{"title":"Book Club","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe Elliot Ackerman Book Club features monthly reading recommendations from Elliot Ackerman, including fiction, history, politics, war, leadership, literature, and books that shape how he thinks and writes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEach pick includes Elliot’s recommendation, purchase options, and related commentary for readers looking for thoughtful books across genres and subjects.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-adventures-of-juan-planchard","title":"The Adventures of Juan Planchard","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"juan-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"juan-overview\"\u003eAbout The Adventures of Juan Planchard\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJonathan Jakubowicz’s crime thriller follows a man who builds a fortune by exploiting the corruption surrounding Venezuela’s revolution. Juan’s pursuit of wealth and power becomes entangled with his relationship with Scarlet, an American woman who may offer an escape from his world or deepen his involvement in it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eAmbition, Corruption, and Self-Justification\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story invites readers to examine how a narrator explains his own choices. Where does Juan’s account persuade you, and where do you begin to question it? Consider how private desire and public disorder interact, how wealth changes the relationships around him, and what the novel asks readers to make of success achieved through a damaged political system.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eElliot Ackerman’s Endorsement\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the publisher’s verified endorsement, Ackerman calls the novel \u003cq\u003eSexy, smart, violent\u003c\/q\u003e and \u003cq\u003espectacular\u003c\/q\u003e. His praise offers an authentic connection for Book Club readers. Discussion can begin with the relationship between the novel’s pace and its moral questions: does the momentum encourage sympathy with Juan, sharpen your doubts about him, or do both at once?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/june-2026-book-club-the-adventures-of-juan-planchard\"\u003eRead the The Adventures of Juan Planchard Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: The Adventures of Juan Planchard; Jonathan Jakubowicz; Venezuela; crime and political thriller; Grand Central Publishing hardcover June 2, 2026, ISBN 9781538779781, 288 pages. Elliot endorsement verified on publisher title page. --\u003e","brand":"Jonathan Jakubowicz","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47355752186018,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/The_Adventures_of_Juan_Planchard_by_Jonathan_Jakubowicz.jpg?v=1782068952"},{"product_id":"alexander-the-great","title":"Alexander the Great","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"alexander-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"alexander-overview\"\u003eAbout Alexander the Great\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRobin Lane Fox’s historical biography examines Alexander through the competing evidence and legends surrounding his life. It follows the relationship between military leadership, ambition, conquest, and the individual behind an enduring historical image.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eReading History through Character\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book invites a discussion about what a biographer can recover from incomplete or conflicting accounts. Where does a portrait of character help explain an event, and where does it leave you with further questions? Consider how the account balances the scale of Alexander’s achievements with the decisions and relationships through which readers encounter him.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eElliot Ackerman’s Reading Context\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Book Club recommendation preserved in the authoritative project spreadsheet, Ackerman explains that he picked up Fox’s biography as research for a project. He found it entertaining and admired the way it combined historical detail with a compelling life story. He particularly valued its portraits of Alexander’s peers and rivals. Those observations offer readers a useful starting point for discussing how scholarly history creates narrative momentum.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/july-2026-book-club-pick-alexander-the-great\"\u003eRead the Alexander the Great Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: Alexander the Great; Robin Lane Fox; historical biography; ancient history; leadership; conquest; verified Penguin Books paperback reference edition October 5, 2004, ISBN 9780143035138, 592 pages. Elliot reading context supplied in authoritative project spreadsheet. --\u003e","brand":"Robin Lane Fox","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47477529608354,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/AlexandertheGreatbyRobinLaneFox.jpg?v=1785113583"},{"product_id":"biological-war","title":"Biological War","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"biological-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"biological-overview\"\u003eAbout Biological War: A Scenario\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnnie Jacobsen’s reported nonfiction examines a biological catastrophe through a scenario that follows the spread of infection and the strain on the systems meant to respond. Interviews with experts in government, medicine, and the military inform its account of how a small beginning could have consequences across society.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003ePreparedness and Human Choices\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book invites readers to distinguish between a scenario and a prediction. What does following events over time reveal that a general description of risk would miss? Consider the relationship between technical capability, institutional preparation, and decisions made under uncertainty. Which questions concern individual judgment, and which concern the way institutions are organized?