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	Dan Sheehan
2	Black Hearts: One Platoon’s Descent Into Madness in Iraq’s Triangle of Death	Frederick, Jim
3	FIRST TO FIGHT: AN INSIDE VIEW OF THE U.S. MARINE CORPS	Victor H. Krulak
4	FORGOTTEN WARRIORS: THE 1ST PROVISIONAL MARINE BRIGADE, THE CORPS ETHOS, AND THE KOREAN WAR	T.X. Hammes
5	HESITATION KILLS: A FEMALE MARINE OFFICER’S COMBAT EXPERIENCE IN IRAQ	Jane Blair
6	MARINE SNIPER: 93 CONFIRMED KILLS	Charles Henderson
7	NEPTUNE’S INFERNO: THE U.S. NAVY AT GUADALCANAL	James D. Hornfischer
8	THE LAST STAND OF FOX COMPANY: A TRUE STORY OF U.S. MARINES IN COMBAT	Bob Drury
9	THE MARINES OF MONTFORD POINT: AMERICA’S FIRST BLACK MARINES	Melton A. McLaurin
10	WE WERE ONE: SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH THE MARINES WHO TOOK FALLUJAH	Patrick K. O’Donnell
11	WOMEN AT WAR: IRAQ, AFGHANISTAN, AND OTHER CONFLICTS	Jame E. Wise Jr.

Innovation

1	ASSAULT FROM THE SEA: ESSAYS ON THE HISTORY OF AMPHIBIOUS WARFARE	Merrill L. Bartlett
2	CODE TALKER: THE FIRST AND ONLY MEMOIR BY ONE OF THE ORIGINAL NAVAJO CODE TALKERS OF WWII	Chester Nez
3	COUNTDOWN TO ZERO DAY: STUXNET AND THE LAUNCH OF THE WORLD’S FIRST DIGITAL WEAPON	Kim Zetter
4	CURIOUS: THE DESIRE TO KNOW AND WHY YOUR FUTURE DEPENDS ON IT	Ian Leslie
5	ISSUES ON MY MIND: STRATEGIES FOR THE FUTURE	George P. Shultz
6	MILITARY INNOVATION IN THE INTERWAR PERIOD	Williamson Murray
7	ON CALL IN HELL: A DOCTOR’S IRAQ WAR STORY	CDR. Richard Jadick
8	SGT RECKLESS: AMERICA’S WAR HORSE	Robin Hutton
9	THE MASTER ALGORITHM: HOW THE QUEST FOR THE ULTIMATE LEARNING MACHINE WILL REMAKE OUR WORLD	Pedro Domingo
10	THE WHITE DONKEY: TERMINAL LANCE	Maximilian Uriarte
11	WIRED FOR WAR: THE ROBOTICS REVOLUTION AND CONFLICT IN THE 21ST CENTURY	P.W. Singer

Leadership

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

Strategy

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

CMC Choice

THE KILL CHAIN: DEFENDING AMERICA IN THE FUTURE OF HIGH-TECH WARFARE

Christian Brose

Foundational

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

Podcasts

Periodicals

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