Image by Getty Images

By Talya Zax March 28, 2017

Secretary of Defense James Mattis has, to put it lightly, a very big job. Unlike certain members of the administration he serves, he’s a dedicated reader; luckily for us, that means we have insight into exactly which thinkers are influencing Mattis’s decision-making — which, of course, affects us all.

In an excerpt of “The Leader’s Bookshelf,” a recently published book that aggregated surveys of military officials to assemble a list of 50 books that contribute to effective leadership, Foreign Policy shared an interview with Mattis in which he discussed his carefully curated library. With recommendations ranging from Nelson Mandela’s memoir “Long Walk to Freedom” to Marcus Aurelius’s “Meditations,” the list, Mattis said, was formed in the effort “to read everything interesting in the world and ignore the boring.”

So, what’s interesting in the world? Barbara Tuchman’s “March of Folly” and “The Guns of August” and Henry Kissinger’s “Diplomacy and the World Order,” for a start. Mattis said those books, along with Paul Kennedy’s “Rise and Fall of the Great Powers,” helped him “see what’s happening to a nation in a broader context, which I think is critical.”

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

For developing a battlefield-ready ethical sense, Mattis recommended Michael Walzer’s “Just and Unjust Wars,” as well as Malham Wakin’s “War, Morality, and the Military Profession.” And for getting a sense of human capability, he recommended both Ron Chernow’s biography of Alexander Hamilton and Will and Ariel Durant’s “The Lessons of History.” (Ariel Durant was born as Chaya Kaufman to Ukrainian Jewish parents.)

What else made the list? To learn, read the full interview here.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount