Recommendations based on Skunk Works: A Personal Memoir of My Years at Lockheedby Ben R. Rich

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture

    by David Kushner
    The story of John Carmack and John Romero, creators of the video game Doom, and their impact on the gaming industry.

    Masters of Doom is the amazing true story of the Lennon and McCartney of video games: John Carmack and John Romero. Together, they ruled big business. They transformed popular culture. And they ... (Goodreads)

  2. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

    by Ashlee Vance
    A revealing look into the life and accomplishments of tech innovator Elon Musk.

    Elon Musk, the entrepreneur and innovator behind SpaceX, Tesla, and SolarCity, sold one of his internet companies, PayPal, for $1.5 billion. Ashlee Vance captures the full spectacle and arc of the ... (Goodreads)

  3. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

    by Neil deGrasse Tyson
    An accessible exploration of the universe and its mysteries.

    Over a year on the New York Times bestseller list and more than a million copies sold. The essential universe, from our most celebrated and beloved astrophysicist. What is the nature of space and ... (Barnes & Noble)

  4. The Richest Man in Babylon

    by George S. Clason
    A collection of parables about financial wisdom and the power of wealth.

    Beloved by millions, this timeless classic holds the key to all you desire and everything you wish to accomplish. This is the book that reveals the secret to personal wealth. The Success Secrets of ... (Goodreads)

  5. Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest

    by Stephen E. Ambrose
    An epic narrative of the American soldiers of Easy Company during World War II.

    As good a rifle company as any, Easy Company, 506th Airborne Division, US Army, kept getting tough assignments–responsible for everything from parachuting into France early DDay morning to the ... (Goodreads)

  6. In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis and the Extraordinary Story of Its Survivors

    by Doug Stanton
    True story of the sinking of US Navy cruiser Indianapolis and the harrowing survival of its crew.

    A harrowing, adrenaline-charged account of America's worst naval disaster — and of the heroism of the men who, against all odds, survived., On July 30, 1945, the USS, Indianapolis, was torpedoed in ... (Barnes & Noble)

  7. The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right

    by Atul Gawande
    A guide to better decision-making, exploring the power of checklists in various fields.

    The, New York Times, bestselling author of, Better, and, Complications, reveals the surprising power of the ordinary checklist We live in a world of great and increasing complexity, where even the ... (Goodreads)

  8. The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy

    by Thomas J. Stanley
    Revealing the secrets of the wealthy, and how anyone can achieve financial success.

    The incredible national bestseller that is changing people's lives – and increasing their net worth!, CAN YOU SPOT THE MILLIONAIRE NEXT DOOR?,, Who are the rich in this country?, What do they do? ... (Goodreads)

  9. Outlaw Platoon: Heroes, Renegades, Infidels, and the Brotherhood of War in Afghanistan

    by Sean Parnell
    An account of a US Army infantry platoon's extraordinary courage and camaraderie in the face of overwhelming danger during the war in Afghanistan.

    Acclaimed for its vivid, poignant, and honest recreation of sixteen brutal months of nearly continuous battle in the deadly Hindu Kesh, Outlaw Platoon is a Band of Brothers or We Were Soldiers Once ... (Barnes & Noble)

  10. Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and Bin Laden from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001

    by Steve Coll
    A detailed account of the CIA's involvement in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion to the events leading up to 9/11.

    The news-breaking book that has sent shockwaves through the Bush White House, Ghost Wars is the most accurate and revealing account yet of the CIA's secret involvement in al-Qaeda's evolution. It won ... (Goodreads)

  11. The Making of the Atomic Bomb

    by Richard Rhodes
    Historical narrative of the scientists and engineers who developed the atomic bomb.

    Here for the first time, in rich, human, political, and scientific detail, is the complete story of how the bomb was developed, from the turn-of-the-century discovery of the vast energy locked inside ... (Goodreads)

  12. 1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus

    by Charles C. Mann
    Re-examination of the pre-Columbian Americas, uncovering new evidence of its history.

    In this groundbreaking work of science, history, and archaeology, Charles C. Mann radically alters our understanding of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus in 1492.,Contrary to what so many ... (Goodreads)

  13. We Were Soldiers Once... and Young: Ia Drang - The Battle that Changed the War in Vietnam

    by Harold G. Moore
    An account of the Battle of Ia Drang in Vietnam, told from the perspective of the soldiers who fought it.

    Each year, the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps selects one book that he believes is both relevant and timeless for reading by all Marines. The Commandant's choice for 1993 was We Were Soldiers ... (Goodreads)

  14. On War

    by Carl von Clausewitz
    A comprehensive analysis of the nature and principles of war, including its political and social aspects.

    Carl von Clausewitz's On War has been called, "not simply the greatest, but the only truly great book on war." It is an extraordinary attempt to construct an all-embracing theory of how war works. ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Art of War

    by Sun Tzu
    Ancient Chinese military treatise outlining strategies for success in battle.

    Twenty-Five Hundred years ago, Sun Tzu wrote this classic book of military strategy based on Chinese warfare and military thought. Since that time, all levels of military have used the teaching on ... (Goodreads)

  16. No Place to Hide: Edward Snowden, the NSA, and the U.S. Surveillance State

    by Glenn Greenwald
    Exposé of the US government's massive surveillance system, detailing the dangers of pervasive state power.

