Boyd

Robert Coram tells the story of John Boyd, an Air Force fighter pilot who beat every challenger in simulated air-to-air combat in under forty seconds. Boyd wrote a manual of fighter tactics that changed how air forces fly and fight, found a physical theory that reshaped how fighter planes are designed, and is remembered by some as the father of the F-15 and F-16. Later he built a theory of military strategy adopted around the world and even applied to business, and he taught the Marine Corps how to fight on the ground. Coram also portrays a loud, abrasive and profane man who spent his career challenging the Pentagon bureaucracy, and introduces the six disciples known as the Acolytes.

James Mattis included it on the list of favorite books printed in an appendix to Call Sign Chaos. Ryan Holiday called Boyd probably the greatest military strategist after World War II and said Coram captures him as no other author has.