Book Suggestions for Boys - an unconventional source (for SF)

The following message, originally posted to the sfschools list, provides a fascinating list of reading recommendations for high school boys. Girls too, but we are talking about a reading list for Marines here. Check it out.

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I just came across this:
MARINE CORPS PROFESSIONAL READING PROGRAM

1. Purpose. In ref a, i stated "in order to increase the depth of our professional education, we will reinvigorate the professional reading program." the purpose of this ALMAR is to initiate actions that will accomplish that goal, contribute to the growth of aggressive and informed leaders, and above all ensure that our main effort as serious practitioners of the profession of arms remains excellence in warfighting. 2. Objectives. The 29th Commandant, General A. M. Gray, identified in his initiating documents for this program, Ref B, six objectives for the professional reading program in order to provide a continuum of study for all marine leaders. These objectives are unchanged and are reiterated as follows:

• To impart a sense of marine values and traits.
• To increase knowledge of our profession.
• To improve analytical and reasoning skills.
• To increase capacity of using printed media as a means of learning and communication.
• To increase knowledge of our nation's institutions and the principles upon which our country and way of life were founded.
• To increase knowledge of the world's governments, culture, and geography.

This is the official Marine Corps professional reading list - which emphasizes, among other things, that it is "achievable by all Marines" - and that is a matter that is pertinent to high-school reading lists I would think.

Now, as it happens, the educational standard of the US armed forces is much higher than that of the general US population, so a lot of these suggestions may test the envelope of what is achievable in high school.

Some of these books really are professional works ("Fleet Tactics and Coastal Combat"), but others are modern novels, even thrillers, but of a certain sort - Pressfields "Gates of Fire", for one. I can see how that would work in High School. It is both complex and gripping, but extremely bloody, if that is an issue. For what its worth I have given this book to teenage boys with the universal comment of "awesome!".

The ordering of the works is fascinating. "Blackhawk Down" is recommended for Pfc's, but "All Quiet on the Western Front" is for colonels and generals. There are some real surprises in here as well as many old standards.

A lot of them, however, do answer the question of finding books that will both engage boys and teach them something useful. And history is always useful.

Some are old standby's that seem to have fallen away from the younger generations, like C.S. Foresters books, which I can certainly recommend as absorbing reads, and I would think probably are appropriate for much younger children.

Others include non-fiction works, like those of Keegan, which are analyses of military history, but extremely well done and interesting to almost anyone.

If any kid in high school is not reading Shaara's "Killer Angels" for American history class, well, shame on someone.

So, FYI.