Anyone know any good books?

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Oct 7, 2008
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I really like first person stories of solders station in ww2, or vietnam. I want to find something like that in the cold war, or desert storm. Something about bushcraft, or the account of a guy who had to survive when he gets lost. You think you guys can help me find what I'm looking for?
 
It's not exactly an account of a soldier, but you might look into Generation Kill by Evan Wright. He was a reporter embed with Marines' First Recon Battalion and wrote about the initial invasion of Iraq. Great read!
 
I had the pleasure of hearing Marcus Luttrell speak at a conference. He wrote a book called "Lone Survivor," about his experience as the sole surviving member of a SEAL team in Afghanistan. The book is very powerful and beyond his gripping true story, he shares insights into patriotism, teamwork, what it takes to win and to survive.
 
The One That Got Away
By Chris Ryan

C.Q.B.: Close Quarter Battle
By Mike Curtis

The Joker: 20 Years Inside the SAS
By Peter Scholey
 
If I remember correctly, one of the subsequent entries in Hoch Hochheim's Knife Fighting Encyclopedia contained quite a few true stories of knife use by those in the military. I think it's Volume 2.
 
On of the better fiction books about survival and escape was written by Louis L'Amour titled "Last of the Breed".

"Major Joseph Makatozi is a U.S. Air Force test pilot. He is shot down and in the beginning of the novel, finds himself in a Soviet prison camp deep in the forests of Siberia.

He knows he must escape, and his upbringing in the Idaho Snake River country will come to his aid, along with his American Indian heritage. His Indian grandparents trained him in the old ways of hunting and survival, and these skills will stand him in good stead in Siberia.

After he makes his escape, he must avoid the Russian soldiers combing the country for him, so he keeps to the forests and mountains. He must pass the winter on the run, living off the land, with cold temperatures down to -60*!

Along the way, he becomes acquainted with some Soviet dissidents who also live in the forests, including a lovely Romanian woman, Natalya, and her father."


This is a really enjoyable book. You can pick up a copy on half.com for under $4.00 including shipping.
 
Well it's not necessarily a soldiering story, but Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer is a good book about a dude that gets lost, albeit on purpose, and battles the elements to survive.

And knarfeng, I think he was just looking for advice on a good book from his fellow knife lovers. If it was the absolute wrong thing to do, I'm sure one of the moderators will step in and tell him. Give the kid a break. No need to be so callous.
 
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I took a couple pics of what I think are some of the best books ever.

Edit: SOG, Good To GO and Point Man are truly amazing.

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The Long Walk by Slavomir Rawicz. It's supposedly a true story but there's a lot of doubt about that. Regardless it's a good read.

One of the best VN books IMO is Guns Up by Johnnie M. Clark.
 
Try "Dead Center". Its about the USMC scout snipers in Nam.
 
The other day I saw a book about the experiences of Russian soldiers in Chechnya. Given that little coverage exists on those two wars, it may be an interesting read. Not sure what the title was, but it should be easy to find.
 
"Shooter" is a good one, not to be confused by the marky mark movie of the same name. This one is about a marine scout sniper who was active early in our invasion of Iraq. "The Long Walk" is an excellent book as well. Theres an account by the US pilot who got shot down over Bosnia, but the title escapes me right now.
 
I most highly reccomend "House To House" by David Bellavia. It's an account of the author's urban combat experience in Fallujah and other Iraqi cities. It is very hard nosed and graphic. It has some good knife content as well, a knife being the decisive factor in one CQB encounter described in the book.

Also good reading is "One Bullet Away" by Nathaniel Fick. Mr. Fick was the commanding officer of the platoon in which Evan Wright, the author of the book "Generation Kill", was embedded while on assignment for Rolling Stone. It's interesting to read both books and compare the different ways in which a Marine officer and a left leaning journalist see the same events.
 
I like the sound of that, looked at his site, and read about him online, but the prices I've found for the book were $40-60 shipped in paperback here in the states.
If anyone finds it at a reasonable price, please post a link.

Crikey! That's a bit steep. I'm about to get a stack on authors discount (my family and friends chewed up the 20 free copies pretty fast) to meet a few christmas present requests from friends. Anyone who's interested - send me a PM and I'll see if I can send a copy over.

I can get them for $16 Australian, which is about US$12. Add a bit of shipping to that and it will be way cheaper - special deal for my blade mates:D
 
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