Schwartz’s new reading list has more than books - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

Schwartz’s new reading list has more than books

The Air Force’s top officer has released a list of his recommended reading for 2012, including selections on everything from the Tuskegee Airmen to James K. Polk to Communist China.

This year’s 13-book selection relates to innovation in the face of difficult tasks and tight resources, Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz wrote in a Jan. 6 letter to airmen. And for the first time, the chief includes movies and other resources alongside its 13-book selection.

“Our history is replete with examples of those who faced daunting tasks with limited resources beyond their minds and fortitude to forge a stronger, straighter path,” Schwartz said. “Their experiences are one of the cornerstones of the 2012 Reading List.

“This year’s list also includes supplementary films, treatises and Internet-based resources that address today’s issues and provide the tools to contemplate and discuss the role of our Air Force, both now and in the future.”

Schwartz picks the list from recommended material that the Secretary of the Air Force-Chief of Staff of the Air Force Executive Action Group has “culled from an extensive internal nomination process that reaches across the Air Force,” said Air Force spokesman Lt. Col. Sam Highley.

Schwartz selects, or sometimes adds, resources to that list that “he believes will best assist the professional development and education of the force for the coming year," Highley said.

A full list of all the materials that Schwartz recommends can be found on the Air Force’s website.

The films on this year’s list include “Apollo 13,” “Camp Victory,” “Double Victory,” “Restrepo,” “Memphis Belle,” “Strategic Air Command“ and “Thirteen Days.”

The 13 books recommended by Schwartz include:

“Airpower for Strategic Effect”

By Colin Gray, Columbia University Press, 288 pages, $55 (hardback)

A strategic history of airpower which looks at, among other topics, the benefits of airpower in conflicts from World War I to Iraq and Afghanistan. The book is also being published by Air University Press and will be available free of charge to Air Force members in print and electronic formats sometime in the next three months, Highley said.

“Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption”

By Laura Hillenbrand, Random House, 496 pages, $27 (hardcover)

From the author of “Seabiscuit” comes the story of an Army Air Forces bomber who crashed into the Pacific Ocean in May 1943 and began the struggle of a lifetime as he made it onto a life raft in the middle of the open ocean.

“Start with Why”

By Simon Sinek, Portfolio Trade, 256 pages, $15 (paperback)

A look at what sets certain people and organizations apart in everything from innovation to influence to loyalty. Sinek looks at some of the most influential leaders to discover what makes them so successful.

“The Forever War”

By Dexter Filkins, Vintage, 384 pages, $15.95 (paperback)

A foreign correspondent’s look at America’s fight against Islamic fundamentalism and the human toll it has taken.

“Paradise Beneath Her Feet”

By Isobel Coleman, Random House, 352 pages, $26 (hardback)

A look at how Muslim men and women in the Middle East are fighting for equal rights for women using a progressive view e of Islam.

“The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution”

By Linda Monk, Hyperion, 288 pages, $15.99 (paperback)

An annotated guide to the Constitution that includes legal expertise, historical anecdotes and opposing interpretations.

“The Party: The Secret World of China’s Communist Rulers”

By Richard McGregor Harper, 320 pages, $27.99 (hardcover)

A look at the rise of China’s Communist Party, as well as how the East Asian country has grown into a global superpower over the past three decades.

“Adapt: Why Success Always Starts with Failure”

By Tim Harford, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 320 pages, $27 (hardcover)

The author argues that in today’s unpredictable world, challenges can’t just be met with easy solutions or the opinions of experts; instead, people must adapt to tackle the biggest issues of today — a method outlined by his book.

“Catch-22”

By Joseph Heller, Simon & Schuster, 544 pages, $16 (paperback)

A classic dark comedy set in World War II, “Catch-22” features a fictional Army Air Forces squadron dealing with the maddening bureaucracy of the military at war.

“Freedom Flyers: The Tuskegee Airmen of World War II”

By J. Todd Moye, Oxford University Press, 256 pages, $24.95 (hardcover)

Using more than 800 interviews recorded for the National Park Service’s Tuskegee Airmen Oral History Project, the author captures the history of the famed World War II airmen who overcame discrimination to earn their place in the history books.

“Physics of the Future”

By Michio Kaku, Doubleday, 416 pages, $28.95 (hardcover)

The author uses more than 300 interviews from the world’s top scientists to discuss what life will look like in 2100.

“A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War, and the Conquest of the American Continent”

By Robert Merry, Simon & Schuster, 592 pages, $18 (paperback)

A look at the 1845-1849 presidency of James K. Polk, who dedicated his political career and single term in office to American expansionism as exemplified by the concept of “Manifest Destiny.”

“The Hunters”

By James Salter, Vintage, 233 pages, $16 (paperback)

The story of Air Force Capt. Cleve Connell, a Korean War pilot who arrives on in the war zone with aspirations of becoming a fighter ace, and the struggle to achieve that dream.