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eElliot Ackerman’s Reading Context\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the recommendation supplied in the authoritative project spreadsheet, Ackerman describes the book as chilling and informative, yet says his response also included gratitude that humanity had not visited such terrors on itself. He expresses respect for Jacobsen’s work. That response offers readers a way to discuss the relationship between imagining catastrophe and recognizing the human choices that can prevent it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWatch the 92NY Conversation\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJacobsen discusses the book with Ackerman at 92NY.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nnhUb6SjGwE?si=pZUCZSquDOoplkYX\" title=\"Elliot Ackerman in conversation with Annie Jacobsen about Biological War at 92NY\" style=\"max-width:100%;width:100%;aspect-ratio:16\/9;height:auto;\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/august-2026-book-club-pick-biological-war-a-scenario\"\u003eRead the Biological War: A Scenario Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: Biological War: A Scenario; Annie Jacobsen; reported nonfiction; biological warfare; biosecurity; preparedness; Dutton hardcover July 28, 2026, ISBN 9798217046034, 432 pages. Elliot reading response supplied in authoritative spreadsheet; observed 92NY video retained. --\u003e","brand":"Annie Jacobsen","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47477579055266,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/Biological_War_by_Annie_Jacobsen.jpg?v=1786478153"},{"product_id":"catch-22","title":"Catch-22","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"catch-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"catch-overview\"\u003eAbout Catch-22\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJoseph Heller’s World War II satire follows Yossarian, an American bombardier stationed in Italy who wants to survive a system that keeps sending him on dangerous missions. The bureaucratic logic behind the title traps him: asking to be excused from combat proves the very sanity that makes him eligible to continue flying.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eComedy, Fear, and Institutional Logic\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe novel invites readers to examine the relationship between absurdity and harm. Where does a joke expose a rule that would otherwise appear normal? How does the narrative’s shifting structure affect your understanding of danger, responsibility, and the people around Yossarian? Consider when laughter creates distance from events and when it makes their consequences more difficult to ignore.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eElliot Ackerman’s Reading Context\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Forged interview, Ackerman said he chose Catch-22 for his appearance on Shilo Brooks’s Old School podcast and expressed his affection for it. In the Green Door interview, he also identified Heller’s work as part of the tonal background to Sheepdogs. Those verified comments give readers a useful connection between Heller’s satire and Ackerman’s interest in the humor within serious military experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/september-2026-book-club-catch-22\"\u003eRead the Catch-22 Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: Catch-22; Joseph Heller; Yossarian; World War II; Italy; military bureaucracy; satire; Simon \u0026 Schuster fiftieth-anniversary paperback April 5, 2011, ISBN 9781451626650, 544 pages; introduction by Christopher Buckley, not co-author. Verified Elliot context: Forged 48:47 and Green Door 6:15. --\u003e","brand":"Joseph Heller","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47599751757986,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/Catch22byJosephHeller.jpg?v=1788040101"},{"product_id":"starship-troopers","title":"Starship Troopers","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"starship-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"starship-overview\"\u003eAbout Starship Troopers\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRobert A. Heinlein’s military science-fiction novel follows Johnnie Rico into the Mobile Infantry. Training places him under extreme pressure before he enters the Terran Federation’s interstellar conflict with the Arachnids. His account follows the development of a recruit into a soldier while examining the demands of service.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eService, Responsibility, and Citizenship\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe novel invites a close reading of the relationship between military institutions and political life. Consider where Rico’s experiences support the ideas he is taught and where readers might question them. The book’s enduring controversy provides room for disagreement about authority, obligation, and the kinds of responsibility a society asks of its citizens.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eElliot Ackerman’s Reading Perspective\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn his March 11, 2025 reading list for The Week, Elliot Ackerman discusses the novel’s citizenship questions and recalls that his Marine infantry platoon read it as part of its required reading. He also distinguishes Heinlein’s book from the later film adaptation. \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/theweek.com\/culture-life\/books\/elliot-ackerman-favorite-books-war-duty\"\u003eRead his published reading list\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eQuestions for Book Club Readers\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow does the first-person account shape your judgment of the Federation? What does the training narrative reveal about the individual and the unit? How can a reader distinguish the narrator’s beliefs from the questions a novel makes available? Discussing those tensions can keep the conversation attentive to both the story and its political imagination.