Inshallah by Oriana Falluci. It's a slog because of her use of her heavy use of repetition for emphasis. The book is an ILL from Fort Stockton, TX. The book is in perfect condition so I seem to be the only reader in 35 years.

Finished recently or still working on:

Bigger Bombs for a Brighter Tomorrow, John M. Curatola. “The Strategic Air Command and American war plans at the dawn of the Atomic Age, 1945-1950.” A very informative discussion of our nuclear weapons program and military planning (or lack thereof). Includes countless bits such as the fact that the civilian Atomic Energy Commission that controlled all the nukes refused to provide classified information on weapons’ effects to Air Force planners who were trying to develop targeting information.

Directorate S: The C.I.A. and America's Secret Wars in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Steve Coll. A depressing, but good to know account of the involvement of the U.S. in the area after 9/11. A sequel to the earlier Ghost Wars that leads up to 9/11.

Spies: The Epic Intelligence War Between East and West, Calder Walton.

Empire of Secrets, also by Calder Walton. The history of British intelligence operations with much good information about the period after WWII when its former colonies were gaining independence.

The Fate of the Day, Rick Atkinson. The second in his trilogy about the American Revolutionary War (i.e., the First Civil War). I really like Atkinson’s books such as the “Liberation Trilogy” about the U.S. in the WWII European Theater.

Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why, Bart D. Ehrman.

Fiction reading has mostly been limited to books in the Gabriel Allon series by Daniel Silva. A couple of Silva’s recent books have included rants against Trump and the Catholic Church which may be off-putting to some, but I’m continually amazed by his ability to weave engaging stories. The one I’m reading now, Portrait of an Unknown Woman, branches out from all the ones involving operations by Israel.

Reread recently:

Eight Days in May: The Final Collapse of the Third Reich, Volker Ullrich. Discusses many details that most World War II histories don’t get to.

Spy Catcher, Peter Wright. An older book by the former assistant director of (British) MI5 that goes into many of the counterespionage operations from the end of WWII into the 1970s. A somewhat controversial book because of its allegations about top level Soviet spies within the British intelligence network that were challenged by other author(s).

The Second World Wars: How the First Global Conflict Was Fought and Won, Victor Davis Hanson. Another of his excellent works.

And others.

I'm re-reading Michael Shaara's Killer Angels. I first read it when the Ken Burn's Civil War series first aired (along with works by Shelby Foote). Some years ago, while on vacation I had occasion to visit Brunswick, Maine. While having lunch there, I saw a sign for Bowdoin College. It suddenly struck me that this where Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain taught and eventually became president of the school. My wife is a good sport and knew that Chamberlain is one of my hero's, so off we went to Bowdoin. Arriving on campus, we literally parked in front of the Chamberlain House/Museum. Upon entering, we discovered that a tour and lecture was starting in about five minutes. It was a very good presentation and I learned far more about Chamberlain and his life post-Civil War that I imagined. A stop at the museum bookstore was obviously necessary as well. It's funny, in planning a vacation in Maine, it never occurred to me to think of anything Civil War related, let alone to stumble onto one of my specific areas of interest. I have been to the Gettysburg battlefield numerous times. Re-reading the Killer Angels, may now precipitate another visit.