What books does Jack Carr recommend?
Curated by a former Navy SEAL turned bestselling novelist, the book recommendations from Jack Carr read like reading lists still handed down to a team. The 51 titles come almost entirely from the monthly lists he publishes on his official website, supplemented by occasional interviews, and they are dominated by society and politics, fiction and literature, history, and psychology and human behavior, with a strong current of military leadership. His most-cited book is Anton Myrer's Once an Eagle, which he calls 'probably my most recommended book' and 'a case study in leadership' he once handed to his junior officers. Cormac McCarthy's The Road, David Morrell's The Brotherhood of the Rose, and Herman Wouk's The Winds of War sit nearby. Carr is a prolific author himself, having written The Terminal List, True Believer, Savage Son, and other novels in his James Reece series.
Last updated February 2026 · Every recommendation cited to its original source.
Once an Eagle
A Novel
byAnton Myrer
19681312 Pages“This is probably my most recommended book; it's also my most gifted book... It's a case study in leadership. I used to give this to my junior officers... The virtues extolled in this brilliant work are truly inspirational and its lessons will stay with the reader throughout their lives.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: May 2024 Reading List
Read by Oprah Winfrey, Ryan Holiday, Lex Fridman and 2 others
byCormac McCarthy
2006256 Pages“My favorite book as an adult... I must have read it 15 times. I read it every time I write a new book. I read it before I start the first draft... It gets me in that zone.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: October 2024 Reading List
byDavid Morrell
1984416 Pages“It cemented me on my path into the SEAL Teams and also confirmed that I would one day do exactly what I'm doing now.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Shelf Awareness Interview
Three Felonies a Day
How the Feds Target the Innocent
byHarvey Silverglate
2011392 Pages“My most gifted book after Once an Eagle... Its premise is one that should frighten all Americans regardless of party affiliation.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: January 2021 Reading List
byHerman Wouk
1971885 Pages“It remains one of my top five recommended novels of all time... Historical fiction is a fantastic way to pass on the lessons of history, and The Winds of War is among the very best.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: June 2021 Reading List
Read by Peter Thiel, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs and 8 others
byAyn Rand
19571168 Pages“Absolutely mandatory reading for everyone... It is valuable to read Atlas Shrugged at different stages of life; high school, college, once in the private sector, and again after one has gained wisdom through experience and adversity.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: June 2021 Reading List
byRoald Dahl
2013240 Pages“Favorite book from those formative years... I've read [it] maybe 10 times mainly as a kid and now to my boy. It's about a father and son... it's about being a little bit wild like keeping the wild field kid inside of you alive which I really like.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: October 2024 Reading List
One Second After
A John Matherson Novel
byWilliam R. Forstchen
2009352 Pages“Man this is a great book... it's timely... definitely read this one as well.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: June 2021 Reading List
byHerman Wouk
19781042 Pages(39,465)
“Not long after the miniseries, I read both of Herman Wouk's masterpieces... Don't be intimidated by their length. Dive in and GET AFTER IT!”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: 2026 Five Book Challenge
Read by Donald Trump, Larry Ellison, Chip Wilson and 4 others
byAyn Rand
1943752 Pages“Part of my top five favorites.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: 2026 Five Book Challenge
Read by Ryan Holiday, Rick Rubin, Rich Roll and 5 others
The War of Art
Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles
bySteven Pressfield
2002168 Pages“Get this book. Read it. Then put it down and get to work!”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: May 2024 Reading List
byVince Flynn
1997612 Pages“One of the five books I'll never part with... The paperback copy that I read on the way to Afghanistan in 2003.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Shelf Awareness Interview
A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962
Algeria 1954-1962
byAlistair Horne
2006624 Pages(3,005)
“One of the books on the professional reading list I was asked to put together for the Naval Special Warfare Center before I retired from the SEAL Teams... This book is required reading for students of warfare.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: January 2021 Reading List
byJean Craighead George
2004177 Pages“Favorite book when you were a child: I loved My Side of the Mountain.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Shelf Awareness Interview
The Gun
The AK-47 and the Evolution of War
byC.J. Chivers
2010496 PagesSource: Official Website: June 2021 Reading List
The Chamber
A Novel
byWill Dean
2024352 Pages“It turned into one of those reading experiences like I used to have before it was for work when it was just about the magic and the words in these pages... go pick it up right now.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: October 2024 Reading List
byTom Clancy, Larry Bond
1986656 Pages“I would have to say that Red Storm Rising may be Tom Clancy's magnum opus.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: November 2020 Reading List
War of the Rats
A Novel
byDavid L. Robbins
1999512 Pages“If you are a sniper, you know the names... Recounts the Battle of Stalingrad through the medium of historical fiction.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: January 2021 Reading List
Black Hawk Down
A Story of Modern War
byMark Bowden
1999392 Pages“I read Mark Bowden's story of modern war in my first SEAL platoon and put it on my professional reading list for the Teams.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: January 2021 Reading List
byJames Grady
2016234 Pages“Stands with those top tier espionage thrillers that define a generation.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Official Website: January 2021 Reading List
Read by Ray Dalio, George Lucas, Jack Carr and 1 others
byJoseph Campbell
2008418 PagesSource: Official Website: May 2024 Reading List
The Great Game
The Struggle for Empire in Central Asia
byPeter Hopkirk
1994596 Pages(9,221)
Source: Official Website: May 2024 Reading List
Warfighting
The U.S. Marine Corps Book of Strategy
byUnited States Marine Corps
1997128 PagesSource: Official Website: May 2024 Reading List
Baa Baa Black Sheep
The True Story of the "Bad Boy" Hero of the Pacific Theatre and His Famous Black Sheep Squadron
