2020 USMC Reading List & How to order it for your Command

The 2020 Marine Corps Reading list was recently published in ALMAR 023/20 and with some major updates. The USMC Reading List contains 50 books and is broken up between Profession Of Arms, innovation, Leadership, Strategy, CMC Choice, Fundamentals, podcast & Periodicals.

Profession of Arms

1. AFTER ACTION: THE TRUE STORY OF A COBRA PILOT’S JOURNEY by Dan Sheehan
2. BLACK HEARTS: ONE PLATOON’S DESCENT INTO MADNESS IN IRAQ’S TRIANGLE OF DEATH by Jim Frederick
3. FIRST TO FIGHT: AN INSIDE VIEW OF THE U.S. MARINE CORPS by Victor H. Krulak
4. FORGOTTEN WARRIORS: THE 1ST PROVISIONAL MARINE BRIGADE, THE CORPS ETHOS, AND THE KOREAN WAR by T. X. Hammes
5. HESITATION KILLS: A FEMALE MARINE OFFICER’S COMBAT EXPERIENCE IN IRAQ by Jane Blair
6. THE LAST STAND OF FOX COMPANY: A TRUE STORY OF U.S. MARINES IN COMBAT by Bob Drury; Thomas Clavin
7. MARINE SNIPER: 93 CONFIRMED KILLS by Charles Henderson
8. THE MARINES OF MONTFORD POINT: AMERICA’S FIRST BLACK MARINES by Melton Alonza McLaurin
9. NEPTUNE’S INFERNO: THE U.S. NAVY AT GUADALCANAL by James D. Hornfischer
10. WE WERE ONE: SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH THE MARINES WHO TOOK FALLUJAH by Patrick K. O’Donnell
11. WOMEN AT WAR: IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, AND OTHER CONFLICTS by James E. Wise; Scott Baron

Innovation

1. ASSAULT FROM THE SEA: ESSAYS ON THE HISTORY OF AMPHIBIOUS WARFARE by Merrill L. Bartlett
2. CODE TALKER: THE FIRST AND ONLY MEMOIR BY ONE OF THE ORIGINAL NAVAJO CODE TALKERS OF WWII by Chester Nez; Judith Schiess Avila
3. CURIOUS: THE DESIRE TO KNOW AND WHY YOUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT by Ian Leslie
4. ISSUES ON MY MIND: STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE by George P. Shultz; Henry A. Kissinger (Foreword by)
5. LEARNING WAR: THE EVOLUTION OF FIGHTING DOCTRINE IN THE U.S. NAVY, 1898–1945 by Trent Hone
6. THE MASTER ALGORITHM: HOW THE QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE LEARNING MACHINE WILL REMAKE OUR WORLD by Pedro Domingos
7. MILITARY INNOVATION IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD by Williamson R. Murray (Ed.); Alan R. Millet (Ed.)
8. ON CALL IN HELL: A DOCTOR’S IRAQ WAR STORY by Richard Jadick; Thomas Hayden
9. SGT RECKLESS: AMERICA’S WAR HORSE by Robin L. Hutton
10. THE WHITE DONKEY: TERMINAL LANCE by Maximilian Uriarte
11. WIRED FOR WAR: THE ROBOTICS REVOLUTION AND CONFLICT IN THE 21ST CENTURY by P. W. Singer

Leadership

1. CALL SIGN CHAOS: LEARNING TO LEAD by Jim Mattis; Bing West
2. DARE TO LEAD: BRAVE WORK. TOUGH CONVERSATIONS. WHOLE HEARTS by Brené Brown
3. IT WORKED FOR ME: IN LIFE AND LEADERSHIP by Colin Powell
4. THE LEADER’S BOOKSHELF by Adm James Stavridis, USN (Ret.); R. Manning Ancell 
5. LEGACY by James Kerr
6. RESILIENCE: HARD-WON WISDOM FOR LIVING A BETTER LIFE by Eric Greitens
7. SMARTER FASTER BETTER: THE SECRETS OF BEING PRODUCTIVE IN LIFE AND BUSINESS by Charles Duhigg
8. START WITH WHY: HOW GREAT LEADERS INSPIRE EVERYONE TO TAKE ACTION by Simon Sinek
9. TRIBE: ON HOMECOMING AND BELONGING by Sebastian Junger
10. UNBROKEN: A WORLD WAR II STORY OF SURVIVAL, RESILIENCE, AND REDEMPTION by Laura Hillenbrand
11. YOU ARE WORTH IT: BUILDING A LIFE WORTH FIGHTING FOR by Kyle Carpenter; Don Yaeger

