bookitmik's review against another edition
3.0
Eh. These type of narrow focused history books seem so antiquated. This is basically 3 separate biographies interspersed in the most confusing way possible. There’s no interweaving of the stories of the men and the timeline jumps back and forth to tell each of the lives independently.
jonesannleslie's review against another edition
5.0
Just finished the advanced readers edition. Each of these three men has a compelling story and the author weaves their lives together and coveys an enormous amount if information. Nonfiction at its finest.
librariann's review against another edition
4.0
Being a pilot in the first 40 years of flight was BALLS OUT.
Excellent vacation book, although perhaps a bit too grand in scope. I might need to read a whole book on each Rickenbacker and Lindbergh.
Excellent vacation book, although perhaps a bit too grand in scope. I might need to read a whole book on each Rickenbacker and Lindbergh.
balzat28's review against another edition
4.0
For whatever reason, 2013 saw renewed interest in Charles Lindbergh, to the point where reading about him--sometimes on his own, sometimes as part of a larger historical narrative--became downright nauseating. (As a simple man almost entirely focused on aviation, Lindbergh and his accomplishment become tiresome almost immediately.) Lynne's Olsen's Those Angry Days attempted to depict Lindbergh and Franlin Delano Roosevelt as lead opponents in the run-up to World War II, with Lindbergh the isolationist and Roosevelt the interventionist; needless to say, Olson's attempt at making both men into bitter adversaries fell a little flat--the two men only met once, and both had greater antagonists beyond each other. Lindbergh's crossing of the Atlantic Ocean featured prominently in Bill Bryson's One Summer: America 1927, though Bryson's focus on that year's many key players--Coolidge, Capone, Ruth, Byrd, Ford, Dempsey, Sacco and Vanetti--allowed him to weave a grand quilt without over-indulging in too much of one figure or the other. And Richard Moe's Roosevelt's Second Act, concerning Roosevelt's unprecedented push for a third presidential term, coupled with the growing war in Europe, assigned Lindbergh to supporting-actor status, if that, though he was still treated as though he and Roosevelt were opponents in a public-opinion boxing match.
Winston Groom's The Aviators does right not only by Lindbergh but by history itself. His three subjects--Eddie Rickenbacker, Charles Lindbergh, and Jimmy Doolittle--were all pioneering aviators alive at roughly the same time who each had a direct and profound impact on World War II...and other than a slight mention of their similarities in the book's opening pages, which includes the role played by an absent or deceased father during their formative years, Groom leaves them alone to follow their own historical paths without forcing each of their narrative paths to cross. Groom could easily have turned his book into a thesis on aviation supported by the connections between each man--in fact, his lengthy subtitle seems to suggest this is the focus of his just-as-lengthy work--but he keeps them separated, not just by their roles in the same world events, but in chapters all their own. Rarely if ever throughout the 450-plus pages of Groom's book do the men meet, even in rhetorical flourishes, and everyone--Groom, his subjects, and his readers--are better for it.
This review was originally published at There Will Be Books Galore.
Winston Groom's The Aviators does right not only by Lindbergh but by history itself. His three subjects--Eddie Rickenbacker, Charles Lindbergh, and Jimmy Doolittle--were all pioneering aviators alive at roughly the same time who each had a direct and profound impact on World War II...and other than a slight mention of their similarities in the book's opening pages, which includes the role played by an absent or deceased father during their formative years, Groom leaves them alone to follow their own historical paths without forcing each of their narrative paths to cross. Groom could easily have turned his book into a thesis on aviation supported by the connections between each man--in fact, his lengthy subtitle seems to suggest this is the focus of his just-as-lengthy work--but he keeps them separated, not just by their roles in the same world events, but in chapters all their own. Rarely if ever throughout the 450-plus pages of Groom's book do the men meet, even in rhetorical flourishes, and everyone--Groom, his subjects, and his readers--are better for it.
This review was originally published at There Will Be Books Galore.
ravenwolf_waf's review against another edition
4.0
It was great learning about these big names in aviation! My only issue, which clearly is a personal issue, was all the technical jargon. I got confused and zoned out in some parts of the story. Later, I looked up what they were talking about (I had the "Book on Tape" version so Googling while driving is frowned upon) so that helped somewhat. I am sure those more versed in planes would have no problems understanding words such as pitch, aileron, and red out. Other than that, I enjoyed the history aspect immensely.
mullinstreetzoo's review against another edition
4.0
I loved it! This period of history is so captivating! The stories of these men who were daring and intelligent makes me long for days when manhood was defined, it seems, a different way. To me, their courage is expressed not only in doing things that were incredibly dangerous, but in the courage of their convictions--in being bold enough to tell the truth as they saw it even when it was unpopular, to change direction when their opinions were proved wrong. (I know some reviewers are upset about historical errors in text. These don't bother me as much as they might others--they seem largely inconsequential to the thread of the story, but that's just me.)
vivamonty's review against another edition
4.0
An entertaining and informative jaunt through a very exciting time in history. Groom is a master storyteller who capably spins three biographies into one, using each thread to tell the larger story of early aviation. I was often on the edge of my seat, enthralled with the story's tension and blown away by the feats of courage it brings to life.
