Recommendations based on The Coldest Winter: America and the Korean Warby David Halberstam

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Best and the Brightest

    by David Halberstam
    A detailed account of the decision-making process that led to the United States' involvement in the Vietnam War.

    The Best and the Brightest is David Halberstam's masterpiece, the defining history of the making of the Vietnam tragedy. Using portraits of America's flawed policy makers and accounts of the forces ... (Goodreads)

  2. A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam

    by Neil Sheehan
    A detailed account of the Vietnam War, and one man's role in it.

    This passionate, epic account of the Vietnam War centres on Lt Col John Paul Vann, whose story illuminates America's failures & disillusionment in SE Asia. A field adviser to the army when US ... (Goodreads)

  3. The Forever War

    by Dexter Filkins
    A collection of war stories from Iraq and Afghanistan, exploring the human cost of conflict and the impact on soldiers and civilians alike.

    From the front lines of the battle against Islamic fundamentalism, a searing, unforgettable book that captures the human essence of the greatest conflict of our time. Through the eyes of Dexter ... (Goodreads)

  4. Master of the Senate

    by Robert A. Caro
    Detailed account of Lyndon Johnson's tenure as the leader of the US Senate, and his rise to power.

    The most riveting political biography of our time, Robert A. Caro’s life of Lyndon B. Johnson, continues. Master of the Senate takes Johnson’s story through one of its most remarkable periods: his ... (Goodreads)

  5. The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy, 1943-1944

    by Rick Atkinson
    A comprehensive and gripping account of the Allies' campaign in the Mediterranean during World War II.

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER "Majestic... Atkinson's achievement is to marry prodigious research with a superbly organized narrative and then to overlay the whole with writing as powerful and elegant as ... (Barnes & Noble)

  6. The Path to Power

    by Robert A. Caro
    The first volume of a biography of Lyndon B. Johnson, tracing his early life and political career in Texas.

    The Years of Lyndon Johnson is the political biography of our time. No president—no era of American politics—has been so intensively and sharply examined at a time when so many prime witnesses to ... (Goodreads)

  7. A Rumor of War

    by Philip Caputo
    A firsthand account of the Vietnam War by a Marine, recounting its devastating impact on his life.

    The 40th-anniversary edition of the classic Vietnam memoir—featured in the PBS documentary series The Vietnam War by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick—with a new foreword by Kevin Powers. In March of 1965, ... (Goodreads)

  8. Means of Ascent

    by Robert A. Caro
    An exploration of the ruthless ambition and cunning tactics of Lyndon B. Johnson's political career.

    Robert A. Caro's life of Lyndon Johnson, which began with the greatly acclaimed The Path to Power, also winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award, continues – one of the richest, most ... (Goodreads)

  9. An Army at Dawn: The War in North Africa, 1942-1943

    by Rick Atkinson
    An account of the US Army's involvement in North Africa during WWII.

    WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE AND, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER,, In the first volume of his monumental trilogy about the liberation of Europe in WW II, Pulitzer Prize winner Rick Atkinson tells the ... (Goodreads)

  10. The Guns of August

    by Barbara W. Tuchman
    A riveting account of the events leading up to World War I and its devastating consequences.

    Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time The Proud Tower, the Pulitzer Prize–winning The Guns of August, and The Zimmerman Telegram comprise Barbara W. ... (Goodreads)

  11. Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln

    by Doris Kearns Goodwin
    A comprehensive study of the presidency of Abraham Lincoln, and the unique cabinet he assembled.

    Winner of the Lincoln Prize Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from ... (Goodreads)

  12. American Caesar: Douglas MacArthur 1880-1964

    by William Manchester
    A biography of the military leader, tracing his long and complicated career in the U.S. Army.

    MacArthur, the public figure, the private man, the soldier-hero whose mystery and appeal created a uniquely American legend, portrayed in a biography that will challenge the cherished myths of ... (Goodreads)

  13. Washington's Crossing

    by David Hackett Fischer
    A detailed account of George Washington's daring crossing of the Delaware River during the American Revolution, and its impact on the war.

    Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within ... (Goodreads)

  14. SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome

    by Mary Beard
    An exploration into the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, tracing its impact on the modern world.

    New York Times Bestseller A New York Times Notable Book Named one of the Best Books of the Year by the Wall Street Journal , the Economist, Foreign Affairs , and Kirkus Reviews Finalist for the ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. Dispatches

    by Michael Herr
    A journalist's account of the Vietnam War, depicting the brutality, confusion and chaos of the conflict.

    Written on the front lines in Vietnam, Dispatches became an immediate classic of war reportage when it was published in 1977. From its terrifying opening pages to its final eloquent words, Dispatches ... (Goodreads)

  16. Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

    by Tony Judt
    History of Europe since the end of World War II, examining the changes and challenges of the region.

