Recommendations based on Pacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942by Ian W. Toll

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

  1. 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)

  2. With the Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa

    by Eugene B. Sledge
    A soldier's harrowing account of his experiences in World War II.

    In his own book, Wartime, Paul Fussell called With the Old Breed "one of the finest memoirs to emerge from any war." John Keegan referred to it in The Second World War as "one of the most arresting ... (Goodreads)

  3. 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)

  4. Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War

    by Mark Bowden
    A detailed account of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, where US soldiers fought Somali militia in a brutal urban warfare.

    On October 3, 1993, about a hundred U.S. soldiers were dropped by helicopter into a teeming market in the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia, to abduct two top lieutenants of a Somali warlord. The action ... (Goodreads)

  5. 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)

  6. A Higher Call: An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II

    by Adam Makos
    True story of the remarkable chivalry between two pilots in the heat of battle during World War II.

    THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER: “Beautifully told.”,—CNN ,• ,“A remarkable story...worth retelling and celebrating.”—,USA Today ,• ,“Oh, it’s a good one!”,—Fox News,, A “beautiful story of a ... (Barnes & Noble)

  7. The Passage of Power

    by Robert A. Caro
    An in-depth account of Lyndon B. Johnson's rise to power and his evolution as a leader.

    The Passage of Power follows Lyndon Johnson through both the most frustrating and the most triumphant periods of his career—1958 to1964. It is a time that would see him trade the extraordinary power ... (Goodreads)

  8. Eisenhower in War and Peace

    by Jean Edward Smith
    Biography of Dwight Eisenhower's life, from World War II to the Cold War.

    NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY, The Christian Science Monitor • St. Louis Post-Dispatch, In his magisterial bestseller FDR, Jean Edward Smith gave us a fresh, modern look at one of the ... (Goodreads)

  9. The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York

    by Robert A. Caro
    Biography of Robert Moses, city planner and power broker who reshaped New York City.

    One of the most acclaimed books of our time, winner of both the Pulitzer and the Francis Parkman prizes, The Power Broker tells the hidden story behind the shaping (and mis-shaping) of ... (Goodreads)

  10. Stalingrad: The Fateful Siege, 1942–1943

    by Antony Beevor
    The epic story of the Battle of Stalingrad and its devastating impact on WWII.

    The Battle of Stalingrad was not only the psychological turning point of World War II: it also changed the face of modern warfare. From Antony Beevor, the internationally bestselling author of, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  11. Grant

    by Ron Chernow
    Biography of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant, exploring his life and legacy.

    Ulysses S. Grant's life has typically been misunderstood. All too often he is caricatured as a chronic loser and inept businessman, fond of drinking to excess; or as the triumphant but brutal Union ... (Goodreads)

  12. The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn

    by Nathaniel Philbrick
    A gripping account of the legendary battle between General Custer and the Lakota Sioux.

    "An engrossing and tautly written account of a critical chapter in American history." —,Los Angeles Times, Nathaniel Philbrick, author of In the Hurricane's Eye , Pulitzer Prize finalist Mayflower , ... (Barnes & Noble)

  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. Colonel Roosevelt

    by Edmund Morris
    Biography of Theodore Roosevelt's life, from his rise to power to his death.

    Of all our great presidents, Theodore Roosevelt is the only one whose greatness increased out of office. When he toured Europe in 1910 as plain “Colonel Roosevelt,” he was hailed as the most famous ... (Goodreads)

  15. 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)

  16. Helmet for My Pillow: From Parris Island to the Pacific

    by Robert Leckie
    A WWII Marine's first-hand account of his harrowing experiences in the Pacific Theater.

    Now the inspiration behind the HBO series THE PACIFIC Here is one of the most riveting first-person accounts to ever come out of the Second World War. Robert Leckie was 21 when he enlisted in the US ... (Goodreads)

  17. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster

    by Jon Krakauer
    A gripping narrative of the 1996 expedition on Mount Everest that resulted in tragedy.

    When Jon Krakauer reached the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, he hadn't slept in fifty-seven hours and was reeling from the brain-altering effects of oxygen depletion. ... (Goodreads)

  18. 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)

  19. 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)

  20. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

    by Daniel James Brown
    An inspiring story of a rowing crew battling against the odds to win gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

    This novel is about the University of Washington eight-oared crew that represented the United States in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, and narrowly beat out Italy and Germany to win the gold medal. The ... (Wikipedia)

  21. 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)

  22. Bloodlands: Europe Between Hitler and Stalin

    by Timothy Snyder
    History of the mass extermination of civilians in Central and Eastern Europe during WWII.

    Americans call the Second World War “The Good War.” But before it even began, America’s wartime ally Josef Stalin had killed millions of his own citizens—and kept killing them during and after the ... (Goodreads)

  23. Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality

    by Scott Belsky
    A practical guide to turning ideas into reality, with tips on organization, collaboration, and execution.

    How the world's leading innovators push their ideas to fruition again and again Edison famously said that genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration. Ideas for new businesses, solutions ... (Goodreads)

  24. Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland

    by Patrick Radden Keefe
    A gripping account of the Troubles in Northern Ireland, exploring the murder of a mother of ten and the secrets that were kept hidden for decades.

    In December 1972, Jean McConville, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of ten, was dragged from her Belfast home by masked intruders, her children clinging to her legs. They never saw her again. Her ... (Goodreads)

  25. 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)

  26. A. Lincoln

    by Ronald C. White Jr.
    A comprehensive biography of Abraham Lincoln, exploring his life, leadership, and legacy as one of America's greatest presidents.

    “If you read one book about Lincoln, make it, A. Lincoln,.”—, USA Today, NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY,The Washington Post, •, The Philadelphia Inquirer •,, The Christian Science Monitor ... (Barnes & Noble)

  27. 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)

  28. Between the World and Me

    by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.

    “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)

  29. 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)

  30. Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges

    by Amy Cuddy
    Uncovering the power of body language and how to use it to create success.

    Have you ever left a nerve-racking challenge and immediately wished for a do over? Maybe after a job interview, a performance, or a difficult conversation? The very moments that require us to be ... (Barnes & Noble)