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/book-club-reading-guide-starship-troopers\"\u003eRead the Starship Troopers Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: Starship Troopers; Robert A. Heinlein; military science fiction; Johnnie Rico; Mobile Infantry; Terran Federation; listed Ace paperback ISBN 9780441014101, June 27, 2006, 288 pages. --\u003e","brand":"Robert A. Heinlein","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47668519665826,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/Starship_Troopers_-_Cover.jpg?v=1789525959"},{"product_id":"shadow-before-the-flame-the-hindenburg-disaster-and-the-prelude-to-war","title":"Shadow Before the Flame: The Hindenburg Disaster and the Prelude to War","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"book-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"book-overview\"\u003eAbout \u003cem\u003eShadow Before the Flame\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCatherine Grace Katz revisits the Hindenburg disaster through the people who built, promoted, flew, and reported on the airship. On May 6, 1937, its arrival at Lakehurst, New Jersey, became a catastrophe witnessed around the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe history reaches beyond the familiar photograph of a burning zeppelin. Katz connects the promise of transatlantic flight with the political pressures of the 1930s, when technological prestige and Nazi propaganda shaped the meaning of an extraordinary machine. Passengers, crew, and journalists bring that larger history to a human scale.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eBook Details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFull title:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cem\u003eShadow Before the Flame: The Hindenburg Disaster and the Prelude to War\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Catherine Grace Katz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEdition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Viking hardcover, September 22, 2026; 496 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780593832189\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy Read This Book\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor readers interested in history, geopolitics, and the relationship between technology and power, the book offers a way to reconsider an iconic disaster within the world approaching the Second World War. Its focus on individual lives also opens questions about how an event becomes a public image and how that image can eclipse its context.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- SEO\/GEO context: Shadow Before the Flame is a nonfiction history by Catherine Grace Katz about the 1937 Hindenburg disaster at Lakehurst, New Jersey, transatlantic aviation, Nazi propaganda, and the prelude to World War II. This record belongs to the Elliot Ackerman Book Club catalog. --\u003e","brand":"Catherine Grace Katz","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669748007074,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/Shadow_Before_the_Flame_-_The_Hindenburg_Disaster_and_the_Prelude_to_War.jpg?v=1788046374"},{"product_id":"angel-down","title":"Angel Down","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"book-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"book-overview\"\u003eAbout \u003cem\u003eAngel Down\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDaniel Kraus sends five American soldiers into the wreckage of the First World War, where an encounter with a fallen angel turns a battlefield mission into a test of what they are prepared to do for one another.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePrivate Cyril Bagger relies on cunning to stay alive. An apparent miracle offers his group a new possibility, but their competing desires place cooperation under strain. The supernatural premise makes room for questions about mercy, belief, and responsibility amid organized violence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book brings literary war fiction into contact with supernatural horror. Readers can examine how a promise of rescue changes the soldiers’ relationships: what they hope for, what they fear losing, and what they believe they are entitled to claim. The encounter offers a discussion of how people act when an extraordinary possibility arrives inside an already extraordinary situation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eBook Details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Daniel Kraus\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEdition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Atria Books hardcover, July 29, 2025; 304 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781668068458\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWhy Read This Book\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe novel is written as one continuous sentence and won the 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. Its form offers a useful discussion of how narrative rhythm shapes a reader’s experience of fear and uncertainty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Context: Angel Down; Daniel Kraus; World War I; France; war fiction; supernatural literary fiction; 2026 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction; Elliot Ackerman Book Club. --\u003e","brand":"Daniel Kraus","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669779300514,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/Angel-Down-Pulitzer.jpg?v=1789607994"},{"product_id":"the-human-scale-a-novel","title":"The Human Scale: A Novel","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"book-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"book-overview\"\u003eAbout \u003cem\u003eThe Human Scale\u003c\/em\u003e\n\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLawrence Wright brings a murder investigation into the contested landscape of Israel and Palestine. Palestinian American FBI agent Tony Malik and Israeli police officer Yossi Ben-Gal must work together despite the assumptions each brings to the case.