byGregory Boyington
1958368 Pages“One of the five books I'll never part with... signed by the author when I met him in 1987.”
— Jack Carr
Source: Shelf Awareness Interview
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Frequently asked questions
What books does Jack Carr recommend?
His 51 recommendations feature Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer, The Road by Cormac McCarthy, The Brotherhood of the Rose by David Morrell, and The Winds of War by Herman Wouk, leaning heavily toward war, leadership, and thriller fiction.
What is Jack Carr's most recommended book?
Anton Myrer's Once an Eagle, which he describes as 'probably my most recommended book' and 'a case study in leadership.' He notes he used to give it to his junior officers, calling its lessons ones that stay with a reader for life.
Where do Jack Carr book recommendations come from?
Most are drawn from the dated monthly reading lists on his official website, including his annual Five Book Challenge and summer lists, supplemented by interviews such as his Shelf Awareness conversation.
Has Jack Carr written any books?
Yes. He is the author of the bestselling James Reece thriller series, including The Terminal List, True Believer, Savage Son, In the Blood, and Only the Dead, several of which have been adapted for screen.
What genres does Jack Carr read most?
His recommendations concentrate on society and politics, fiction and literature, history, and psychology and human behavior, with a recurring focus on military service, leadership under pressure, and the ethics of power and violence.
All 51 Books Jack Carr Has Recommended
- Once an Eagle · Anton Myrer
- The Road · Cormac McCarthy
- The Brotherhood of the Rose · David Morrell
- Three Felonies a Day · Harvey Silverglate
- The Winds of War · Herman Wouk
- Atlas Shrugged · Ayn Rand
- Danny the Champion of the World · Roald Dahl
- One Second After · William R. Forstchen
- War and Remembrance · Herman Wouk
- The Fountainhead · Ayn Rand
- The War of Art · Steven Pressfield
- Term Limits · Vince Flynn
- A Savage War of Peace: Algeria 1954-1962 · Alistair Horne
- My Side of the Mountain · Jean Craighead George
- The Gun · C.J. Chivers
- The Chamber · Will Dean
- Red Storm Rising · Tom Clancy
- War of the Rats · David L. Robbins
- Black Hawk Down · Mark Bowden
- Six Days of the Condor · James Grady
- The Hero with a Thousand Faces · Joseph Campbell
- The Great Game · Peter Hopkirk
- Warfighting · United States Marine Corps
- Baa Baa Black Sheep · Gregory Boyington
- Centrifuge · J.C. Pollock
- Fatherland · Robert Harris
- The Book of Honor · Ted Gup
- Learning to Eat Soup with a Knife · John A. Nagl
- The Accidental Superpower · Peter Zeihan
- First Blood · David Morrell
- The Spy Who Came in from the Cold · John le Carré
- Fahrenheit 451 · Ray Bradbury
- Nineteen Eighty-Four · George Orwell
- Brave New World · Aldous Huxley
- The Art of War · Sun Tzu
- Hitler's Willing Executioners · Daniel Jonah Goldhagen
- Naming Names · Victor S. Navasky
- Welcome to the Monkey House · Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
- Rise and Kill First · Ronen Bergman
- The Son · Philipp Meyer
- The Spy Who Came for Christmas · David Morrell
- The Shepherd · Frederick Forsyth
- The Siege · Ben Macintyre
- The Fate of the Day · Rick Atkinson
- An Inside Job · Daniel Silva
- Red Tide · M.P. Woodward
- Sheepdogs · Elliot Ackerman
- King of Kings · Scott Anderson
- The Hunt for Red October · Tom Clancy
- Without Remorse · Tom Clancy
- I Am Pilgrim · Terry Hayes