Kyle Harrison
to-read
The Bomber Mafia
The Bomber Mafia: A Dream, a Temptation, and the Longest Night of the Second World War
- Author
- Malcolm Gladwell
- Published
- 2021
- Pages
- 256
- Recommended
- Once
The Air Corps Tactical School officers who believed precision bombing could win a war bloodlessly, and Curtis LeMay, who abandoned the idea over Tokyo.
Why it’s on the list: Named in the historical-fiction thread, though it is non-fiction. A case study in a technology whose promise (the Norden bombsight) could not survive contact with weather, altitude and war.
Where I saw it: In Kyle’s “Books To Read” Apple Note, recovered from the reply thread to @moseskagan asking “What historical fiction should I read next? (Bonus points for something involving building or trade, rather than violence)” (April 13, 2025). The full recovered list lives on What historical fiction should I… (tweet).
Connections
- What historical fiction should I… (tweet) — the thread this came out of; the full recovered list lives there.
- Malcolm Gladwell — the author.
- World War II — the setting.