REVISION OF THE COMMANDANTS PROFESSIONAL READING LIST
Date Signed: 5/16/2017 | ALMARS Number: 015/17
ALMARS : 015/17
R 161215Z May 17
ALMAR 015/17
MSGID/GENADMIN/CMC WASHINGTON DC DMCS//
SUBJ/REVISION OF THE COMMANDANTS PROFESSIONAL READING LIST//
REF/A/MSGID: DOC/CMC WASHINGTON DC MCCDC C40 OP/YMD: 20080125//
REF/B/MSGID: DOC/CMC WASHINGTON DC MMSB-30/YMD: 20101119//
REF/C/MSGID: DOC/CMC WASHINGTON DC MIFD/YMD: 20000714//
NARR/REFERENCE A IS MCO 1553.4B, PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION.
REFERENCE B IS MCO P1610.7, PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SYSTEM.
REFERENCE C IS MCO P1070.12K, MARINE CORPS INDIVIDUAL RECORDS ADMINISTRATION MANUAL.//
GENTEXT/REMARKS/1.  The Commandants Professional Reading List (CPRL) as promulgated by this message represents an updated version of those books most pertinent for professional development and critical thinking at each rank level.
2.  The CPRL is arranged into two sections: "Commandants Choice" and "Grade Levels."  Each Marine shall read a minimum of five books from the “Commandants Choice” or “Grade Level” sections each year.
A.  The Grade Level titles are separated into five levels for both enlisted Marines and officers.  These levels coincide with specific ranks and Marines should attempt to read all titles within their level prior to proceeding to a higher level.
B.  Per the references, completion of the CPRL reading requirement shall be noted in the individual Marines fitness report or taken into account when assigning Proficiency/Conduct marks.  How a Marine demonstrates completion of the annual requirement is at the discretion of the commander.
C.  The CPRL and related information can be found at:  http:(slash slash)guides.grc.usmcu.edu/usmcreadinglist.  The website contains several enhancements to include pictures of book covers, short summaries, links to electronic versions of the books, additional materials to enhance unit Professional Military Education (PME) and links to other reading lists (e.g., Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, other Services and Marine Corps University schools).
3.  Commandants Choice
        “Leading Marines (MCWP 6-10)" USMC
        “Sustaining the Transformation (MCTP 6-10A)” USMC
        “Warfighting (MCDP 1)” USMC
        "First to Fight" V. Krulak
        "A World in Disarray" R. Haass
        “Legacy” J. Kerr
        "Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game" M. Lewis
4.  Grade Levels
A.  Entry Level Enlisted: (Poolee, Recruit)
        “Battle Cry” L. Uris
 “Corps Values” Z. Miller
 “The Red Badge of Courage” S. Crane
 “Gates of Fire” S. Pressfield
 "Starship Troopers" R. Heinlein
B.  Entry Level Officer (Candidate, Midshipman)
        “Battle Cry” L. Uris
 “Corps Values” Z. Miller
 “Im Staying with My Boys” J. Proser and J. Cutter
 “My Men Are My Heroes” N. Helms
 “The Killer Angels” M. Shaara
 “Gates of Fire” S. Pressfield
 "Starship Troopers" R. Heinlein
C.  Primary Level Enlisted (Pvt, LCpl)
        “Enders Game” O. Card
 “Rifleman Dodd” C. Forester
 “The Last Stand of Fox Company” B. Drury and T. Clavin
 “The Marines of Montford Point” M. Mclaurin
 “Chesty” J. Hoffman
 “The Warrior Ethos” S. Pressfield
 “On Call in Hell” R. Jadick
 "Ready Player One" E. Cline
D.  Primary Level Officer (2ndLt, 1stLt)
        “All Quiet on the Western Front” E. Remarque
 “The Last Stand of Fox Company” B. Drury and T. Clavin
 “The Marines of Montford Point” M. Mclaurin
 “With The Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa” E. Sledge
 “Chesty” J. Hoffman
 “What It is Like To Go To War” K. Marlantes
 “Maneuver Warfare: An Anthology” J. Galvin and R. Hooker
 “Fields of Fire” J. Webb
 “At The Waters Edge: Defending Against the Modern Amphibious Assault” T. Gatchel
 “The Defense of Hill 781: An Allegory of Modern Mechanized Combat” J. Mcdonough
 "Ready Player One" E. Cline
E.  Career Level Enlisted (Cpl, Sgt)
 “Resilience” E. Greitens
 “Outliers” M. Gladwell
 “The Defense of Duffers Drift” E. Swinton
 “The Killer Angels” M. Shaara
 “With The Old Breed: At Peleliu and Okinawa” E. Sledge
 “Battle Leadership” A. Von Schell
 “Ghost Fleet” P. Singer and A. Cole
 “We Were Soldiers Once… and Young” H. Moore and J. Galloway
 “On Killing” D. Grossman
 “Left of Bang” P. Van Horne and J. Riley