    Almost a decade in the making, this much-anticipated grand history of postwar Europe from one of the world's most esteemed historians and intellectuals is a singular achievement. Postwar is the first ... (Goodreads)

  17. In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors

    by Doug Stanton
    True story of the sinking of US Navy cruiser Indianapolis and the harrowing survival of its crew.

    A harrowing, adrenaline-charged account of America's worst naval disaster — and of the heroism of the men who, against all odds, survived., On July 30, 1945, the USS, Indianapolis, was torpedoed in ... (Barnes & Noble)

  18. Battle Cry of Freedom

    by James M. McPherson
    A comprehensive history of the American Civil War, focusing on the political and military aspects.

    Filled with fresh interpretations and information, puncturing old myths and challenging new ones, Battle Cry of Freedom will unquestionably become the standard one-volume history of the Civil War. ... (Goodreads)

  19. Ball Four

    by Jim Bouton
    A candid account of the life of a professional baseball player, exposing the realities of the sport.

    Twentieth-anniversary edition of a baseball classic, with a new epilogue by Jim Bouton. When first published in 1970, Ball Four stunned the sports world. The commissioner, executives, and players ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Breaks of the Game

    by David Halberstam
    An in-depth look at the 1979-1980 season of the Portland Trail Blazers, exploring the highs and lows of professional basketball.

    "Among the best books ever written on professional basketball." The Philadelphia Inquirer David Halberstam, best-selling author of THE FIFTIES and THE BEST AND THE BRIGHTEST, turns his keen ... (Goodreads)

  21. Theodore Rex

    by Edmund Morris
    A biography of Theodore Roosevelt's presidency, exploring his leadership, policies, and impact on American society.

    Theodore Roosevelt and his two-term presidency (1901-9) deserve a king-size, seize-the-man biography - and Edmund Morris has provided one. "TR" typifies the "can do" American; his famous maxim, of ... (Goodreads)

  22. Truman

    by David McCullough
    A biographical account of Harry S. Truman's rise to the Presidency and his impact on American history.

    The book provides a biography of Harry Truman in chronological fashion from his birth to his rise to U.S. Senator , Vice President , and President . It follows his activities until death, exploring ... (Wikipedia)

  23. The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Alone, 1932-40

    by William Manchester
    Biography of Winston Churchill's courageous leadership during the tumultuous interwar period.

    “The best Churchill biography [for] this generation . . . Even readers who know the basic story will find much that is new.”—,Newsweek,In this powerful biography, the middle volume of William ... (Barnes & Noble)

  24. We Were Soldiers Once... and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle that Changed the War in Vietnam

    by Harold G. Moore
    An account of the Battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam, told from the perspective of the soldiers who fought it.

    Each year, the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps selects one book that he believes is both relevant and timeless for reading by all Marines. The Commandant's choice for 1993 was We Were Soldiers ... (Goodreads)

  25. King Leopold's Ghost

    by Adam Hochschild
    A harrowing account of the colonization of the Congo and the exploitation of its people.

    In the 1880s, as the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold II of Belgium seized for himself the vast and mostly unexplored territory surrounding the Congo River. Carrying out a ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt

    by Edmund Morris
    A biography of Theodore Roosevelt, chronicling his early life, political career, and rise to the presidency.

    Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best nonfiction books of all time Described by the Chicago Tribune as "a classic," The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt stands as one of the greatest ... (Goodreads)

  27. The Plantagenets: The Warrior Kings and Queens Who Made England

    by Dan Jones
    A sweeping account of the tumultuous reigns of England's Plantagenet kings and queens.

    The first Plantagenet king inherited a blood-soaked kingdom from the Normans and transformed it into an empire stretched at its peak from Scotland to Jerusalem. In this epic history, Dan Jones ... (Goodreads)

  28. A Bridge Too Far

    by Cornelius Ryan
    Historical account of the Liberation of Europe during WWII, focusing on the Battle of Arnhem.

    A Bridge Too Far, is Cornelius Ryan's masterly chronicle of the Battle of Arnhem, which marshalled the greatest armada of troop-carrying aircraft ever assembled and cost the Allies nearly twice as ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Great Bridge: The Epic Story of the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge

    by David McCullough
    An in-depth account of the construction of the iconic Brooklyn Bridge.

    Published on the fortieth anniversary of its initial publication, this edition of the classic book contains a new Preface by David McCullough, “one of our most gifted living writers” (,The Washington ... (Goodreads)

  30. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

    by William L. Shirer
    The definitive story of Nazi Germany, its rise and fall, and its lasting impacts.

    Hitler boasted that The Third Reich would last a thousand years. It lasted only 12. But those 12 years contained some of the most catastrophic events Western civilization has ever known. No other ... (Goodreads)