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTheir uneasy partnership gives the thriller its central question: whether trust between individuals can survive the pressures of identity, history, and violence. Wright draws on his reporting experience while telling a fictional story through characters with conflicting loyalties.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor a book club, the investigation opens a discussion of how personal experience shapes evidence, judgment, and the willingness to listen. Malik and Ben-Gal’s relationship also raises a question that reaches beyond the case: what responsibilities do people have to one another when their communities tell different stories about the same place? The novel approaches a large conflict through the choices of individuals.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eBook Details\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Lawrence Wright\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eEdition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Knopf hardcover, March 11, 2025; 448 pages\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780593537831\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eElliot’s Reading Perspective\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn his \u003cem\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/em\u003e assessment, Elliot praises Wright for using differing perspectives to sustain a sense of shared humanity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/the-human-scale-book-club-reading-guide\"\u003eRead The Human Scale Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Context: The Human Scale; Lawrence Wright; political thriller; Israel and Palestine; trust; Elliot Ackerman Book Club. --\u003e","brand":"Lawrence Wright","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669780086946,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/The_Human_Scale_-_Lawrence_Wright.jpg?v=1785796623"},{"product_id":"fields-of-fire","title":"Fields of Fire","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"fields-of-fire-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"fields-of-fire-overview\"\u003eAbout Fields of Fire\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJames Webb’s Vietnam War novel follows a Marine platoon in the An Hoa Basin in 1969. Goodrich, Snake, and Hodges bring different backgrounds and expectations into a shared world of danger. Their encounters illuminate the pressures that combat places on identity, trust, and responsibility.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eClass, Brotherhood, and the Experience of War\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book invites readers to consider how social differences persist within a unit and how dependence on one another changes those divisions. Discussion can begin with the gap between a young Marine’s expectations and the realities he must confront, then turn to the bonds and contradictions that remain after battle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eElliot’s Reading Perspective\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Forged interview, Elliot Ackerman describes reading Webb while preparing to enter the Marines and returning to those books after his own experience of war. He explains that rereading revealed meanings he had missed as a younger reader. That perspective makes Fields of Fire a useful starting point for discussing how experience reshapes a familiar story.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/book-club-reading-guide-fields-of-fire\"\u003eRead the Fields of Fire Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: Fields of Fire; James Webb; Vietnam War fiction; An Hoa Basin, Vietnam; 1969; Marine platoon; listed Bantam mass-market paperback ISBN 9780553583854, August 28, 2001, 480 pages. --\u003e","brand":"James Webb","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669780119714,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/Fields_of_Fire_-_Cover.jpg?v=1789690700"},{"product_id":"the-things-they-carried","title":"The Things They Carried","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"things-carried-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"things-carried-overview\"\u003eAbout The Things They Carried\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTim O’Brien’s linked stories follow the fictional soldiers of Alpha Company through the Vietnam War and its aftermath. The objects they carry reveal personal attachments alongside military burdens. A narrator bearing the author’s name returns to the experiences of those men, making the act of telling central to the book.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eMemory, Imagination, and the Weight of Experience\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRead with attention to how a story can change when it is told again. Consider the relationship between an event, a remembered event, and the effect a narrator hopes to produce. The book invites discussion of the responsibilities involved in representing suffering and the ways storytelling can preserve a person’s presence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eElliot’s Reading Perspective\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Forged interview, Elliot Ackerman identifies O’Brien among the veteran writers he read while preparing to enter the Marines. He describes discovering new meanings when he returned to those books after combat. On Green Door, he likewise names The Things They Carried among the works that helped shape his own ambition to write.