2019 Air Force Reading List

Update: The Air Force now has newer leadership libraries from the Chief of Staff and the Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force. See our Air Force Reading List 2026 for all 22 current books.

Below are the 28 books on the 2019 Air Force Reading List

Leadership

1. Deep Work, by Cal Newport
2. The Art of Thinking Clearly, by Rolf Dobelli
3. Turn the Ship Around, by L. David Marquet

Air Force Warfighting

1. Cyberspace in Peace and War, by Martin C. Libicke
2. Airpower Applied, by John A. Olsen, ed
3. The Second Nuclear Age, by Paul Bracken
4. Escalation and Deterrence, by CSIS Report (web link)
5. The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy, by Matthew Kroenig
6. Crowded Orbits, by James Moltz

Air Force Heritage

1. The Aviators, by Winston Groom
2. The Wright Brothers, by David McCullough
3. Beyond Horizons, by David N. Spires

The Strategic Environment

1. The Accidental Super Power, by Peter Ziehan
2. Essence of Decision, by Graham Allison and Phillip Zelikow
3. Russia’s Military Revival, by Bettina Renz
4. On China, by Henry Kissinger
5. The Impossible State, by Victor Cha

Innovation and Exploration

1. The Difference, by Scott E. Page
2. Skunk Works, by Ben R. Rich & Leo Janos
3. Space Barons, by Christian Davenport
4. The Inevitable, by Kevin Kelly

Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force Reading List   

1. Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done, by Larry Bossidy & Ram Charan
2. The One Thing, by Gary Keller
3. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth
4. The Culture Code, by Daniel Coyle
5. Helping People Win at Work, by Ken Blanchard & Garry Ridge
6. The Go-Giver, by Bob Burg & John David Mann
7. Alone At Dawn, by Dan Schilling and Lori Chapman Longfritz