I read Fields of Fire and Born Fighting, then decided to work my way through all of Webb's books.  I've read The Emperor's General, A Sense of Honor, and A Country Such as This.  Right now I'm making my way through Something to Die For and managed to find a copy of Lost Soldiers in a used bookstore.  That will be last on the list.  By the way, no wonder it took the Allen campaign so long to find the naughty bits in Webb's writing because there's very little of it.  No titillation there, just context and the sometimes perplexing, often destructive, actions of the books' characters.  

Webb's books are not bodice-rippers or beach reads.  The writing is straightforward and uncomplicated, but the issues faced by the characters are often much larger than themselves and leave them confounded and wounded.  Quite often one or more characters understands that there are forces moving and affecting him/her, who sometimes gain insight into what is really going on in a complex situation, but can do little to stop the inexorable march toward disaster.  These are not happy books.  I found Fields of Fire devastating.  In Something to Die For I am already marveling at Webb's prescience about military action launched on pretextual, flimsy grounds, directed by non-military DOD technocrats with little understanding and no sympathy for the military they put in harm's way.  Ego and hubris are major themes in these books and often come into play with catastrophic results.  

Another book I found enormously illuminating was The Nightingale's Song by Robert Timberg.  This terrific book attempts to put the Iran-Contra affair into context and along the way introduces us to the backgrounds and actions of Ollie North, John McCain, Jim Webb, Robert McNamara, and  Bud McFarland.    

I'm embarassed to admit that I still haven't read "Fields of Fire."  That's next on my priority list.

P.S. I agree, the Timburg book is excellent!

The best non-fiction book I've read in years.

one of the five men highlighted in it.  It's well worth the read and I wish Timberg would issue a second edition with an update on each man.  Of particular interest to me was the consistency within Jim Webb's character, from his earliest days, and the proof positive it presents that he is no late-comer to his progressive ideas.  

For anyone thinking of reading Webb's books I would suggest that you read Born Fighting and The Nightingale's Song first, particularly The Nightingale's Song.  He weaves many of the incidents that have occurred in his own life into his fiction, with fascinating results.  

until I read the response to my diary.  Catzmaw, I really appreciate your post...I plan to read to it very soon.  I'm pretty excited I got some feedback on my first diary.  Lowell, Thank you for the encouraging me to make a diary.

Guarantee you'll consider it the best book buy you've made this year.  It's extremely well-researched, well-documented, and has endnotes and bibliographical references for every chapter.  The author also conducted dozens of interviews both with his subjects and the people who knew them best.

Good first diary.  Keep 'em coming.

I just finished Fields of Fire a few days ago, and you're so right that its a devastating read.  But I couldn't put it down.  Born Fighting was the first book I read, as soon as he announced he'd run but I need to read it again, a little more slowly this time!  Like you, I'm working my way through his books and found that by starting with The Nightengale's Song, I got a good sense of Jim Webb the young man--its a fantastic book.  Also provides good insight into John McCain.  

I wonder if any of us really knew the gem of a leader we were getting when he took the leap to run for office.  He continues to exceed expectations.