Civil War Supplementary Reading List

[gorthon616]

Civil War was meant to be a story that would foster thought and interest in the current world issues. Some say it has done that. Others say it just tag itself as political and poignant and people fostered the thought and interest themselves.

Whatever. I'm kinda tired about talking about Civil War, so rather than go back to that old-hat issue, why not just give out recommends for other readings?

Books:
The Pentagon's New Map - Thomas P.M. Barnett
- Not like my bible or anything, but it brought out some interesting issues and a nice little backdrop on what was going on before 9/11 in the military.
Bin Laden, the Man who Declared War on America - Yossef Bodansky
- Very nice. I liked it alot. Gives a great deal of history to Bin Laden and the terrorist movement in general.

Comic Books:
Watchmen - Alan Moore
- Duh.

I also have Diplomacy by Kissenger, but I've never gotten around to reading it.

[Miss Kitty Fantastico]

Good idea. I've found Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein a valuable tool for analysing Captain America. Aside from a lot of material on society and political ethics, it's a kind of handbook for understanding the concept of the 'noble soldier,' which - agree with it or not - is pretty much where I see Cap coming from. Plus it's a bloody good read.

Just ignore the movie. Please. Yecch...

[Markavian]

StarShip Troopers is indeed Awesome. It shows Rights and Responsiibilities need Balance in even a Free Society. I also like Janes Defense Weekly.It lays out Weapondry and Modern Military issues out for all to see in layman terms.:)

[gorthon616]

Good idea. I've found Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein a valuable tool for analysing Captain America. Aside from a lot of material on society and political ethics, it's a kind of handbook for understanding the concept of the 'noble soldier,' which - agree with it or not - is pretty much where I see Cap coming from. Plus it's a bloody good read.

Just ignore the movie. Please. Yecch...

It centers alot around creating a distinction between a citizen and a civilian right? A sort of volitional class system or something. I'll have to give it a go sometime.

[K.I.M.]

Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbrury) is also an interesting read and is peripherally related to some CW themes.

Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card) is a good one too - Ender disagrees with the violence he is engaging in, but does it for the cause nonetheless. And the Battle School parts are awesome.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Everyone who is an American, or who wants to understand America, should have a good understanding of the single event which did the most to shape America into its modern form - namely, the Civil War. For that purpose, there is no better source than Shelby Foote's three-volume masterpiece THE CIVIL WAR: A NARRATIVE. Foote covers that War from various perspectives, and in all its fronts. He doesn't focus just on the battles or the notable figures (though he does an exceptional job at both), but also addresses the larger political and economic picture, international perspectives on the event and the way the Civil War impacted the common man, both at home and on the front. He does so in language both exceptionally clear and wonderfully evocative; indeed, I'd argue that there has never been a better-written work of history.

There are two works of literature I personally consider absolutely essential - this one and a good, complete Shakespeare edition.

[prodigy]

Ok if you put in Watchmen (mindblowingly phenomenal btw) I'm gonna have to add in V For Vendetta and because of that I now have to add 1981.

[K.I.M.]

Is that like a prequel to 1984?

[Kirk G]

Fahrenheit 451 (Ray Bradbrury) is also an interesting read and is peripherally related to some CW themes.

Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card) is a good one too - Ender disagrees with the violence he is engaging in, but does it for the cause nonetheless. And the Battle School parts are awesome.

My wife has ordered a book download onto MP3 for me and has told me to listen to it while driving to work. It's "Enders Game" and I've unfortunately screwed up the MP3, so that I have skipped over whole sections. I found it a downer, much like the first three chapters of Harry Potter's first book was a downer at first... but, it does have a promising premise.

I was about to post a nomination for that one and the sequel too.
That's my next assignment...

[K.I.M.]

It definetly has it's ups and downs, but in the end, a good read. I haven't finished reading Speaker for the Dead yet, but it's promising! I also picked up Ender's Shadow - which is basically the same story story as Ender's Game told from Bean's perspective. I hear Orson Scott Card starts getting a bit weird with the later ones in the series so maybe avoid picking up those.

If you like Marvel Zombies, check out "The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead" by Max Brooks. It's both hilarious AND useful.

Back to CW supplementary readings - if you're going to toss 1984 (...or 1981) on there, Brave New World is probably a good addition as well. Also, TPB wise, if you haven't recently read Xtinction Agenda you may want to revisit it.