Reading Recommendations:

Bradley, A Biography, Great Generals Series, Alan Axelrod, Foreword by Series Editor General Wesley K. Clark -

Dubbed by the World War II Press as "The GI General" because of his unique camaraderie with his men, Omar Bradley rose to command 1,300,000 troops in the U.S. 12th Army Group in the European Campaign. Mild mannered and unassuming, he was an innovative tactician who was instrumental in the Normandy invasion and set the stage for future military successes in Europe.

After World War II, Bradley served as the first chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, lifted the Veterans Administration out of corruption and inefficiency, and commanded NATO. Bradley also created the Officer Candidate System, which supplied most of the Army's officers in World War II and remains a mainstay in present day officer training. He shaped the U.S. Army's focus on the individual soldier and emphasized cooperation and coordination among the military services, a cornerstone of modern military doctrine.

Alan Axelrod applies his signature insight and skillful attention to detail to the life, strategy, and legacy to the general who remains the model for all commanders today.

And, My Name is Anne, She said, Anne Frank, Jacqueline van Maarsen, "A Wartime memoir from Anne Frank's best friend," Libby Purves, BBC Midweek -

In 1938, Jacqueline van Maarsen's Dutch Jewish father succeeded in registering his French Catholic wife with the Jewish Council. From that moment, his two daughters were also considered to be Jewish and as a result they were sent to a special school for Jewish children. It was at this very school that the young Jacqueline and Anne Frank became fast friends, although Jacqueline managed to avoid Anne's fate thanks to her strong willed mother who persuaded the German Registration Bureau to undo her listing as a Jew.

When the Frank family was forced into hiding, Jacqueline escaped deportation and left her school just a few months after her best friend "had gone to Switzerland," as Jacqueline had been led to believe. It was only when the war was over that Anne's father, Otto, revealed the truth and Jacqueline finally discovered what had happened to her friend. In My Name is Anne, She said, Anne Frank, Jacqueline tells the story of a fascinating and remarkable friendship, and we finally get to meet the young girl Anne referred to in her diary as her "best friend."

For years after Anne Frank's diary was published, the identity of her "best friend" was secret. Then van Maarsen owned up. Now she has written about the Anne she knew. The little girl who giggled with Jacqueline van Maarsen has become the face of six million victims of the Holocaust.

Another book the reader may find interesting -

Common Ground, How to Stop the Partisan War That is Destroying America, Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel -

Inspired by their popular USA Today column, conservative Cal Thomas and liberal Bob Beckel show politicians of both stripes how to get beyond partisanship, restore civility, and move our country forward. Thomas and Beckel are a unique pair in today's political climate, pundits from opposite sides who not only talk to each other but work together to find common ground on some of the most diverse issues facing us, from the war in Iraq to gay marriage to the Patriot Act. Common Ground unmasks some of the hypocrisy of many of the issues, organizations and individuals who created and deepened the partisan divide at the center of American politics, and makes a strategic case for why this bickering must stop.

See you at Rylander!