Arizona Sen. John McCain has released a lineup of his all-time favorite books in the form of a summer reading list.
The Vietnam veteran, former Navy pilot and current chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee was sure to include military history, historical fiction and personal narratives of war on his list.
"As an avid reader, I have always believed in the power of books to educate, entertain and inspire," McCain wrote in an introduction to the reading list, which was posted on Medium. "With summer underway, I encourage all Americans to pick up a book and read this summer — from fiction to history, you can do no better for your mind than to read."
On the military history side of things, McCain includes "The Best and the Brightest," by former New York Times reporter Pulitzer Prize winner David Halberstam. 
"The Best and The Brightest" examines the foreign policy decisions of the Kennedy and Johnson administrations that led to a full-fledged war in Vietnam.
"'The Best and the Brightest' illustrates how a nation can lose a war and see its worthy purposes and principles destroyed by self-delusion," writes McCain, who was held for nearly six years as a prison of war in North Vietnam.
Ernest Hemingway’s "For Whom the Bell Tolls" is one of several novels included on the list, depicting the brutality of the Spanish Civil War from the eyes of a volunteer American soldier serving in the International Brigades.
"An American classic and my all-time favorite, 'For Whom the Bell Tolls' tells the story of a young American’s test of loyalty, courage, love and defeat during the 1937 Spanish Civil War," McCain wrote.
Here is the senator's full summer reading list:
- "All Quiet on the Western Front" by Erich Maria Remarque.
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.
Photo Credit: Courtesy
- "Battle Cry of Freedom" by James McPherson.
- "The Best and the Brightest" by David Halberstam.
- "For Whom the Bell Tolls" by Ernest Hemingway.
- "Good-Bye to All That: An Autobiography" by Robert Graves.
- "The Guns of August" by Barbara W. Tuchman.
- "Of Human Bondage" by W. Somerset Maugham.
Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life ... And Maybe the World by retired Adm. William McRaven.
Photo Credit: Courtesy
- "Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World" by retired Adm. William McRaven
- "The Story of Lucy Gault" by William Trevor.
- "Winds of War/War and Remembrance" by Herman Wouk.
McCain writes that he will update and add to the list in the future. He also invites readers to review the books and make recommendations of their own in the comments section.