    By Glenn Greenwald, star of, Citizenfour, the Academy Award-winning documentary on Edward Snowden In May 2013, Glenn Greenwald set out for Hong Kong to meet an anonymous source who claimed to have ... (Goodreads)

  17. Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

    by John Carreyrou
    The rise and fall of Theranos, a fraudulent blood-testing startup, and the deceitful actions of its founder Elizabeth Holmes.

    The full inside story of the breathtaking rise and shocking collapse of a multibillion-dollar startup, by the prize-winning journalist who first broke the story and pursued it to the end in the face ... (Goodreads)

  18. What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions

    by Randall Munroe
    A humorous exploration of science, tackling the most bizarre questions with real-world scenarios.

    Randall Munroe left NASA in 2005 to start up his hugely popular site XKCD 'a web comic of romance, sarcasm, math and language' which offers a witty take on the world of science and geeks. It now has ... (Goodreads)

  19. A Bridge Too Far

    by Cornelius Ryan
    Historical account of the Liberation of Europe during WWII, focusing on the Battle of Arnhem.

    A Bridge Too Far, is Cornelius Ryan's masterly chronicle of the Battle of Arnhem, which marshalled the greatest armada of troop-carrying aircraft ever assembled and cost the Allies nearly twice as ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany

    by William L. Shirer
    The definitive story of Nazi Germany, its rise and fall, and its lasting impacts.

    Hitler boasted that The Third Reich would last a thousand years. It lasted only 12. But those 12 years contained some of the most catastrophic events Western civilization has ever known. No other ... (Goodreads)

  21. No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden

    by Mark Owen
    A first-hand account of the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden, detailing the training, planning, and execution of the operation.

    From the streets of Iraq to the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips in the Indian Ocean, and from the mountaintops of Afghanistan to the third floor of Osama Bin Laden's compound, operator Mark Owen ... (Goodreads)

  22. Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman

    by James Gleick
    A biography of physicist Richard Feynman, exploring his life and scientific contributions to quantum mechanics and the Manhattan Project.

    An illuminating portrayal of Richard Feynman—a giant of twentieth century physics—from his childhood tinkering with radios, to his vital work on the Manhattan Project and beyond Raised in ... (Goodreads)

  23. Can't Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds

    by David Goggins
    A memoir of David Goggins' journey from a depressed, overweight young man to a Navy SEAL and ultra-endurance athlete, with practical advice for mental toughness.

    For David Goggins, childhood was a nightmare — poverty, prejudice, and physical abuse colored his days and haunted his nights. But through, self-discipline, mental toughness, and, hard work, Goggins ... (Barnes & Noble)

  24. Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration

    by Ed Catmull
    An exploration of the principles and strategies that drive success in the creative process.

    “What does it mean to manage well?” From Ed Catmull, co-founder (with Steve Jobs and John Lasseter) of Pixar Animation Studios, comes an incisive book about creativity in business—sure to appeal to ... (Goodreads)

  25. Theodore Rex

    by Edmund Morris
    A biography of Theodore Roosevelt's presidency, exploring his leadership, policies, and impact on American society.

    Theodore Roosevelt and his two-term presidency (1901-9) deserve a king-size, seize-the-man biography - and Edmund Morris has provided one. "TR" typifies the "can do" American; his famous maxim, of ... (Goodreads)

  26. Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War

    by Mark Bowden
    A detailed account of the 1993 Battle of Mogadishu, where US soldiers fought Somali militia in a brutal urban warfare.

    On October 3, 1993, about a hundred U.S. soldiers were dropped by helicopter into a teeming market in the heart of Mogadishu, Somalia, to abduct two top lieutenants of a Somali warlord. The action ... (Goodreads)

  27. Making Ideas Happen: Overcoming the Obstacles Between Vision and Reality

    by Scott Belsky
    A practical guide to turning ideas into reality, with tips on organization, collaboration, and execution.

    How the world's leading innovators push their ideas to fruition again and again Edison famously said that genius is 1 percent inspiration, 99 percent perspiration. Ideas for new businesses, solutions ... (Goodreads)

  28. A Short History of Nearly Everything

    by Bill Bryson
    A captivating overview of the natural sciences, spanning the history of the universe.

    In Bryson's biggest book, he confronts his greatest challenge: to understand—and, if possible, answer—the oldest, biggest questions we have posed about the universe and ourselves. Taking as territory ... (Goodreads)

  29. A Brief History of Time

    by Stephen Hawking
    Exploring the depths of time and space and the emergence of the universe.

    In the ten years since its publication in 1988, Stephen Hawking's classic work has become a landmark volume in scientific writing, with more than nine million copies in forty languages sold ... (Goodreads)

  30. Fermat's Enigma

    by Simon Singh
    Uncovering the centuries-old mathematical mystery of Pierre de Fermat's Last Theorem.

    xn + yn = zn, where n represents 3, 4, 5, ...no solution "I have discovered a truly marvelous demonstration of this proposition which this margin is too narrow to contain." With these words, the ... (Goodreads)