Book List for Review

General


Army, Empire & Film: British Imperial Conflict on Screen
Ian F. Beckett, ed. University of Exeter Press, 2026.

Born From War: A Soldier's Quest to Understand Vietnam, Iraq and the Generational Impact of Conflict
Patrick W. Naughton Jr. Casemate Publishers, 2025.

On Distant Service: The Life of the First U.S. Foreign Service Officer to Be Assassinated
Susan M. Stein. Potomac Books, 2020.

Sylvanus Thayer: A Biography
James William Kershner, Jon C. Malinowski (edited and updated). West Point Press, 2025.

Under the Shadow of Napoleon: The US Army's Doctrine, Education, and Theory of Victory from 1814-1941 (Second Edition)
Michael A. Bonura. University of North Texas Press, 2025.

Victory in Shanghai: A Korean American Family's Journey to the CIA and the Army Special Forces
Robert S. Kim. Potomac Books, 2025.

Pre-World War One

 

A Desperate Fight: The Lives of Louisiana's Confederate Soldiers
Henry B. Motty. Louisiana State University Press, 2026.

A Union Tested: The Civil War Letters of Cimbaline and Henry Fike
Jeremy Neely, ed. University of Georgia Press, 2024.

The Battles of Spencer's Ordinary and Green Spring, 1781
John R. Maass. Westholme, 2025.

Death or Victory: The Louisiana Native Guards & the Black Military's Significance in the Civil War
A. J. Cade. Louisiana State University Press, 2026.

 

The Devil's Own Purgatory: The United States Mississippi River Squadron in the Civil War
Robert Gudmestad. Louisiana State University Press, 2025.

If I Can Get Home This Fall: A Story of Love, Loss, and a Cause in the Civil War
Tyler Alexander. Potomac Books, 2025.

Key of America: Fortress West Point and the Highlands Department in the American Revolution
James M. Johnson. West Point Press, 2026.


Late to the Fight: Union Soldier Combat Performance from the Wilderness to the Fall of Petersburg
Alexandre F. Caillot. Louisiana State University Press, 2025.

On the Plains in '65: The 6th West Virginia Volunteer Cavalry in the West
George H. Holliday. Ohio University Press, 2021.


Procuring Victory: The Army Quartermaster & the Economics of Expansion in Nineteenth-Century America
John C. Wendt. University Press of Kansas, 2026.

Richmond Views the West: Politics and Perceptions in the Confederate Capital
Larry J. Daniel. University Press of Kansas, 2025.

Santa Anna's Army in the Texas Revolution, 1835
Gregg Dimmick. Texas A&M University Press, 2026.

Shattered Courage: Soldiers Who Refused to Fight in the American Civil War
Earl J. Hess. University Press of Kansas, 2026.

 

1914 to 1945

 

Back into Focus: The real Story of Robert Capa's D-Day
Charles R. Herrick. Casemate, 2024.

The Defeat of the Damned: The Destruction of the Dirlewanger Brigade at the Battle of Ipolysag, December 1944
Douglas E. Nash Sr. Casemate, 2023.

A German Texan in World War II: The Diary, Letters, and Memorabilia of an 88th Infantry Officer
Marilyn Melcher Maddox. Texas A&M University Press, 2025.

Mother of the Company: SGT. Percy M. Smith's World War II Reflections
Philip M. Smith, ed. Texas A&M University Press, 2022.

My Darling Boys: A Family at War, 1941-1947
Fred H. Allison. University of North Texas Press, 2023.

The Road to Cisterna: Darby's Rangers and Their Most Consequential Battle in World War II
David Lyle Williams. Louisiana State University Press, 2025.
 

Searching for John Dewitt: How 80 Forgotten Letters from the Trenches of WWI Revealed Timeless Lessons of Honor and Courage
John Chase MD. Hellgate Press, 2024.

Through Blood and Brotherhood: Comrades and Enemies in WWII Yugoslavia.
Brian R. Johnson. Casemate, 2024.

1946 to the Present


Drawn Swords in a Distant Land: South Vietnam’s Shattered Dreams
George J. Veith. Encounter Books, 2021.
 
First Platoon: A Story of Modern War in the Age of Identity Dominance
Annie Jacobsen. Dutton, 2021.

The Gunner and the Grunt: Two Boston Boys in Vietnam with the First Cavalry Division Airmobile
Michael L. Kelley and Peter Burbank. Casemate, 2023.

The Holy Warrior: Osama Bin Laden and his Jihadi Journey in the Soviet-Afghan War
Reagan Fancher. Vernon Press, 2022.
 
Just Another Day in Vietnam
Keith M. Nightingale. Casemate, 2023.
 

My War with Vietnam: A Pilot's Healing Journey Home from War
Richard W. Jellerson. McFarland & Company, 2025.

Raising the Bar: The School of Advanced Military Studies and the Introduction of Operational Art into U.S. Army Doctrine, 1983-1994
Kevin C. M. Benson. Casemate, 2026.

Riding into History: The Surprising Story of Sarah Keys Evens and the Fight to Desegregate Bus Travel
Amy Nathan with Sarah Keys Evans. Duke University Press, 2026.

About The CMH Book Review List

 
 
Book reviews are an important part of CMH's professional quarterly bulletin, Army History. Accordingly, we invite you to self-nominate to submit a review of a book from among those listed here. (The offerings will be updated over time, so you may wish to return occasionally to the book list.)

To self-nominate, contact Army History's Managing Editor at usarmy.mcnair.cmh.mbx.army-history@army.mil. Indicate which book from the list you propose to review.

As part of your self-nomination, briefly state your qualifications, referring, as germane, to your education, previous published works, experience in the field, or other information you deem pertinent.

Once the Managing Editor has approved your proposal, he will mail you a copy of the book. He will include a deadline for submission of the draft review.

Upon receiving your draft book review, the Managing Editor will examine it for adequacy. Later, if the review is accepted, he will decide in which issue of Army History he aims to publish it, page makeup permitting; he will inform you of that decision as soon as he can.
Before the review is published, the Managing Editor will read it for factual accuracy; however, the byline on the review makes the reviewer responsible for content. The Managing Editor will also review the draft for copyediting purposes. You will be asked to respond to queries of substance, as well as to review and approve the edits. That said, Army History will be the final arbiter of language usage and style.

Below are guidelines regarding the preparation of a book review for Army History:
Look at some of the book reviews that appear in earlier issues of Army History, posted on this Web site.

Adhere to the CMH Style Guide 2023

Write a review that's between 800 and 1,200 words.
Prepare the review as a double-spaced, MS Word draft, in 12pt. Times New Roman Font.
Submit the review only to Army History, not also to other publications.
Write a review that is thoughtful, engaging, specific, substantive, and on point (academic differences are fine if treated professionally; no ad hominems).

Include an autobiography of no more than one short paragraph.
Meet the deadline (normally four months from confirmation).
Submit drafts as an e-mail attachment to the Managing Editor.
Failure to fully follow these instructions may delay the publication of your review.
usarmy.mcnair.cmh.mbx.army-history@army.mil