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/book-club-reading-guide-the-things-they-carried\"\u003eRead the The Things They Carried Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: The Things They Carried; Tim O’Brien; fiction in linked stories; Vietnam War; Alpha Company; original publication 1990; listed twentieth-anniversary US hardcover ISBN 9780547391175, March 22, 2010. --\u003e","brand":"Tim O'Brien","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669780742306,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/The_Things_They_Carried_-_Cover.jpg?v=1789686332"},{"product_id":"for-whom-the-bell-tolls","title":"For Whom the Bell Tolls","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"bell-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"bell-overview\"\u003eAbout For Whom the Bell Tolls\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eErnest Hemingway’s novel follows Robert Jordan, an American serving with an antifascist guerrilla unit in the mountains of Spain during the Spanish Civil War. His relationship with Maria unfolds within a story concerned with loyalty, courage, love, defeat, and the demands of an ideal.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eLove, Duty, and Political Commitment\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe novel gives readers a way to discuss the pressure that public commitments place on private life. How do characters understand what they owe to one another? Where does loyalty bring clarity, and where does it complicate a decision? Consider how moments of tenderness affect your response to the surrounding violence, and how the scale of a conflict changes the meaning of an individual choice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eElliot Ackerman’s Reading Context\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn his Forged podcast interview, Ackerman singled out For Whom the Bell Tolls for praise while discussing books about war that mattered to him. His comment places Hemingway’s novel within a broader conversation about reading war literature before and after military experience. Readers can use that context to consider how the same scene may take on different meanings at different stages of life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/book-club-reading-guide-for-whom-the-bell-tolls\"\u003eRead the For Whom the Bell Tolls Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: For Whom the Bell Tolls; Ernest Hemingway; Spanish Civil War; Robert Jordan; Maria; Scribner paperback edition July 1, 1995, ISBN 9780684803357, 480 pages. Verified Elliot reading context: Forged podcast, 48:47 passage. --\u003e","brand":"Ernest Hemingway","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669781299362,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/For_Whom_the_Bell_Tolls_-_Cover.jpg?v=1789687648"},{"product_id":"the-old-man-and-the-sea","title":"The Old Man and the Sea","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"old-man-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"old-man-overview\"\u003eAbout The Old Man and the Sea\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Old Man and the Sea\u003c\/em\u003e by Ernest Hemingway follows Santiago, an aging Cuban fisherman, during an isolated struggle with a giant marlin. His relationship with the young Manolin frames a story in which endurance, loss, and companionship matter as much as the catch itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eEndurance and Human Dignity\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHemingway’s spare narrative invites readers to examine the difference between external success and a person’s sense of worth. Santiago’s resolve, vulnerability, and connection to the boy create a focused study of what survives disappointment.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eElliot’s Reading Perspective\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn his conversation on the Forged podcast, Elliot Ackerman praises the novella and describes the enduring emotional force of its ending on rereading. His comments connect the work of imagining a story to the intensity of a reader’s experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 1952, the novella received the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The listed Scribner paperback was published May 5, 1995, and contains 128 pages. Discuss how the story measures achievement, and what Santiago’s relationship with Manolin contributes to its conclusion.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/book-club-reading-guide-the-old-man-and-the-sea\"\u003eRead the The Old Man and the Sea Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Factual context: Ernest Hemingway; Santiago and Manolin; Cuba and the Gulf Stream; literary fiction; resilience, aging, loss, dignity. EA perspective source: Forged transcript 48:47 and 53:46. Edition ISBN 9780684801223; original publication 1952 distinct from the listed 1995 paperback. --\u003e","brand":"Ernest Hemingway","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669782413474,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/The_Old_Man_and_the_Sea_-_Cover.jpg?v=1789683860"},{"product_id":"matterhorn","title":"Matterhorn","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"matterhorn-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"matterhorn-overview\"\u003eAbout Matterhorn\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKarl Marlantes’s Vietnam War novel follows young Marine lieutenant Waino Mellas and the men of Bravo Company in the mountain jungle. Combat and the difficult conditions around it intersect with racial tension, personal ambition, and conflicts within the chain of command.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eComradeship under Pressure\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMarlantes served as a Marine in Vietnam. His novel offers a starting point for discussing how people learn to depend on one another while remaining divided by experience, rank, and expectations. Consider which pressures come from the battlefield and which arise within the company. Where does a character’s desire to prove himself support the group, and where does it threaten the trust that the group needs?