Thomas E. Ricks books

Thomas E. Ricks is a Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist and author known for military non-fiction including Fiasco and The Generals, and more recently the Ryan Tapia thriller series.

Anthologies

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Counterinsurgency Leadership in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Beyond 2011 Buy

Non-Fiction

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Making the Corps 1997 Buy
A Soldier’s Duty 2001 Buy
Fiasco 2006 Buy
The Gamble 2009 Buy
The Unraveling 2010 Buy
The Generals 2012 Buy
Churchill and Orwell 2017 Buy
First Principles 2020 Buy
Waging a Good War 2022 Buy

Ryan Tapia Reading Order

Title Published Buy on Amazon
Everyone Knows But You 2024 Buy
We Can’t Save You 2025 Buy

Thomas E. Ricks spent decades as one of America’s most respected military journalists, covering the Pentagon for the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post and winning two Pulitzer Prizes. His non-fiction includes Fiasco, a blunt assessment of the Iraq War’s planning failures; The Gamble, about the surge strategy; and The Generals, a history of American military leadership. Churchill and Orwell examined how two writers shaped the modern world, and First Principles connected the founding fathers to classical philosophy.

His Ryan Tapia novels, starting with Everyone Knows But You in 2024, represent a late-career move into fiction, bringing his deep knowledge of military and intelligence culture into the thriller format. Ricks writes with the authority of someone who has reported from war zones and the confidence to criticize the institutions he covers.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books has Thomas E. Ricks written?

Thomas E. Ricks has written twelve books across three series.

What was Thomas E. Ricks's first book?

Thomas E. Ricks’s first book is Making the Corps, published in 1997.

What is Thomas E. Ricks known for?

Ricks is known for his military journalism and non-fiction, particularly Fiasco (about the Iraq War’s mismanagement) and The Generals (about American military leadership since WWII). A two-time Pulitzer Prize winner for his reporting at the Wall Street Journal and Washington Post, Ricks has also written about Churchill, the founding fathers, and the civil rights movement. His recent Ryan Tapia novels mark a move into fiction.

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