Faith in Massachusetts” by Calvin Coolidge
“The Autobiography of Calvin Coolidge”
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—classic @BradThor thrillers:
“The Lions of Lucerne”
“Path of the Assassin”
“The Lions of Lucerne”
“Path of the Assassin”
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—presidential depression and mental illness:
“The Mortal Presidency: Illness and Anguish in the White House” by Robert Gilbert
“When Life Strikes the President: Scandal, Death, and Illness in the White House” by Jeffrey Engel and Thomas Knock
“The Mortal Presidency: Illness and Anguish in the White House” by Robert Gilbert
“When Life Strikes the President: Scandal, Death, and Illness in the White House” by Jeffrey Engel and Thomas Knock
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—real map collections from fantasy worlds:
“The Atlas of the Land” by Karen Wynn Fonstad
“The Lands of Ice and Fire: Maps from King's Landing to Across the Narrow Sea” by George R. R. Martin
“The Atlas of the Land” by Karen Wynn Fonstad
“The Lands of Ice and Fire: Maps from King's Landing to Across the Narrow Sea” by George R. R. Martin
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—Buchanan:
“Worst. President. Ever: James Buchanan, the POTUS Rating Game, and the Legacy of the Least of the Lesser Presidents” by Robert Strauss
“Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King” by Thomas Balcerski
“Worst. President. Ever: James Buchanan, the POTUS Rating Game, and the Legacy of the Least of the Lesser Presidents” by Robert Strauss
“Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King” by Thomas Balcerski
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—media and public opinion in the first Gulf War:
“Policy and Opinion in the Gulf War” by John Mueller
“Triumph Of The Image: The Media's War In The Persian Gulf, A Global Perspective” ed. by Hamid Mowlana et al.
“Policy and Opinion in the Gulf War” by John Mueller
“Triumph Of The Image: The Media's War In The Persian Gulf, A Global Perspective” ed. by Hamid Mowlana et al.
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—Harry Truman’s memoirs
“Year of Decisions” by Harry Truman
“Years of Trial and Hope, 1946-1952” by Harry Truman
“Year of Decisions” by Harry Truman
“Years of Trial and Hope, 1946-1952” by Harry Truman
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—20th century Speakers of the House of Representatives:
“Sam Rayburn: A Biography,” by Alfred Steinberg
“Little Giant: The Life and Times of Speaker Carl Albert,” by Carl Albert with Danney Goble
“Sam Rayburn: A Biography,” by Alfred Steinberg
“Little Giant: The Life and Times of Speaker Carl Albert,” by Carl Albert with Danney Goble
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—the tumultuous political year of 1968:
“The Making of the President 1968” by Theodore White
“Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics” by Lawrence O’Donnell
“The Making of the President 1968” by Theodore White
“Playing with Fire: The 1968 Election and the Transformation of American Politics” by Lawrence O’Donnell
Today’s 2 books on a specific topic—Kuwait before and just after the Gulf War:
“Oil and Politics in the Gulf: Rulers and Merchants in Kuwait and Qatar” by Jill Crystal
“Kuwait 1945-1996: An Anglo-American Perspective” by Miriam Joyce
“Oil and Politics in the Gulf: Rulers and Merchants in Kuwait and Qatar” by Jill Crystal
“Kuwait 1945-1996: An Anglo-American Perspective” by Miriam Joyce
