John Boyd may be the most remarkable unsung hero in all of American military history. Some remember him as the greatest U.S. fighter pilot ever -- the man who, in simulated air-to-air combat, defeated every challenger in less than forty seconds. Some recall him as the father of our country's most legendary fighter aircraft -- the F-15 and F-16. Still others think of Boyd as the most influential military theorist since Sun Tzu. They know only half the story. Boyd, more than any other person, saved fighter aviation from the predations of the Strategic Air Command. His manual of fighter tactics...

John Boyd may be the most remarkable unsung hero in all of American military history. Some remember him as the greatest U.S. fighter pilot ever -- the man who, in simulated air-to-air combat, defeated every challenger in less than forty seconds. Some recall him as the father of our country's most legendary fighter aircraft -- the F-15 and F-16. Still others think of Boyd as the most influential military theorist since Sun Tzu. They know only half the story. Boyd, more than any other person, saved fighter aviation from the predations of the Strategic Air Command. His manual of fighter tactics...

Victor "Brute" Krulak is arguably the most important officer in the history of the U.S. Marine Corps. In China, he went on daring spy missions. In World War II, he was instrumental in developing amphibious vehicles, and masterminded the invasion of Okinawa. In Korea, he was a combat hero and pioneered the use of helicopters in warfare. In Vietnam, he devised a holistic strategy to fighting the Viet Cong, but when he stood up to LBJ, Krulak was forced to retire. Yet perhaps all of his accomplishments pale in comparison to what he did after World War II and again after Korea: Krulak almost...

No part of America scars its children as does the south.

In this incandescent memoir, Robert Coram tells how a rough-edged boy escaped from a nowhere little town in rural southwest Georgia and became an accomplished writer.

With a flawless ear and an unblinking eye, Coram escorts us across a unique landscape, capturing the nuances of life in a small southern town during the 1950s, not by writing of the romantic south, but rather of a south that can be narrow and harsh and brutal. He takes on the big issues: race, religion, love, death, and family values. His coming-of-age...