Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir

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Editorial Reviews:

Amazon.com Review
Books by politicians are not often worth reading, but John McCain's Faith of My Fathers is an astonishing exception to the rule. The Republican senator from Arizona has a remarkable story to tell--better than just about any of his peers--and he tells it well, with crisp prose and an unexpected sense for narrative pacing. The first half of the book concerns his naval forbears: his grandfather commanded an aircraft carrier in the Second World War, while his father presided over all naval forces in the Pacific during the Vietnam War. They were the first father-son admirals in American history. Young John McCain knew he had enormous shoes to fill and rebelled against many of the expectations set for him. At the Naval Academy, he was nearly expelled, graduating fifth from the bottom of his class. He never became an admiral, but achieved fame another way: as a naval aviator in 1967, he was shot down over North Vietnam and spent several years in POW camps, where he was beaten, tortured, and nearly allowed to die. McCain describes the awful details of his imprisonment and tells how he stayed mentally strong during seemingly endless months of solitary confinement and how he communicated in code with fellow captives. Faith of My Fathers concludes with McCain's release and contains no information about his subsequent political career. It is, nonetheless, a complete and compelling memoir of individual heroism--one that will interest both political and military history buffs. --John J. Miller

Product Description

Senator John McCain learned about life and honor from his grandfather and father, both four-star admirals in the U.S. Navy. Faith of My Fathers is about how their lessons enabled McCain to survive the greatest challenge of his life—when, as a naval aviator, he was shot down over Hanoi in 1967, seriously wounded, and imprisoned for more than five years.

Told with humility, grace, and humor, it is a story of three imperfect men who faced adversity—and emerged with their honor intact.

Customer Reviews: Read 228 more reviews...

4 out of 5 stars

A True American Hero in a Self-Absorbed Age February 12, 2000
132 out of 142 found this review helpful

This book contains quite a bit of military history and military details that some readers will not find interesting. I am one of those people; nevertheless, I found McCain's book delightful overall. It is inspiring to read the life story of a man who lives for something greater than himself, and has the humility to give extensive credit to his forefathers and his fellow POWS, many of whom he mentions by name. McCain tells his story with the help of a professional writer (one online reviewer, who obviously never read this book, says the book couldn't have been written by McCain because he wouldn't have had the time--and that that must be evidence of the man's inauthenticity!) In fact, Faith of My Fathers is full of credit graciously given to a vast array of friends and associates, including his ghostwriter. Today, McCain's once-athletic body still shows evidence of the abuse and torture he suffered. In a self-absorbed age with few heroes, we need to hear more from men of conviction, character and courage like John McCain. It inspires us to push on, regardless of the cost or of the disabilities with which we struggle.

4 out of 5 stars

Inspiring story of courage not seen often in the 90s November 30, 1999
45 out of 49 found this review helpful

While John McCain's politics are too conservative for me, he still gets my attention for this inspiring story. Parts of his father and grandfather's stories could have been shortened to concentrate more on his struggle in Vietnam. His admission that the North Vietnamese did break him shows his honesty and the depths of his mental struggle. I applaud this valuable American and recommend this book.

5 out of 5 stars

Yesterday's pain impacts tomorrow's service to generations February 16, 2000
38 out of 40 found this review helpful

Dealing with the realities of today and the promise of tomorrow we often forget yesterday. As a young army wife with a husband that served two tours in Nam and the mother of a Gulf era veteran reading this book rekindled the memories of the struggle of that horrible time. We do ourselves a dis service if we forget that war. John McCain's description of his captivity is an inspiration that will help me with my focus on our role of peackeeper in this world. I wore his bracelet and prayed for him as a POW, said a thanksgiving prayer when the POWs came home.Now I say thank you for writing a book that won't forget this war of yesterday as we pray that our sons and daughters will never face this ordeal.

5 out of 5 stars

An outstanding book no matter what your politics February 12, 2000
31 out of 32 found this review helpful

My wife read this book and kept after me to read it too. At first I did not want to read it because I thought it was another book by a man with a political agenda. After I finally picked it up I could not put it down -- this book is very good. This book reminds me of Baa Baa Blacksheep (A book about a pilot from a different war who was shot down in the Pacific and faced hard times as a POW). Both books tell it like it is. McCain does not try to pretend that he is a saint and candidly tells of his errors in life. The book, however, is about more than McCain it is also about his remarkable family and, more importantly, about his fellow POWs. McCain does not try to pretend that he was America's best POW. In fact, he seems upset by feelings that he was treated better than the other POWs because of his father's rank. While McCain plays down his own acts, he describes in detail the extraordinary acts of heroism of his fellow POWs. If you read this book for no other reason, you should read it for the stories that describe how our fighting men honored themselves and this country by refusing to cooperate with the enemy.

5 out of 5 stars

Amazed by an honest man February 5, 2000
28 out of 29 found this review helpful

Amazing book. Not only did John withstand Vietnamese torture for five years, but also dealt with personal tragedy upon his arrival back in the States. This is a true success story based on the principals on which this country was founded. John McCain has my vote for President of this great country not only because of his experience, but more importantly because of his character. We should be so lucky to have a man of his convictions in the White House. God bless you, John. You make me proud to be an American again!

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