Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Not the plucky pilot story I expected…

Flyboys by James Bradley

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Flyboys is a true, brutally honest and gut wrenching account of World War II on the Pacific front, focusing on “war in the third dimension” more commonly known as air combat. The story starts at Pearl Harbor, moving through the United States’ clamor to build aircraft and train pilots, to the napalm bombing of Japan and finally the dropping of the two atomic bombs. It’s highlights all the key players in the uprising of military flying: An introduction to Hap Arnold, the leader of the […]

2021 Army Professional Development #1

Kill Chain: Drones and The Rise of the High-Tech Assassins by Andrew Cockburn

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This book was recommended to me by a good friend at work. Coincidently, I have a different book called Kill Chain on my to-read list as well which made it a little confusing and I had to confirm that this was the one he wanted me to read. My friend and I are both in the Army but these days I work the Army equivalent of a desk job. I am a data analyst for the Army now after nearly a decade on the bomb […]

Soldiers in “Hello Kitty” panties are still soldiers.

Women In The Military: From Drill Sergeants to Fighter Pilots by Connie Goldsmith

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“Military life poses significant challenges to women in many ways. Yet most are proud of having served their country and feel their time in the military was an important part of their lives. And as women continue to break barriers by joining every area of the military—including combat units—military culture will shift from a male-dominated organization to an institution where women are fully accepted, treated as equals, and encouraged to excel.” This book highlights major topics about women in the military. It starts with the […]

Genius military tactics, intriguing magic, a queen trying to save her people from threats internal and external, and LGBTQ characters

The Price of Valor: Book Three of The Shadow Campaigns by Django Wexler

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As this is the third book in the series, perhaps you should check out my review of the first book The Thousand Names: Book One of the Shadow Campaigns, which is predominantly about a military campaign.  The second book, The Shadow Throne, switches gears and is about political intrigue and power struggles.  This third book, The Price of Valor, is combination of both and an excellent continuation of the series. Note about the cover art of the books: I originally found them off putting as […]

Professional Reading #1

It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership by Colin Powell & Tony Koltz

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It Worked for Me is a collection of about 30 vignettes and stories intended to offer leadership advice from one of America’s most famous military leaders of the last 35 years.  I think it does that and does it well.  Powell reflects on a life of service, both military and civilian, and recounts instances when he made decisions and describes the generalized thoughts and ideas that led to the choices he made. This book, let’s call it a memoir, feels quite genuine and honest but […]

Come for a history of the AK-47, stay for a history of all machine guns

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C.J. Chivers is a former Marine officer and war correspondent.  He won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 2017 for his piece about a Marine’s journey home after combat, entitled ‘The Fighter.’  I saw this book a few years ago and wanted to read it but, like most books, it went to the back burner as newer and shiner books popped up.  Then Chivers won the Pulitzer and I put the book on hold at the library. The Gun is, mostly, a history of […]



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