A Captain's Library: 10 Must-Own Books for Growth and Development
A Captain's Library: 10 Must-Own Books for Growth and Development
Topic: Research
The most important book anyone can read is The Holy Bible, inspired by God and authored by patriarchs, prophets, kings, leaders, and apostles. Many non-believers would recommend it for broadening purposes, but I recommend it from a perspective of faith, identity, and eternal destiny. No other book of antiquity is grounded in as much provable accuracy as The Holy Bible, and its message is still with us nearly two full millennia after the last word was penned.
I have read The Holy Bible, the best-selling book in history, five times cover to cover. It should be understood at this point in the article that I recommend it; however, given that my audience is made up of mostly like-minded readers, I have taken it upon myself to compile a list of 10 must-read books that have impacted my life and shaped my view of the world. I read all 10 of these in hard copy and consider them shelf worthy.
These are ranked in no order and will enhance your understanding of World and American History, Strategy, Freedom, Practical Knowledge, and Business Brilliance.
A Patriot’s History of the United States
Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen
A huge book, brilliantly written to explain American history from well before its founding all the way to the present day, thoroughly covering explorers, presidents, key historical figures, wars, and significant events and cultural development. Authors are conservative but present fair viewpoints that make this book hard for the left to criticize. This is a must-own for any patriot and is popular in home schooling circles.
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Stephen Ambrose
The best account of the Lewis and Clark Expedition commissioned by President Jefferson, filled with rich detail of their journey and all the peril it entailed. This book drives home the American spirit and what it took a small group of men to make history and display resilience in a way few have ever done to survive. Meriwether Lewis is a tragic hero, and his unraveling after completion of his mission is well documented toward the end of the book.
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Neil Howe and William Strauss
A well-known classic in some circles that is often branded as conspiracy, but the generational cycles and their supporting theories are laid out in convincing fashion. The reader will discern that western, especially American, civilization is in the thick of a Fourth Turning, which is a conclusion to an 80-year cycle that has governed history for centuries, if not longer. I found it most interesting when the authors clearly described the three full cycles of American history concluding with the American Revolution, Civil War, and World War II, respectively, all roughly 80 years apart. This read is fascinating, but a bit dry and may be best on audio.
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Dan Miller
I discovered this brilliant book by listening to Dave Ramsey’s show, when I was bogged down on a career path that only scraped the surface of my potential and marginally used my best skills. I learned how to do unconventional job searching and eventually found that I was an expert salesman, a field that used my energy, people skills, and business mind. When I was “cancelled” from Corporate America for speaking up on election integrity, I was launched into my current path, which represents a perfect confluence of my skills and abilities. Many people have broken free from the mundane rat race and “work until you die” routine by finding what Miller describes as work that uses your skills and abilities, personality tendencies, and values, passions, and desires.
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Intelligence in War
John Keegan
Intelligence officers are drawn to this title like moths to flame, but it is extremely valuable for problem solvers. Keegan lays it out in an easy format, presenting a series of essays that make it easy to pick up the book when you have a half hour free. Admiral Horatio Nelson’s pursuit of the Spanish Armada and Stonewall Jackson’s campaign in the Shenandoah Valley, and his use of local knowledge, are critical to understand as Americans grasp for answers (intelligence) in the first quarter of the 21st century.
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Liberty Defined
Ron Paul
I read this on a six-hour bus ride through an Alaska winter returning from a training assignment in late 2012. I was looking to broaden my political insights in the aftermath of the Romney disaster and wound up experiencing a brilliant mind at work and enhancing my understanding of the shortcomings of the Republican Party to advance meaningful reform and conserve anything. The book consists of 50 short essays outlining his beliefs and values system, and I was so struck by his foreign policy writings that I could no longer justify using the best years of my life to serve in unwinnable, unjustifiable wars.
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John Eldredge
One of the most important books a man can ever read for personal growth and development. I tried to read it when I was a young lieutenant in the Army in my mid-twenties, but it didn’t resonate with me as it did when I read it in 2020. It was an incredible read after that decade of my life primed me to understand my “father wounds” and why I was wired with the drive and ambition I have. This book will truly change your life if you need direction and purpose.
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The Doctrine of Lesser Magistrates
Matthew Trewhella
This book is so impactful and critical to the understanding of what it means to defend freedom that I’ve written an entire SubStack article to describe its content and purpose. We often espouse viewpoints in defense of liberty and freedom while not understanding the true order of all legal authority and the restraints placed upon tyranny by God himself. To fight the fight of saving a Republic, we must understand the origins of the law and of freedom and hold those in leadership accountable under those standards.
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Jim Collins
A classic business book recommended to military officers seeking to join the civilian work force. It profiles many companies that have been successful for decades, and outlines why they were built to last, as opposed to their competitors, who came and went. A memorable illustration is that of “the bus,” in which successful companies put the right people on the bus regardless of experience and industry specifics and rotated them in and out of various roles while never straying from established goals. The moral of the book is that success takes lasting commitment and discipline to sustain, and it not something that comes from a “flash in the pan.”
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Jeff Shaara
This final spot came down to Gods and Generals and Jeff Shaara’s father Michaels Battle of Gettysburg classic, The Killer Angels. Both men write in the genre of historical fiction, which relays real historical events through a combination of real and fictional conversation and character development, with knowledge gaps filled in by excruciating research and best guesses as to how those characters may have interacted or appeared. In Gods and Generals, the most prominent generals of the Civil War are profiled beginning in the days just before the outbreak of the Civil War, up until Gettysburg. In this sense, Gods and Generals is a prequel to The Killer Angels, written many years earlier. The story development of longtime friends, veterans, and Academy graduates separating due to geographic lines caused by the secession of the Confederacy is both fascinating and harrowing.
Other than The Holy Bible, Stephen Ambrose, and the Dan Miller work I've heard touted on Steve Deace's podcast, I know very little about these selections. Thank you for the synopses--and for all you do for America!
The more I learn about you the more I respect and admire you. Yes, you put the Bible first, as it should be. Ideally, these books, and others, should be available to all parents who home school as well.
In fact, the current state of our "public schools" is abominable, and schools, universities and teachers and teachers unions have been infiltrated and turned into indoctrination camps.
"Be ye doers of the word, not just hearers". And young people need examples of doers to follow. Thank you.