Binding: Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number: 973.90922 EAN: 9780375408472 Format: Large Print ISBN: 0375408479 Label: Random House Large Print Manufacturer: Random House Large Print Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 560 Publication Date: 1999-09-07 Publisher: Random House Large Print Release Date: 1999-09-07 Studio: Random House Large Print
John McCain is one of the most admired leaders in the United States government, but his deeply felt memoir of family and war is not a political one and ends before his election to Congress. With candor and ennobling power, McCain tells a story that, in the words of Newsweek, "makes the other presidential candidates look like pygmies." Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â John McCain learned about life and honor from his grandfather and father, both four-star admirals in the U.S. Navy. This is a memoir about their lives, their heroism, and the ways that sons are shaped and enriched by their fathers. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â John McCain's grandfather was a gaunt, hawk-faced man known as Slew by his fellow officers and, affectionately, as Popeye by the sailors who served under him. McCain Sr. played the horses, drank bourbon and water, and rolled his own cigarettes with one hand. More significant, he was one of the navy's greatest commanders, and led the strongest aircraft carrier force of the Third Fleet in key battles during World War II. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â John McCain's father followed a similar path, equally distinguished by heroic service in the navy, as a submarine commander during World War II. McCain Jr. was a slightly built man, but like his father, he earned the respect and affection of his men. He, too, rose to the rank of four-star admiral, making the McCains the first family in American history to achieve that distinction. McCain Jr.'s final assignment was as commander of all U.S. forces in the Pacific during the Vietnam War. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â It was in the Vietnam War that John McCain III faced the most difficult challenge of his life. A naval aviator, he was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 and seriously injured. When Vietnamese military officers realized he was the son of a top commander, they offered McCain early release in an effort to embarrass the United States. Acting from a sense of honor taught him by his father and the U.S. Naval Academy, McCain refused the offer. He was tortured, held in solitary confinement, and imprisoned for five and a half years. Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Faith of My Fathers is about what McCain learned from his grandfather and father, and how their example enabled him to survive those hard years. It is a story of three imperfect men who faced adversity and emerged with their honor intact. Ultimately, Faith of My Fathers shows us, with great feeling and appreciation, what fathers give to their sons, and what endures.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: 60% of it is surprisingly enticing. Comment: Oh John McCain, I do feel very bad that you've gone through so much. Perhaps you should have told Mr. Salter (the ex-security guard turned novelista) to focus more on that and less on the near one hundred pages of exposition touting your father and his father's accomplishments and quirky views on life. Everyone's familiar with the little piece of Americana that is the perpetually is-he-or-isn't-he-drunk father, and that exposition displays it in spades. However, we the readers would probably rather hear about the gritty, mind-numbingly foreign Hanoi Hotel and how you managed to stay sane (and proudly patriotic) in a situation that not many can even dare to sympathize with.
I was required to read this book for a college class (in one of the more moderate to extreme liberal universities in New York), and was pleasantly surprised at the better portions of the book. The writing is done well for what it is, descriptive in the same way a dictionary is. At times, it feels as if the prose should have a bit more "oomph". I mean, if you're going into detail about how fellow prisoners stayed sane through inhuman torture, then give credit where credit's due. Salter makes water torture sound like frying eggs for breakfast on a sleepy Thursday morning.
All in all a good read. A wonderful story, but sadly, probably less enticing now that the election's over. Second place is the first loser after all. Probably not worth buying in hard copy, too. Oh, and the cover is nice. (Is that bleached hair John is sporting in the 70's? How fierce.) Customer Rating: Summary: Compelling!!! Comment: I've had Faith of My Fathers on my shelf for a while, having previously lightly skimmed select portions of the book. In the wake of the recent election, however, I decided to go back and read the book cover to cover. I'm glad I did because I was enthralled throughout, though not in the traditional sense of a suspenseful mystery novel. To be honest, some of the early chapters which lay the foundation of his life and motivations are a bit of a grind to get through. What was undeniable, however, is that the pace picked up as the presentation of the candid and inspirational chronicle of McCain's life unfolded. While perhaps not riveting prose, it is clearly a compelling story of honor, duty, and principle. I'm thankful I went back and finally read the entire book. Customer Rating: Summary: Great Book Comment: I really loved this book. What an American hero John McCain was and still is. How he served our country should have been enough for the American people to vote for him as our next president. He is a strong spirit. I highly recommend this book. Customer Rating: Summary: Very Informative! Comment: Partly in an effort to better understand the presidential candidates in the 2008 election, I ordered this book on tape. Although it was a little tough getting through the technical military equipment descriptions (not having a military background myself}, it was great to hear it read by John McCain. When finished, I felt I had a much better insight into the man, his family and his service to this nation. There is no doubt in my mind he is a true American hero deserving of our respect and gratitude. Apparently, enough American voters decided they were willing to take their chances on someone else, that I will never know if John McCain would have stood by his principles as President. That saddens me, really, because McCain would have been in a unique position to "clean house" in Washington, D. C. with the help of a proven reformer at his side. However, I would definitely recommend Faith of My Fathers - particularly to those who served in the Navy or are military buffs. Customer Rating: Summary: JOHN MCCAIN'S FAITH OF MY FATHERS Comment: Even as a woman, I enjoyed reading Mr. McCain's book about his military career and his imprisonment in Vietnam POW camps. He is an extraordinary man. He is not the only war hero, but anyone who could endure what he went through has my respect and admiration. I like SPUNKY!!
