Author: John F. Ross
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publish Date: May 13, 2014
Source: I received a copy from the publisher; however, this did not affect my review.
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: " At the turn of the twentieth century two new technologies—the car and airplane—took the nation’s imagination by storm as they burst, like comets, into American life. The brave souls that leaped into these dangerous contraptions and pushed them to unexplored extremes became new American heroes: the race car driver and the flying ace.
No individual did more to create and intensify these raw new roles than the tall, gangly Eddie Rickenbacker, who defied death over and over with such courage and pluck that a generation of Americans came to know his face better than the president’s. The son of poor, German-speaking Swiss immigrants in Columbus, Ohio, Rickenbacker overcame the specter of his father’s violent death, a debilitating handicap, and, later, accusations of being a German spy, to become the American military ace of aces in World War I and a Medal of Honor recipient. He and his high-spirited, all-too-short-lived pilot comrades, created a new kind of aviation warfare, as they pushed their machines to the edge of destruction—and often over it—without parachutes, radios, or radar.
Enduring Courage is the electrifying story of the beginning of America’s love affair with speed—and how one man above all the rest showed a nation the way forward. No simple daredevil, he was an innovator on the racetrack, a skilled aerial dualist and squadron commander, and founder of Eastern Air Lines. Decades after his heroics against the Red Baron’s Flying Circus, he again showed a war-weary nation what it took to survive against nearly insurmountable odds when he and seven others e'ndured a harrowing three-week ordeal adrift without food or water in the Pacific during World War II.
My Two Cents:
Enduring Courage" is the story of Eddie Rickenbacker, a true daredevil and renaissance man. Born in an age where people were just beginning to drive and own cars, Eddie thirsted for adventure and daring. From car racing to piloting dangerous planes, there was nothing that Eddie was not willing to do. This guy defined courage and his name has largely been lost to history. This book looks at his amazing life and gives you someone to cheer for!
Eddie Rickenbacker is one of those people where his life is so amazing and so outlandish that he almost seems like he should be a fictional character rather than a real person. I read a lot of this book with my mouth agape as Rickenbacker went through so much in this book. In some ways, this book reminds me a lot of Laura Hillenbrand's "Unbroken." This book as with that one have so many amazing stories that will keep you reading just to see what happens next. Rickenbacker is definitely larger than life and I really enjoyed reading about him.
The writing of this book is really good. In many places, it read very much like a novel. There is detail, drama, and flair and I loved it. Eddie Rickenbacker is someone that I know that I'm going to be thinking about long after I read the last page. This book will appeal to people who like fascinating characters, history, and amazing adventure. I'm definitely going to be passing this book around to my friends and family!"
I've seen this one and thought it sounded interesting. Your comparison to Unbroken pretty much makes it a 'must read'!
ReplyDeleteIt is kind of sad to me how many of these amazing people like Eddie in this book and Louis in Unbroken have been almost lost to history! These gentlemen were fascinating!
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