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Heading to the beach soon? Wondering what to read? Having spent the better part of this month promoting my book on nuclear tourism, it's now time to turn DANGER ROOM's attention to all the other books out there related to topics we cover on this blog (and make for appropriate beach reading). Here's my list of recommended summer reading, with some notes on why I chose these books for DANGER ROOM readers:
1) Physics of the Impossible: A Scientific Exploration into the World of Phasers, Force Fields, Teleportation, and Time Travel. Michio Kaku elegantly covers many of the military technologies we write about on this blog, such as the ability of metamaterials to make "cloaking devices." Using a physicist's knowledge and a clear gift for writing, Kaku explains which technologies are merely improbable and which are outright impossible. It's a book that believes in the infinite ability of the improbable to come true, but with a scientist's skepticism.
Top Secret Tourism: Your Travel Guide to Germ Warfare Laboratories, Clandestine Aircraft Bases and Other Places in the United States You're Not Supposed to Know About. Forget Blackwater, this book covers Wackenhut. Forgot who Wackenhut is? Read the book. It's a compilation of secret places and bases, not a narrative book, but it's a fun summer read and a nice guidebook.
Soldiers of Reason: The RAND Corporation and the Rise of the American Empire. It's amazing that this book--a popular history of RAND Corp.--hasn't been written before. RAND's impact on military strategy, similar to Darpa's impact on military technology, is one of the more impressive achievements of the Cold War. Noah read a galley and says it's "terrible," but I'm flat-out addicted to this particular subject, so I'm recommending it. Some RANDatics will complain that the book doesn't dig up enough secrets, or that it portrays RAND as a Strangelovian institution filled with hawks, but you don't have to agree with the book's thesis to enjoy the fascinating history it covers.
Doomsday Men: The Real Dr. Strangelove and the and the Dream of a Superweapon. Is this really beach material? It's got the cobalt bomb! Need I say more? Yes, this came out last year, but I'm behind on my reading, and besides, this is a summer reading list. Anyhow, who wouldn't want to read a book about planet-destroying bombs that were, thankfully, never built. It's more cultural history than science history, but that's what makes it so fascinating, and thus in my mind, appropriate for summer reading.
Best Laid Schemes: A Tale of Social Research and Bureaucracy. This title doesn't scream "read me" on vacation, but trust me, the book is excellent, and when else will you find time to read it. Published in 1976, Best Laid Schemes is a must read for anyone who is involved with or interested in current debates over the Pentagon's work with anthropologists. The author, a former Pentagon official, spearheaded much of the Defense Department's Vietnam-era social science work. It's a coherently written, engaging, and detail rich work whose lessons still ring true after 30 years. You won't find it in bookstores, but used copies are available on Amazon.
What's on your summer reading list? Let us know in the comments...