 "The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate" R. Kaplan
F.  Career Level Officer (WO, CWO2, Capt)
        “Attacks” E. Rommel
 “Black Hearts” J. Frederick
 “Into The Tigers Jaw” F. Petersen and J. Phelps
 “On Killing” D. Grossman
 “War Made New” M. Boot
 “Curious: The Desire to Know And Why Your Future Depends On It" I. Leslie
 “Forgotten Warriors” T. Hammes
 “Maneuver Warfare Handbook” W. Lind
 “Assault from the Sea: Essays on the History Of Amphibious Warfare” M. Bartlett
 “The Starfish and the Spider” O. Brafman and R. Beckstrom
 “Neptunes Inferno: The U.S. Navy at Guadalcanal” J. Hornfischer
 "The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us about coming conflicts and the battle against fate" R. Kaplan
 "Out of the Mountains: The Coming Age of the Urban Guerrilla" D. Kilcullen
G.  Intermediate Level Enlisted (SSgt, GySgt)
        “All Quiet On The Western Front” E. Remarque
 “American Spartans” J. Warren
 “The Changing Face of War” M. Van Creveld
 “This Kind of War” T. Fehrenbach
 “Fields of Fire” J. Webb
 “Leading Change” J. Kotter
 “My Men Are My Heroes” N. Helms
 “Thinking Fast and Slow” D. Kahneman
 “Leading Up” M. Useem
 “Once an Eagle” A. Myrer
 "The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution" W. Isaacson
H.  Intermediate Level Officer (CWO3, CWO4, Maj, LtCol)
        “Command Culture” J. Muth
 “Defeat Into Victory” W. Slim
 “Just and Unjust Wars” M. Walzer
 “Military Innovation in The Interwar Period” W. Murray and A. Millett
 “The Warriors: Reflections on Men in Battle” J. Gray
 “The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World” R. Smith
 “This Kind Of War” T. Fehrenbach
 “Team of Teams” S. McChrystal and T. Collins
 “Countdown to Zero Day: Stuxnet and the Launch of the Worlds First Digital Weapon” K. Zetter
 “After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in Islam” L. Hazelton
 “Monsoon: The Indian Ocean and the Future of American Power” R. Kaplan
 “Cobra II: The Inside Story Of the Invasion and Occupation of Iraq" M. Gordon and B. Trainor
 “The Blitzkrieg Legend: The 1940 Campaign in the West” K. Frieser
 “Storming the City: US Military Performance in Urban Warfare from WWII to Vietnam” A. Wahlman
 “The Mind of War: John Boyd and American Security“  G. Hammond
 "The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution" W. Isaacson
 "The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology" R. Kurzweil
I.  Senior Level Enlisted (MSgt, 1stSgt, MGySgt, SgtMaj)
        “Achilles in Vietnam” J. Shay
 “Command Culture” J. Muth
 “Forgotten Warriors” T. Hammes
 “Just and Unjust Wars” M. Walzer
 “No Bended Knee” M. Twining
 “The Face of Battle” J. Keegan
 “Team of Teams” S. McChrystal
 “Start with Why” S. Sinek
 “On Combat” D. Grossman
 “Guns of August” B. Tuchman
        "The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future" K. Kelly
        "The Innovators Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail" C. Christensen
        "The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology" R. Kurzweil
J.  Senior Level Officer (CWO5, Col-Gen)
        “Another Bloody Century” C. Gray
 “Assignment Pentagon: How To Excel in A Bureaucracy” P. Smith and D. Gerstein
 “Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, The Joint Chiefs Of Staff And the Lies That Led to Vietnam” H. McMaster
 “Diplomacy” H. Kissinger
 “Little Book Of Economics: How The Economy Works in the Real World” G. Ip
 “Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen and Leadership in Wartime” E. Cohen
 “Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln” D. Goodwin
 “The Federalist Papers” A. Hamilton
 “The Landmark Thucydides” R. Strassler
 “Every War Must End” F. Ikle
 “The Soldier and the State" S. Huntington
 “Strategy: A History” L. Freedman
 “Treasurys War” J. Zarate
 “Guns of August” B. Tuchman
 “Stilwell and the American Experience In China: 1911-1945” B. Tuchman
 "The Inevitable: Understanding the 12 Technological Forces That Will Shape Our Future" K. Kelly
        "The Innovators Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail" C. Christensen
5.  Action.  Effective immediately, Commanding Generals and Commanding Officers are to incorporate the new CPRL into their command and unit PME programs.
6.  Semper Fidelis, Robert B. Neller, General, U.S. Marine Corps, Commandant of the Marine Corps.//