Books Archives - Task & Purpose

By Task & Purpose Nov 25, 2020

Entertainment

11 of the best military books we read this year

Here's a brief list of some of the best military books we read here at Task & Purpose in the...

By Jared Keller Nov 2, 2020

Entertainment

The iconic Vietnam War novel ‘The Things They Carried’ is getting a film with a star-studded cast

Tom Hardy will embrace his third major military role after Black Hawk Down and Dunkirk as he leads an ensemble...

By James Clark Oct 21, 2020

Community

‘Starship Troopers’ is off the Marine commandant’s reading list, but ‘White Donkey’ by Terminal Lance is in

There are so many good f--king books in here.

By Nathan Deuel, Los Angeles Times Oct 2, 2020

Entertainment

An Iraq War veteran has delivered a ‘beautiful, violent and almost perfect’ new novel about the American military machine

'Missionaries' is horrifying and refreshing, challenging us to reflect not just on the destruction of our own national institutions but...

By Stavros Atlamazoglou, Sandboxx Sep 22, 2020

Mandatory Fun

A new memoir follows a Night Stalker pilot’s epic journey through the War on Terror

"This book is not about the 160th or me, they are stories about our tribe, trials, and tribulations on and...

By Stavros Atlamazoglou, Sandboxx Sep 22, 2020

Mandatory Fun

A new memoir follows a Night Stalker pilot’s epic journey through the War on Terror

"This book is not about the 160th or me, they are stories about our tribe, trials, and tribulations on and...

By Bob Drogin, Los Angeles Times Jul 29, 2020

Analysis

The lies and mistakes that led the US into Iraq, laid out in a new book

President George W. Bush launched a ruinous war in Iraq based on an intelligence failure that saw the CIA, Pentagon...

By Frumentarius, Sandboxx Jun 21, 2020

Entertainment

A Navy’s SEAL’s list of post-apocalyptic novels that should be movies

All five of these books could do with a modern-day cinematic treatment, on either the big screen or small.

By James Clark Feb 19, 2020

Community

For years he sold the military’s version of the Iraq War. Now he’s on a mission to convey ‘the chaos and absurdity of that experience’

With his new memoir, "Attention Servicemember" Army veteran and former conflict photographer Ben Brody shows war the way he saw...

By Haley Britzky Oct 18, 2019

Lifestyle

Good Boyfriend Cory Booker read a WWII novel to Rosario Dawson over the phone and I’m here for it

Boyfriends can do some really weird shit, but this...this is adorable

By Jared Keller May 28, 2019

Entertainment

13 titles for James Mattis’s upcoming book that are better than ‘Call Sign Chaos’

Former defense secretary James Mattis plans on dropping a book in July, and we couldn't be more excited

By Paul Szoldra May 4, 2019

News

Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter is coming out with a book he says ‘will truly help people’

Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter announced a new book on Thursday that he believes "will truly help people" when...

By James Barber, Military.com Mar 22, 2019

Entertainment

The man behind ‘Lt. Dan’ is all patriotism, no politics

Gary Sinise just published a new memoir called Grateful American, and it's every bit as modest as anyone who has...

By Mary Ann Gwinn, Newsday Jan 16, 2019

Entertainment

A New Book Reveals The Secret Plot To Assassinate George Washington

had a small group of pro-British conspirators had their way, the American Revolution might have lost its essential leader —...

By Tom Ricks Jan 11, 2019

popular

3 Tips On How To Make It Through A Serious History Book

By Tom Ricks Dec 4, 2018

The Long March

An Insurgency Reading List From Max Brooks, Author Of ‘World War Z’

Too often the impulse when going through a reading list is to critique it, and point out the holes. I’ve...

By Tom Ricks Nov 12, 2018

The Long March

5 New Military History Books Worth Reading

Yesterday the New York Times Book Review ran my new survey of books about military history. Here are some highlights:...

