Worth a Read: My Reading List

The following books are what I am reading now and what I plan to read in the near future. This is my short list.

Currently Reading
We Were Soldiers Once. . . And Young Ia Drang-The Battle that Changed the War in Vietnam by Lieutenant General Harold G. Moore (Ret.) and Joseph L. Galloway. (ISBN 0-06-097576-8; published by Harper Perennial.

We Were Soldiers tells the tale of then Lieutenant Colonel Moore’s combat experiences with the 1/7th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile) in Vietnam in November 1965. General Moore and Mr. Galloway (who was present during the fighting as a reporter for UPI) do an excellent job of describing the reasons America went to war in Vietnam and the twists and turns the battle at LZ X-Ray took.

This book is almost two books in one, in some respects. The first part of the book describes the battle at LZ X-Ray, while the second part describes 2/7th Cavalry’s battle at LZ Albany.

There are maps included to assist the reader in understanding the flow of events, as well as a list of the American dead.

All-in-all, this book is a fascinating look inside one of America’s least understood war. It should be read by every military historian, (or aspiring military historian), or anyone with an interest in war.

She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan. (ISBN 0-7679-1404-x; published by Broadway).

She’s Not There is an autobiography of Jennifer Boylan and her journey from her male birth sex to the woman she is today. Filled with wry humor and genuine laugh out loud moments, Ms. Boylan’s fourth book is a powerful exploration of self and the pain she experienced growing up with the wrong sex.

This book is bound to be an inspiration to anyone who is on the same path as Ms. Boylan. The pain is real, and obvious to the reader as she struggles to accept herself. Humans have an amazing capacity for self deception, and Ms. Boylan’s book is a shining light meant to lead those lost. Read this book!

What I’m Going to Read
Biggest Brother: The Life of Major Dick Winters, The Man Who Lead the Band of Brothers by Larry Alexander. Exactly what it sounds like.

The Arraignment by Steve Martini. This is the first of the very fine Paul Madriani legal novels. I’m looking forward to this one. I’ve enjoyed several other of Mr. Martini’s novels, so I should enjoy this one.