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eElliot Ackerman’s Reading Context\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn the Forged podcast interview, Ackerman described buying Matterhorn during CIA training in 2010 and staying up all night reading it. He praised its epic scope and placed it alongside War and Peace in his discussion of war literature. His account gives Book Club readers an authentic point of connection with a novel that rewards attention to both individual experience and the scale of a conflict.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/book-club-reading-guide-matterhorn\"\u003eRead the Matterhorn Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: Matterhorn: A Novel of the Vietnam War; Karl Marlantes; Waino Mellas; Bravo Company; Vietnam; Grove Paperback, May 10, 2011, ISBN 9780802145314, 624 pages. Verified Elliot reading account: Forged podcast, 49:13 passage. --\u003e","brand":"Karl Marlantes","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669783429282,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/Matterhorn_-_Cover.jpg?v=1789687858"},{"product_id":"slow-horses","title":"Slow Horses","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"slow-horses-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"slow-horses-overview\"\u003eAbout Slow Horses\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMick Herron’s first Slough House novel follows disgraced MI5 agents sent to an office that serves as a career dead end. A kidnapping offers the possibility of returning to consequential work, but the apparent opportunity comes with uncertainty about the victim and the operation. The book introduces the world behind the first season of the Apple television adaptation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFailure, Bureaucracy, and Dark Humor\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsider how a spy story changes when its central characters have already been judged failures. The novel invites discussion of reputation, ambition, and the distinction between institutional judgment and individual competence. Its humor also provides a way to examine how an organization’s ordinary habits can coexist with serious danger.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eElliot’s Reading Perspective\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn Green Door, Elliot Ackerman identifies Herron’s Slow Horses novels among the influences on the tone of Sheepdogs. He places them alongside Joseph Heller and John le Carré while explaining his interest in a story that combines intensity with humor. Readers can use that comparison to discuss how comedy affects an espionage narrative without reducing its stakes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/book-club-reading-guide-slow-horses\"\u003eRead the Slow Horses Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: Slow Horses; Mick Herron; Slough House series, book one; British espionage fiction; London; MI5; listed Soho Crime Collector’s Edition hardcover ISBN 9781641298025, October 28, 2025, 368 pages. --\u003e","brand":"Mick Herron","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669783691426,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/Slow_Horses_-_Cover.jpg?v=1789690209"},{"product_id":"fobbit","title":"Fobbit","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"fobbit-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"fobbit-overview\"\u003eAbout Fobbit\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDavid Abrams’s Iraq War satire follows Staff Sergeant Chance Gooding, an Army public affairs writer at Baghdad’s Forward Operating Base Triumph. Gooding’s work turns battlefield incidents into press releases, placing official accounts of the war alongside the routines, anxieties, and absurdities of life on the base.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eDark Humor and the Official Story\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAbrams served in the Army for twenty years and deployed to Iraq with a public affairs team in 2005. His novel invites a discussion about the distance between experience and the language used to describe it. Consider what a carefully prepared account leaves out, how institutional priorities shape a message, and where humor makes discomfort harder to dismiss.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eElliot Ackerman’s Reading Context\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn Green Door Podcast episode 117, Ackerman praised Fobbit while discussing comic approaches to recent war literature. He pointed to Abrams’s novel as an example of a book that had already explored that register. For readers, it offers a useful companion to conversations about humor, military bureaucracy, and the different forms a war story can take.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/book-club-reading-guide-fobbit\"\u003eRead the Fobbit Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: Fobbit; David Abrams; Iraq War satire; Baghdad; military public affairs; Black Cat paperback, September 4, 2012, ISBN 9780802120328, 384 pages. Verified Elliot context: Green Door Podcast episode 117, passage beginning 7:05. --\u003e","brand":"David Abrams","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669783953570,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/Fobbit_-_Cover.jpg?v=1789687424"},{"product_id":"the-baghdad-shuffle","title":"The Baghdad Shuffle","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"baghdad-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"baghdad-overview\"\u003eAbout The Baghdad Shuffle\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eJosh Bates’s debut novel joins a crime thriller to the upheaval of Iraq in 2003. Marine Jim Wilde discovers a trail of illicit money as deposed Iraqi officials seek to move their fortunes abroad. The plot extends from Baghdad to Los Angeles and Baja, bringing intelligence operatives, criminals, and law enforcement into a dangerous contest.