One of the things that does not suck about being unemployed is that you have a ton of free time. With that free time I have had the chance to read some really good books (even wrote a semi book review on The Beckham Experiment). So here are some of my book recommendations if you are looking for a good read. If you end up reading any of these books, I would love to hear your thoughts. If you have already read one of these books, I would love to hear your thoughts.

History/Military

“And I Was There”: Pearl Harbor and Midway–Breaking the Secrets. Author, Rear Admiral Edwin T. Layton

If you are interested in World War II, then this book is a must read. It seems to be recognized as the definitive account of the code breaking aspects of the Pacific Theater. Layton was one of the key players in code breaking intelligence before and after Pearl Harbor. He tells the unbelievable story of what went down behind the scenes. Code breaking was something new, and therefor not totally excepted by some of the older, higher ranking military figures. This book tells of the struggle to embrace code breaking and the politics of war. The code breaking is more straight forward, but the “politics of war” are a lot more complex. In the aftermath of Pearl Harbor reputations of men were ruined, careers destroyed by no fault of their own. Information wasn’t properly shared within the Navy and when the shit hit the fan (Pearl Harbor), the people who were most at fault (not out of malice) played the blame game. This book is a fantastic read, but it’s a book that takes a lot of time to get through. If you want to learn a lot of really important historical lessons, then this book is for you.

The Capture of Attu: A World War II Battle as Told by the Men Who Fought There. Author, Gregory J.W. Urwin

I am not saying this is the best book, far from it. It’s quite short, but it does tell a story that history has seem to forgot. During World War II American soil was occupied by the Japanese, sure it was 1000 miles of the cost of Alaska, but it was American soil. What America thought would be an easy mission to recapture, turned out to be quite the opposite. The tiny island was thought to be a perfect outpost by the Japanese, or a diversionary measure for the impending battle at Midway. This book a battle re-count from the soldiers, so it can be hard to understand some of the terminology if you are not a military buff (I didn’t understand plenty), but you get the gist. This is a quick read if you are interested in this tiny battle of WWII.

History/Politics

Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign that Changed America. Author, Craig Shirley

Weighing in at a whopping 600 pages, this is a detailed look at the 1980 Presidential campaign (with obvious emphasis on Ronald Reagan). Times were a lot different back then, no email or blackberrys. Still, the game of politics was played just as intensely albeit at a slower speed. Our country was at a crossroads, the Carter years had not been kind to America both financially and emotionally. America was faced with a choice between the unpopular incumbent and an aging ex-actor/ex-governor, this election had heightened drama on the campaign trail. This book tells the story, the good and the bad, of what went down. While in the end, Reagan won the election easily, the over the course of the campaign, that outcome didn’t look so realistic. This book is full of stories from the campaign trail that are even more interesting 30 years later. I couldn’t put this book down, it’s a real page turner, especially for anyone interested in elections/politics.

The Final Days. Authors, Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

I am cheating a little here, because I read this book a year ago, but I had to put it on the list… it’s that good. Everyone knows the story of their first book “All the Presidents Men”, because they made it into a great movie. However, this half of the story is equally if not more, compelling. The authors point out just how extensively this book was re-searched, and fact checked. While, I can not say that everything in this book is fact, I certainly believe its as close as we will ever get. Richard Nixon just could not believe that this had happened to him, he never saw the crime. In his mind, he hadn’t done anything that his predecessors hadn’t done. The depths of his denial are without bounds, in his mind he really had done nothing wrong. You see the ugliest side of Nixon, but that was only half the man. This is a story like no other. Anyone who loves American Politics needs to read this book.

True Crime

Black Mass. By Authors Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neil

The Brothers Bulger. Author, Howie Carr

Same topic and I will write about them together. The Brothers Bulger I actually read a couple years ago (but re-read recently) and Black Mass I just finished. These books are on Whitey Bulger and his connection over the years with the FBI. Black Mass was written first, in 1999, and deal almost exclusively with Whitey. The Brothers Bulger came out a couple years ago and talks about both Whitey and his brother Billy. For those of you who don’t know, Whitey Bulger was the preeminent gangster in Boston from the early ’70s until the mid ’90s. His brother Billy was a state senator, and eventual President of the Massachusetts State Senate from 1978-1996 (notice the similarity in the years). The movie, The Departed was clearly a vague portrayal of this truly unbelievable tale (the opening scene is taken almost directly from Black Mass opening chapter).  Whitey Bulger, while ruling the Boston underworld was at the same time an FBI informant. What happened was the perfect storm of crime. A ruthless gangster, with FBI protection and a brother who was the most powerful politician in the state. If it wasn’t true, you wouldn’t believe it could be true. If you are from Boston and are interested in a story that is beyond belief, then these are your books. Carr’s book is more recent, but there is cross over between the books. If you were going to read them both, I would read Black Mass first. If I had to choose one, I would pick The Brothers Bulger, because that is the more complete story. Black Mass doesn’t go to in depth on Billy. Regardless these are both amazing books, and there could be some scary facts for anyone who lived in or around Boston  from 1970-1999.

Sports

The Jordan Rules. Author Sam Smith

This one is pretty old, but it is also timeless. Especially now, in the light of LeBron trying to take LeEasy way to a LeChampionship. This is the inside story of the Chicago Bulls first championship season. A behind the scenes look at how Jordan ruled this team and how everyone else dealt with it. This book was the first instance when someone in the media dared to tell the truth, Jordan was a dick. He was also the single most competitive athlete on the planet, and arguably becoming  the greatest basketball player of all time. Jordan did what he wanted, when he wanted to. He wanted, he needed to win a championship, and this is the story behind that first one. Also, there are a plethora of great stories told along the way (including one white teammate being stunned when his wife gave birth to a black child, fathered by a teammate).  If you are a fan of Jordan, or the NBA, you probably have already read this. If not, you should.

The Beckham Experiment. Author Grant Wahl. Just check out the post, I don’t need to paste his face again. Good book, highly recommend it.