Enduring Courage: Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed

Man, what a life this guy had. He had more than nine lives for sure and you will understand why when you finish reading this book.I purchased this book because I wanted to learn about America's first Ace of Aces and what made him so good. Just about every biography starts off with the mandatory beginning of explaining the persons childhood which I always find a little boring and this book is no exception. But once you get through that and into how he started his race car days there is not a dull moment in the book or in his amazing life. I especially ordered this book so that I could learn more about his crash in the pacific during WWII and how he set the survival at sea record for a little while until another now famous Louis Zamperini surpassed it just a little while later in the war.The number one thing that I learned from this book was that Rickenbacker was not just a wild crazy former race car driver but also a natural born leader. My favorite high-light from the book was:Throughout history the best-prepared fighters in all of combat’s endlessly changing forms have faltered, stumbled, and failed without strong leadershipI highly recommend this book.

John F Ross, former editor of AMERICAN HERITAGE and SMITHSONIAN MAGAZINE has been an adventure/travel journalist and author for much of his adult life, writing more than 200 articles and at least six well-received books, including the award-winning WAR ON THE RUN: THE EPIC STORY OF ROBERT ROGERS AND THE CONQUEST OF AMERICA'S FIRST FRONTIER. His latest work deals with the full,eventful life of Eddie Rickenbacker, nee Rickenbacher, who was born in Columbus,Ohio to German-speaking Swiss immigrants at a key turning point in technological history.Near the end of this book (p. 319),Ross notes that "To his dying day in late July 1973, the then-octogenarian medal-of-honor-winning (1930) 'Ace of aces'[responsible for 26 verified 'kills'in WWI] insisted he was no hero, his extraordinary feats simply the results of the American way of life."Whether hero or not, it was [Eddie's]courage in extremity that served as a model for successive generations of explorers, adventurers, and warriors, from Charles Lindbergh and Jimmy Doolittle to Chuck Yeager and John Glenn, and an ever vaster host of risk takers, entrepreneurs and executives." Enduring numerous near-death experiences from his unhappy childhood to his cutting-edge flamboyance as a pioneer on the originally earthen, often-mud-sated automobile racetracks,and in those flimsy biplanes during WWI, Eddie (p. 320) "was many things -- daredevil,tinkerer [he was a self-taught master mechanic at a time when few knew anything about these revolutionary new machines], cool risk manager, improviser, showman,tactician, and [above all] a leader -- but always it was his enduring courage that shone like a beacon for the better part of a century, showing America what it could be and challenging it to get there."Victor L MoteProfessor emeritus of geography,Russian studies, and political science atThe University of Houston (1971-2011)Author of 150 scholarly publications, including:SIBERIA WORLDS APART (Boulder, CO: Westview/Perseus, 1998), 256 pp.;AN INDUSTRIAL ATLAS OF THE SOVIET SUCCESSOR STATES (Houston, TX: Industrial Information Resources, Inc., 1994), 300 pp.; andcoauthored with Theodore Shabad, GATEWAY TO SIBERIAN RESOURCES(New York: Wiley, 1977), 198 pp.

This is a terrific book. It is really three books in one: an extraordinary tale of fast race-car driving at the dawn of speed racing (Rickenbacker rode in the first Indy 500); an amazing tale of the ferocious dog-fighting in rickety and unreliable WWI bi-planes, during which Rickenbacker became America's ace-of-aces; and an incredible WWII tale of survival with a small party of men stranded on three lifeboats in the Pacific Ocean. My own personal favorite is the part about the race car driving--the races are tautly told, and the inherent danger in them nail-biting. The book is also a story of how a poor, ordinary boy from Ohio, with course language, could raise his standing in turn-of the-century America. Eddie Rickenbacker's great contribution, as ably told by the author, was how to be bold and go fast and furious in driving and flying airplanes, but also to understand his limits and not be reckless. He measured his risk and acted accordingly. A flyer who stayed alive was worth more than one who showed great courage but foolishly got himself shot down. Rickenbacker also passed this along to his fellow flyers as a leader of his squadron. The author is an excellent writer and knows just how to use colorful language (e.g., a "Jack-the-Ripper fog" enveloped London) and the action moves swiftly but smartly (like Rickenbacker himself). Highly recommended.

I read Rickenbacker’s autobiography about 50 years ago. This is less glamorous, but more accurate. I am glad I read this excellent retelling of his amazing life story.

An addictive read that kept me up past my bedtime every time I turned on the Kindle. The retelling of the fascinating history of the early days of automobiles and automobile racing is excellent. There is at least a great movie contained in these pages. More likely several and/or an HBO miniseries. Thanks to the author for fleshing out and re-introducing Eddie Rickenbacker to readers--a sadly forgotten catalyst of the maturing of America into the 20th century.

A must read if one wants to learn at the ground level about the early days of auto racing and to get a feel for the courage and daring of early aviators as it relates to WWI and the evolution of aircraft. Remarkable account of how Rickenbacker survived two plane crashes. The book tends to be a little uneven after Rickenbacker's WWI exploits, but that's understandable given the intensity and his remarkable and uncanny innate skills in the formative days of auto racing and aviation.

Remarkable story about one of the first race car driver and WWI Ace. Much info on early race car development and fighter pilots ang planes. Great look into the past.

This is a well written, exciting "read" about a classic American hero. It is difficult to believe one man crammed so much adventure into one life. It is also incredible that Eddie Rickenbacker lives a full life. He really did have the proverbial nine lives. There are two other Rickenbacker life stories, but this is the best yet. I heartedly recommend this book.

great book

Great book. But it was a library copy....not sure how it was acquired?