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWar, Crime, and Competing Loyalties\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book offers readers a way to discuss how a thriller uses the disruption of war. Consider who can exploit uncertainty, how money changes relationships, and where personal motives meet institutional interests. The movement between locations also invites attention to the connections a story draws across borders.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eQuestions for Book Club Readers\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat happens when a character’s role as a Marine intersects with the logic of a crime story? How does the narrative distribute knowledge between its characters and its reader? Which loyalties become most difficult to maintain? Discussing specific scenes can help distinguish the demands of suspense from the wider questions the setting raises.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/book-club-reading-guide-the-baghdad-shuffle\"\u003eRead the The Baghdad Shuffle Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: The Baghdad Shuffle; Josh Bates; fiction; crime and military thriller; Jim Wilde; Iraq in 2003; Baghdad, Los Angeles, Baja; Double Dagger Books; paperback ISBN 9781998501489, June 27, 2025, 298 pages. --\u003e","brand":"Josh Bates","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669784150178,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/The_Baghdad_Shuffle_-_Cover.jpg?v=1789690273"},{"product_id":"the-storm-of-steel","title":"The Storm of Steel","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"storm-of-steel-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"storm-of-steel-overview\"\u003eAbout Storm of Steel\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eErnst Jünger’s nonfiction account describes his experience as a German soldier during the First World War. Trench fighting, raids, and bombardments form the setting for a memoir whose attention to danger and endurance coexists with an unsettling fascination with battle. Michael Hofmann translated the listed Penguin Classics edition and provides its introduction.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eWitness, Distance, and the Language of War\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can examine how Jünger’s voice shapes the relationship between description and judgment. Consider what the memoir makes vivid, what it leaves at a distance, and how your own response changes as the narrator moves between physical danger and reflection. Its perspective offers a basis for comparing accounts written from different sides of the same conflict.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eQuestions for Book Club Readers\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow does the narrative invite or resist sympathy with its author? Where do admiration for endurance and recognition of suffering come into tension? What responsibilities does a reader bring to a firsthand account of war? Attend to the language of particular passages when discussing those questions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/book-club-reading-guide-storm-of-steel\"\u003eRead the Storm of Steel Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: Storm of Steel; Ernst Jünger; nonfiction war memoir; First World War; German soldier; Michael Hofmann, translator and introduction; listed Penguin Classics paperback ISBN 9780143108252, May 31, 2016, 320 pages. --\u003e","brand":"Ernst Junger","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669784543394,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/Storm_of_Steel_-_Cover.jpg?v=1789690101"},{"product_id":"true-grit","title":"True Grit","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"true-grit-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"true-grit-overview\"\u003eAbout True Grit\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTrue Grit\u003c\/em\u003e by Charles Portis follows fourteen-year-old Mattie Ross as she pursues the man who killed her father. She recruits U.S. marshal Rooster Cogburn and travels from Arkansas into Indian Territory, accompanied by Texas Ranger LaBoeuf.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eJustice, Determination, and Memory\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMattie tells her story from later life. Her forceful voice gives this frontier adventure its wit and moral tension, inviting readers to consider how a remembered experience becomes a personal account of justice. Determination, money, violence, and loyalty all shape the pursuit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eReading and Discussion\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow does Mattie’s narration influence your view of the adults around her? When does the pursuit of justice become revenge? Consider what the story gains from its distance between the young participant and the older storyteller.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFirst published in 1968, the novel inspired films released in 1969 and 2010. The listed Overlook paperback edition was published November 5, 2010; edition dates should be distinguished from the original novel’s publication.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/book-club-reading-guide-true-grit\"\u003eRead the True Grit Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Context: True Grit; Charles Portis; western fiction; justice; memory; American frontier; Elliot Ackerman Book Club. --\u003e","brand":"Charles Portis","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669784576162,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/True_Grit_-_Cover.jpg?v=1789682855"},{"product_id":"gates-of-fire","title":"Gates of Fire","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"book-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"book-overview\"\u003eAbout Gates of Fire\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGates of Fire\u003c\/em\u003e by Steven Pressfield is a historical novel about the Greek defense of Thermopylae against the Persian invasion. A survivor’s account brings the battle into focus through the lives and loyalties of those who fought it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eCourage and Community\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe story explores how training, friendship, and responsibility shape courage under pressure. Its soldiers face fear together, raising questions about the relationship between individual survival and a community’s demands.