By Nathan Webster Oct 17, 2018

The Long March

The Guantanamo Mystery Novel That Captures Military Life Between The Cold War And 9/11

How does the old joke go? “Nostalgia is heroin for the middle class.” Which explains why recent war-related fiction and...

By Tom Ricks Oct 3, 2018

The Long March

What Should Foreign Countries Read About How To Work With The US Military?

Here's a pretty damn good pre-deployment reading list from an Australian Defence Force officer. I hadn’t heard of this one, which...

By Bob Drury and Tom Clavin Oct 1, 2018

The Long March

5 Little-Known Facts About Washington And That Winter In Valley Forge

2. George Washington was fighting a two-front war — against the British and his own Continental Congress 1. Valley Forge was not...

By Paul Szoldra Sep 26, 2018

Code Red News

Mattis: This Is The One Book Every American Should Read

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis thinks every American should read Meditationsby Marcus Aurelius. After giving a speech to cadets at the...

By Joseph Ditzler, The Santa Fe New Mexican Sep 25, 2018

History

‘On Desperate Ground’ Explores One Of The Greatest Battles Of The Korean War

On Desperate Ground: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War’s Greatest Battle by Hampton Sides, Doubleday, 416 pages The...

By Brian VanDeMark Sep 19, 2018

History

How A Failure Of Decision-Making Put The US On A Road To Disaster In Vietnam

The first step in avoiding future quagmires is to acknowledge the hazards of high-level decision-making. Fiercely ambitious and self-confident people,...

By Tom Ricks Sep 5, 2018

The Long March

Does Anyone Really Care What The Global War On Terror Did To America’s Heartland?

Maybe I’m getting too old for all this craziness. I read this heartfelt review of some books about our post-9/11...

By Crispin Burke Aug 27, 2018

Opinion

LikeWar: How Social Media Became The Locus Of 21st Century War

Every day, millions of young people swap selfies on Snapchat, update their status on Facebook, and swipe right on love...

Books

News

Featured in Books

11 of the best military books we read this year

The iconic Vietnam War novel ‘The Things They Carried’ is getting a film with a star-studded cast

‘Starship Troopers’ is off the Marine commandant’s reading list, but ‘White Donkey’ by Terminal Lance is in

An Iraq War veteran has delivered a ‘beautiful, violent and almost perfect’ new novel about the American military machine

A new memoir follows a Night Stalker pilot’s epic journey through the War on Terror

A new memoir follows a Night Stalker pilot’s epic journey through the War on Terror

The lies and mistakes that led the US into Iraq, laid out in a new book

A Navy’s SEAL’s list of post-apocalyptic novels that should be movies

For years he sold the military’s version of the Iraq War. Now he’s on a mission to convey ‘the chaos and absurdity of that experience’

Good Boyfriend Cory Booker read a WWII novel to Rosario Dawson over the phone and I’m here for it

13 titles for James Mattis’s upcoming book that are better than ‘Call Sign Chaos’

Medal of Honor recipient Kyle Carpenter is coming out with a book he says ‘will truly help people’

The man behind ‘Lt. Dan’ is all patriotism, no politics

A New Book Reveals The Secret Plot To Assassinate George Washington

3 Tips On How To Make It Through A Serious History Book

An Insurgency Reading List From Max Brooks, Author Of ‘World War Z’

5 New Military History Books Worth Reading

The Guantanamo Mystery Novel That Captures Military Life Between The Cold War And 9/11

What Should Foreign Countries Read About How To Work With The US Military?

5 Little-Known Facts About Washington And That Winter In Valley Forge

Mattis: This Is The One Book Every American Should Read

‘On Desperate Ground’ Explores One Of The Greatest Battles Of The Korean War

How A Failure Of Decision-Making Put The US On A Road To Disaster In Vietnam

Does Anyone Really Care What The Global War On Terror Did To America’s Heartland?

LikeWar: How Social Media Became The Locus Of 21st Century War