Are misplaced spectacles keeping you from reading the Marine Corps’ Professional Reading program AGAIN??? MCA can help. Listen to what the Marine Corps Association has to offer and we mean that literally with the operant buzz word being LISTEN!!!! MCA has an expanding selection of audio books that you can listen to at your leisure. The audio books listed below are ALL selections from the USMC Professional Reading Program. More to the point, they are all GREAT books. Turn off the TV, rest your eyes and listen to some great books.


FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS. More than just an isolated battle in our history, Iwo Jima was pivotal to American success in the Pacific war, and was an epic struggle that commands public imagination. Remarkable in many ways, the battle was the only one in which more invaders were killed than defenders. Over a third of the total Pacific theater combat fatalities occurred there, in just a little over a month, and over 27 Congressional Medals of Honor were awarded to Marines in this single battle. Flags of our Father is an intensely compelling story about some of the men who fought on Iwo Jima with uncommon valor. It is the story of the men who were, directly responsible for the battle’s enduring iconic symbolism. Tracing the individual stories of the flag raisers at Mount Suribachi immortalized by photographer Joe Rosenthal, the author, the son of flag raiser, John Bradley, weaves an intensely personal story of each of them, before, during and after the battle and also, of what became of them after the war. Throughout, he includes vivid details of the course of the battle and interesting and little known facts about the island and the people who fought there. The book stands out. The audio book format makes it unforgettable.
0553712462
Regular $29.95
Member $29.96


THE FACE OF BATTLE. Written by famed British military historian, John Keegan, The Face of Battle vividly depicts the total experience of the battlefield from the perspective of those waging it on the front lines. The author delves deeply into the sequence of events, the taste, smell and “feel” of three well known battles in the western world, to illustrate the technology driven evolution of the mechanical aspects of war while pointing out the enduring continuity of the personal experience for those in the thick of it. Keegan is thorough in exploring the perspectives, equipment and tactics of the co-belligerents and is at his best in analyzing battle outcomes and their future implications. Addressing the collision of mailed nights against yeoman archers at Agincourt, in the middle ages, Keegan then dissects the culmination of the Napoleonic wars at the decisive battle of Waterloo. Turning to more modern times, he details the misery and carnage of the battle of the Somme where the outmoded tactics of massed infantry assaults met it’s ultimate demise at the hands of technology in the guise of the machine gun. Fascinating and compelling throughout, he finishes with informed and prophetic musings on the probable future of warfare that will spark the interest of any serious student of military history.
0786196424
Regular $80.00
Member $72.00



WAR AND PEACE. An enduring classic set in the backdrop of the Napoleonic wars, Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace is a great story that portrays the human condition writ large. Family, friendship, love, life, death, epic struggle; all are explored with insight. This is a truly great book that too few actually take the time to savor due to it’s daunting length. Faithful to the original, this audio book version transforms experiencing War and Peace from an onerous chore to a welcome and long remembered and sure to be repeated pleasure.
NA404212
Regular $26.98
Member $24.28




THE ART OF WAR. 2500 years old and this classic by Sun Tzu keeps on enlightening serious students of military, political and business affairs, generation after generation. From the solid, bedrock premise that “All warfare is based on deception”, this fascinating study insightfully deals with strategy, tactics, terrain, use of spies and an epic laundry list of other related issues and concepts to reveal the essence of warfare at it’s most elemental level. A simple and straightforward read, the audio book format adds a new dimension to the understanding of the book and, more importantly it’s subject through the powerful medium of the spoken word.
1400100674
Regular $23.00
Member $20.70


MY AMERICAN JOURNEY. Written by the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Collin Powell (Co-written by Joseph E. Persico), My American Journey traces the career and thoughts of one of the most influential men of the last quarter century. Born to an immigrant family in Harlem, rising to become the first African-American military chief and subsequently becoming the first African-American Secretary of State, Collin Powell, played a pivotal role in most of the recent national security and diplomatic crises our country has weathered during the last 4 presidential terms. Ever a leader, consistently practical and always a voice of sound reason, Powell proved himself a man of impregnable integrity and unassailable credibility. In this audio book version of the best seller, General Powell himself is the reader and tells his story with humility and insight. From the Iran Contra scandal, Desert Shield, Desert Storm, invasion of Panama to more turbulent, recent events, Powell reveals the quintessential insider’s perspective in his own voice.
0739306979
Regular $27.50
Member $24.75


BAND OF BROTHERS. The book that inspired one of the most successful television mini-series is now an audio book. Written by Stephen E. Ambrose, Band of Brothers is the story of the 506th Airborne during WW II and follows them through training to some of the most decisive battles in the European campaign. A very human story with humor punctuated by tragedy, leadership counterpoised with incompetence, incredible heroics offset by cowardice, Ambrose exposes the gritty nature of bringing very different people together and getting them to fight as a team. Great history, the story provides great background perspectives on D-Day and the subsequent fighting through France, the Battle of the Bulge, liberation of a concentration camp and the capture of Hitler’s personal mountain lair-the Eagle’s Nest. A very personal story, the audio book format really lends itself to telling the story well.
0743504984
Regular $32.00
Member $28.80



RAPE OF NANKING details the shocking story of the 1937 Japanese assault on the Chinese city of Nanking. Gripping and tragic, the story relates the systematic looting and arson of the city and the rape, torture and murder of over 300,000 Chinese civilians at the hands of the Japanese occupiers. Interwoven in this bleak account of man’s inhumanity to man is a bright spot. Highlighting the perspectives of the sadistic invaders and the victimized civilians, Iris Chang also portrays the story of Europeans and Americans living in Nanking who were instrumental in saving over 300,000 Chinese lives by sheer force of moral authority. A gripping tale that resonates some of the controversies raging today in the global war on terror, this tape will ensure rapt attention throughout.
0786180935
Regular $63.00
Member $56.70