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eReading and Discussion\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsider how a soldier’s perspective changes the meaning of a familiar historical event. What distinguishes discipline from loyalty? How does the novel portray the costs of military duty?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hardcover edition was published October 20, 1998, and has 400 pages. Paperback editions have their own publication dates and ISBNs.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/book-club-reading-guide-gates-of-fire\"\u003eRead the Gates of Fire Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Context: Gates of Fire; Steven Pressfield; historical military fiction; Thermopylae; ancient Greece; courage; Elliot Ackerman Book Club. --\u003e","brand":"Steven Pressfield","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669785198754,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/Gates_of_Fire_-_Cover.jpg?v=1789690698"},{"product_id":"the-winds-of-war","title":"The Winds of War","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"winds-of-war-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"winds-of-war-overview\"\u003eAbout The Winds of War\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHerman Wouk’s historical novel places the life of an American family within the upheaval of the Second World War. Personal relationships and public events unfold together, allowing readers to follow the effect of a global conflict through choices made within a family. The story continues in War and Remembrance.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFamily Life within World History\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eConsider how a large historical narrative moves between private concerns and events that exceed any character’s control. Where do relationships offer stability, and where does political change alter what a person can imagine for the future? The family-centered structure also gives readers a way to discuss the difference between knowing history’s outcome and living through its uncertainty.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eQuestions for Book Club Readers\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHow does the scale of the story affect your attachment to individual characters? What does the novel gain by moving between intimate scenes and wider events? Where does hindsight shape your reading most strongly? Discuss how the narrative connects emotional commitments with the obligations and pressures created by war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/book-club-reading-guide-the-winds-of-war\"\u003eRead the The Winds of War Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: The Winds of War; Herman Wouk; historical fiction; Second World War; American family; companion sequel War and Remembrance; listed Little, Brown Paperbacks edition ISBN 9780316952668, February 5, 2002, 896 pages. --\u003e","brand":"Herman Wouk","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669785297058,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/The_Winds_of_War_-_Cover.jpg?v=1789686872"},{"product_id":"dads-maybe-book","title":"Dad's Maybe Book","description":"\u003csection aria-labelledby=\"dads-maybe-overview\"\u003e\u003ch2 id=\"dads-maybe-overview\"\u003eAbout Dad’s Maybe Book\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTim O’Brien’s memoir brings fatherhood, memory, and a life in literature into conversation. Beginning after the birth of his first son in 2003, he writes for his children across fifteen years, imagining what they may want to understand about their father when they are older. Letters and reflections preserve everyday moments alongside larger questions about how to live.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eFamily, Mortality, and Storytelling\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe book offers a starting point for discussing what parents can pass on and what no written account can fully preserve. Consider how tenderness and humor coexist with the awareness of limited time, and how a writer known for examining war approaches the responsibilities of family life. Readers can also explore the relationship between remembered experience and the stories a family inherits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eElliot’s Reading Perspective\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn his Wall Street Journal review, Elliot Ackerman describes the book’s letters, parenting anecdotes, and wide-ranging chapters. He questions the narrow classification of O’Brien as a writer concerned only with war, drawing attention to the breadth of the work.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/book-club\/book-club-reading-guide-dads-maybe-book\"\u003eRead the Dad’s Maybe Book Book Club reading guide\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/section\u003e\u003c!-- Book context: Dad’s Maybe Book; Tim O’Brien; nonfiction memoir; fatherhood; family; mortality; literary life; original publication 2019. --\u003e","brand":"Tim O'Brien","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47669785952418,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0717\/9200\/1186\/files\/Dad_s_Maybe_Book_-_Cover.jpg?v=1789688618"}],"url":"https:\/\/elliotackerman.com\/collections\/book-club.oembed","provider":"Elliot Ackerman","version":"1.0","type":"link"}