Strategy

1. CYBERSECURITY AND CYBERWAR: WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW by P. W. Singer; Allan Friedman
2. FLEET TACTICS AND NAVAL OPERATIONS (3rd ED.) by Wayne P. Hughes; Robert Girrier
3. GOOD TO GREAT: WHY SOME COMPANIES MAKE THE LEAP AND OTHERS DON’T by Jim Collins
4. HUMILITY IS THE NEW SMART: RETHINKING HUMAN EXCELLENCE IN THE SMART MACHINE AGE by Edward D. Hess; Katherine Ludwig
5. LIKEWAR: THE WEAPONIZATION OF SOCIAL MEDIA by P. W. Singer; Emerson T. Brooking
6. MONSOON: THE INDIAN OCEAN AND THE FUTURE OF AMERICAN POWER by Robert D. Kaplan
7. A NEW CONCEPTION OF WAR: JOHN BOYD, THE U.S. MARINES, AND MANEUVER WARFARE by Ian T. Brown
8. ONE HUNDRED DAYS : THE MEMOIRS OF THE FALKLANDS BATTLE GROUP COMMANDER by Sandy Woodward; Patrick Robinson
9. RED STAR OVER THE PACIFIC: CHINA’S RISE AND THE CHALLENGE TO U.S. MARITIME STRATEGY by Toshi Yoshihara; James R. Holmes
10. THINKING, FAST AND SLOW by Daniel Kahneman
11. THE UNDOING PROJECT: A FRIENDSHIP THAT CHANGED OUR MINDS by Michael Lewis

CMC Choice

1. THE KILL CHAIN: DEFENDING AMERICA IN THE FUTURE OF HIGH-TECH WARFARE by Christian Brose

Foundational

1. CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA by James Madison, et. al.
2. LEARNING (MCDP-7) by United States Marine Corps 
3. WARFIGHTING (MCDP-1) by United States Marine Corps 

Podcasts

1. Sea Control (CIMSEC) 
2. DODReads: What Are You Reading?
3. The Dead Prussian 
4. Horns of a Dilemma 
5. Net Assessment (War on the Rocks)
6. Modern War Institute Podcast 
7. War Room (US Army War College)
8. Wavell Room: Contemporary British Military Thought 
9. TED Talks Daily 
10. WSJ The Future of Everything 
11. Global News Podcast (BBC)
12. The Truth of the Matter 
13. The Security Studies Podcast
14. US-China Dialogue Podcast 
15. Council on Foreign Relations 
16. The Backstory 

Periodicals

1. The Cove
2. The Forge
3. Grounded Curiosity
4. Journal of Advanced Military Studies (JAMS)
5. Leatherneck
6. Marine Corps Gazette
7. Modern War Institute
8. Proceedings (US Naval Institute)
9. Small Wars Journal
10. The Strategy Bridge
11. War on the Rocks
12. Yellow Sheet (Marine Corps Aviation Association)

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How to Order the Commandants Reading List

Marine Unit Library Program  — The Marine unit library program is a program run by the Marine Corps Association & Foundation, a professional military organization founded over 100 years ago by General John Lejeune and are noted for their two iconic magazines “Leatherneck” and “Marine Corps Gazette”.   The foundation arm of the MCAF provides money for the Marine Unit Library Program. This an unconditional gift from MCAF to the unit commanding officer for the purchase of the Marine Corps Reading List.

Once approval for funding is given units will have 90 days to fill out and return the book selection form for processing. Units are able to receive library support every 12 months.
For questions or additional information regarding the Marine Unit Library program, please contact SgtMaj Kevin Bennett, USMC (Ret) at k.bennett(at)mca-marines.org, 703-640-0132 or Mrs Beth Murphy at b.murphy(at)mca-marines.org, 703-640-0144.

DODReads:  If the above option does not meet your needs the Army, Navy, Air Force, USMC and Coast Guard reading list can be purchased directly from us. DODReads can process online purchases, quotes, and for larger purchases, we accept payments through Contracting / SAM.   We also reinvest our profits into connecting military leaders with reading that challenges. Get a quote here