One semi-problematic fault though: Groom too often flutters close to hero worship, choosing to focus almost entirely on the aviators' heroic qualities while diminishing their wrinkles. Flattery is not innately problematic, but it's difficult to argue that Groom offers a thorough biography of Lindbergh (for example) when he brushes off his anti-semitism and elects not to mention his devotion to eugenics. That said, there is something to be said about Groom's insistence that the blemishes in these men's characters should not draw our attention too fully away from their invaluable contributions.
One semi-problematic fault though: Groom too often flutters close to hero worship, choosing to focus almost entirely on the aviators' heroic qualities while diminishing their wrinkles. Flattery is not innately problematic, but it's difficult to argue that Groom offers a thorough biography of Lindbergh (for example) when he brushes off his anti-semitism and elects not to mention his devotion to eugenics. That said, there is something to be said about Groom's insistence that the blemishes in these men's characters should not draw our attention too fully away from their invaluable contributions.
captainjaq's review against another edition
4.0
Oh the things you thought you knew...
Winston Groom let's you know in this incredibly well-researched book looking at the lives of three of aviation's greatest heroes: Eddie Rickenbacker, Charles Lindbergh and Jimmy Doolittle. the book is structured in alternating chapters, taking us through each of the flyer's lives up to and including their WWII service, but these stories almost never intersect. There is one or two mentions of the men meeting for dinner but in effect, we're getting three parallel stories, similar to Erik Larsen's The Devil in the White City. And those three stories are incredibly fascinating.
Rickenbacker is the World War I "Ace of Aces," credited with more air kills than any other pilot. His wartime record and subsequent work as an advocate for commercial airline success (he was the head of Eastern Airlines for some 40 years), not to mention his winning personality and his ability to energize any of the groups he was in front of a motivational speaker, mark him as a major player.
Doolittle, a PhD in aviation as well as a respected pilot an the orchestrator of the "Raid over Tokyo" brought aviation into the modern era by pushing the limits of the machine as well as helping to develop and test aviation instruments, essential for a commercial industry as well as pilot safety.
Lindbergh, arguably the most famous of the three, is the man who first flew single-handedly across the Atlantic ocean, New York to Paris, thus proving it could be done. His first son was also the victim of a horrible kidnapping, the first "crime of the century" followed by the "Trial of the Century" when a suspect was apprehended. He was also the most controversial of the group, supporting a position of non-intervention in the second world war and being branded a traitor and anti-semite in the papers and public opinion.
All three are fascinating, complex men and Groom does a great job of bringing them to life. What he doesn't do as well is giving us any insight into those lives. As I said, this book is incredibly well-researched, but there's no analysis present, no furthering observations, no speculation on what may have driven them to do what they did. The sole, partial exception to this is Lindbergh, but I suspect that has more to do with the fact there are exponentially more books written about "Lucky Lindy" then the other two combined. Even then, Groom seems to take his own assertions for granted, blithely stating as fact when he thinks history got something wrong about Lindbergh but with little or no supporting documentation to back him up.
Winston Groom let's you know in this incredibly well-researched book looking at the lives of three of aviation's greatest heroes: Eddie Rickenbacker, Charles Lindbergh and Jimmy Doolittle. the book is structured in alternating chapters, taking us through each of the flyer's lives up to and including their WWII service, but these stories almost never intersect. There is one or two mentions of the men meeting for dinner but in effect, we're getting three parallel stories, similar to Erik Larsen's The Devil in the White City. And those three stories are incredibly fascinating.
Rickenbacker is the World War I "Ace of Aces," credited with more air kills than any other pilot. His wartime record and subsequent work as an advocate for commercial airline success (he was the head of Eastern Airlines for some 40 years), not to mention his winning personality and his ability to energize any of the groups he was in front of a motivational speaker, mark him as a major player.
Doolittle, a PhD in aviation as well as a respected pilot an the orchestrator of the "Raid over Tokyo" brought aviation into the modern era by pushing the limits of the machine as well as helping to develop and test aviation instruments, essential for a commercial industry as well as pilot safety.
Lindbergh, arguably the most famous of the three, is the man who first flew single-handedly across the Atlantic ocean, New York to Paris, thus proving it could be done. His first son was also the victim of a horrible kidnapping, the first "crime of the century" followed by the "Trial of the Century" when a suspect was apprehended. He was also the most controversial of the group, supporting a position of non-intervention in the second world war and being branded a traitor and anti-semite in the papers and public opinion.
All three are fascinating, complex men and Groom does a great job of bringing them to life. What he doesn't do as well is giving us any insight into those lives. As I said, this book is incredibly well-researched, but there's no analysis present, no furthering observations, no speculation on what may have driven them to do what they did. The sole, partial exception to this is Lindbergh, but I suspect that has more to do with the fact there are exponentially more books written about "Lucky Lindy" then the other two combined. Even then, Groom seems to take his own assertions for granted, blithely stating as fact when he thinks history got something wrong about Lindbergh but with little or no supporting documentation to back him up.