Gates of Fire

Why it’s on the list: Pressfield’s Thermopylae, narrated by a squire who survived it — a novel read as a leadership text by enough militaries that it sits on official reading lists.

Where I saw it: In the reply thread to @typesfast’s question, “What’s the best history book you’ve read?” (June 5, 2025) — a crowd-sourced list Kyle recovered by hand and saved to his Apple Note “Books To Read”; the full set of replies lives on What’s the best history book… (tweet). It was listed there as “Gates of Fire by Pressfield”.

Connections

• Steven Pressfield — Author.
• War — The subject.
• Leadership — Why it keeps turning up on professional reading lists.
• What’s the best history book… (tweet) — the thread this recommendation came from.