<p>Let's start a new list of favorites on the book side fiction and non-fiction:</p>
<p>All's Quiet on the Western Front
Catch-22
Hornblower series
The Prince
Marcus Aurelius
Gettsyburg
Killer Angels
Two years before the Mast</p>
<p>OK, the Patrick O'Brien series</p>
<p>Operation Iceburg</p>
<p>Absolutely American: Four Years At West Point</p>
<p>"Annapolis" - not to be confused with the upcoming movie. It's an historical novel by William Martin that spans several generations, from Colonial times thru modern day. Anyone else read it??</p>
<p>"A Sense of Honor" is pretty good. I've just jumped into "The Nightingale's Song" - it promises to be pretty informative. </p>
<p>This thread could get LONG!</p>
<p>Can anyone recommend a book about life at Annapolis?</p>
<p>SparkleandShine, not sure how to help you with that one, but Duty First is a pretty good book about West Point. Instead of spending 4 years there though, he only spends one. It has a relatively good part about Beast though, so I found that interesting.</p>
<p>All the WEB Griffin books. Excellent insight into military life.</p>
<p>Fast Food Nation
The Culture of Fear
The Best Democracy Money Can Buy</p>
<p>ok these arent military books, but im not going to wait for a "favorite books" thread to pop up.</p>
<p>The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien</p>
<p>and I would second Absolutely American: Four Years at West Point by David Lipsky</p>
<p>s&s - "A Sense of Honor" seems to be the quintessential "life at the academy" book.</p>
<p>Battle Dress is a good fictional novel about a female at West Point, and I "third" Absolutely American. It was an awesome book (for any Academy).</p>
<p>bz, I have listened to the Annapolis book on tape, but ran out of time so did not finish it.</p>
<p>I have recently read two great books on World War II</p>
<p>Flags of Our Fathers
and
The Last Stand of the Tin Can Soldiers</p>
<p>For those of us in the Navy or interested in Naval History I highly, highly recommend Last Stand. It documents an incredible battle between a small US naval fleet and the last bit of the Japanese Navy during WWII.</p>
<p>A Sense of Honor (novel about Academy in the '60's) and First Class (novel about the first class of women in the '70's) are great for historical perspective, but please don't draw ANY conclusions about USNA today from them. </p>
<p>The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien is amazing and for those bound to Annapolis, its used in plebe year English classes at USNA.</p>
<p>oiixxg,
My daughter read The Things They Carried for AP English last year in high school, so she was pleased to have the opportunity to reread excerpts (I believe) this fall at USNA.<br>
Did you hear the NPR report about federal funding for critical languages? Is your mid minoring in a foreign language?</p>
<p>Making the Corps -- loved it!</p>
<p>First Class: Women Join the Ranks at the Naval Academy </p>
<p>The Things They Carried -- had to read it in 10th grade for English, that was great</p>
<p>the WEB Griffin books</p>
<p>Black Hawk Down</p>
<p>Has anyone mentioned "Dress Gray?" Good novel by a WP grad and son and grandson of grads. Lucian K. Truscott. Not always flattering but good insight into cadet life in the 60's.</p>
<p>hey, didn't we do this not too long ago? seems I remember some 30-plus books making the list! </p>
<p>Well, for those who have exhaused that list and are in need of some lighter reading- try "The Darkside" - by P.T. Deutermann- </p>
<p>"At the United States Naval Academy, a murderer lurks in the shadows of tradition..." </p>
<p>a good page-turner with a glass of merlot!</p>
<p>Read a book called 'Plebe' by Hank Turowski, a fictionalized account of USNA life in the mid to late 1960s. Found it in the Naval Academy bookstore about 5 years ago when we visited, have never seen it anywhere else, not even on Amazon. It's an oversize paperback. I think it really helped to prepare my son for his plebe year at USMMA.</p>
<p>Just finished Scott Turow's new book 'Ordinary Heroes', fictional account of WWII and really enjoyed it.</p>
<p>usna09mom: no, my mid is an engineering major (hoping to fly) who happens to really love the english classes at USNA, but hasn't shown an interest in foreign languages so far. I didn't hear the NPR report -- what's the impact at the Academies? Will there be more emphasis on foreign language minors? My kid wouldn't have difficulty with that (did 3 languages in HS), but would probably need some encouragement from the Academy to consider a language minor :)</p>
<p>This looks interesting; Here, Bullet, a recently published book with poems about the war in Iraq by soldier-poet Brian Turner.</p>
<p>oiixxg, Let me get back to you with more info. I do know that officers are currently paid $300 more monthly if they are fluent in two languages.</p>