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jdtangney's review against another edition
4.0
A delightfully engaging read, compelling and engrossing.
glenden4411's review against another edition
5.0
I was pleasantly surprised at the interesting stories about these two men.. Well written- I have liked his other biographies also.
ilovestory's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent as always, as expected from David McCullough. I resisted reading for quite some time as I am not overly interested in the birth of the airplane. However, the book went on sale and I am so glad I grabbed it and read it. Wilbur and Orville, and their sister prove that if you find your path and work hard enough at it you can have more success than you ever dreamed possible.
It is hard to believe that from where they started, spending hours studying the flight of birds, figuring out -- with no college education or particular training -- how to master the wind, we were able to send a man to the moon only 65 or so years later.
It is hard to believe that from where they started, spending hours studying the flight of birds, figuring out -- with no college education or particular training -- how to master the wind, we were able to send a man to the moon only 65 or so years later.
bupdaddy's review against another edition
4.0
Really enjoyed this one. McCullough does a great job of showing why the Wright Brothers succeeded and what their accomplishment meant.
December 17, 1903 wasn't that important a day for the brothers - sure, it was a smashing success, but they really saw what they did on a continuum, and overall mastery of the air came later over fields near Dayton, Ohio. If the Wright Brothers had declared their project done when they flew at Kitty Hawk, they'd not be remembered as the inventors of the airplane. Nor should they have been. What was more important than getting off the ground on one windy day was being able to get off the ground in many kinds of conditions, repeatably, and getting where one wanted in the air.
Anyway, good book. Good feels.
December 17, 1903 wasn't that important a day for the brothers - sure, it was a smashing success, but they really saw what they did on a continuum, and overall mastery of the air came later over fields near Dayton, Ohio. If the Wright Brothers had declared their project done when they flew at Kitty Hawk, they'd not be remembered as the inventors of the airplane. Nor should they have been. What was more important than getting off the ground on one windy day was being able to get off the ground in many kinds of conditions, repeatably, and getting where one wanted in the air.
Anyway, good book. Good feels.
littletaiko's review against another edition
5.0
I had forgotten how well McCullough can tell a story. Granted in this case, the Wright Brothers and their accomplishments are so fascinating it should be hard to write a boring story about them. While I obviously knew about their being the first in flight, I had never stopped to consider what an accomplishment that really was. The amount of time, effort, and brains that went into their creation is astounding. I highly recommend this book.
johndiconsiglio's review against another edition
3.0
There’s nothing especially dramatic or compelling about the Brothers Wilbur & Orville. Their personalities are almost intentionally drab. No secret love children or alcoholic tantrums. Shame, because the upright Wrights are a bit of a bore. Ever the pop historian, McCullough works hard to equate their Midwestern stoicism with American ingenuity. His level of detail is remarkable, down to the layers of sawdust on their workroom floor. Some fun with the history of crackpot flying machines. Great photos. But, ultimately, the pioneers of flight were grounded men. Where’s a tawdry sex scandal when you need one?