A review by krism
The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

3.0

I found this book excellent in some parts, but not so much in others so I did a lot of skimming. Still it was an interesting look at the birth of aviation industry and the Wright Brothers. The Wrights are icons of the American spirit- hard working, innovative, honest, resilient, and self-educated. Neither went to college and Orville didn't finish high school. As children, they took apart and reassembled their toys. A toy helicopter from France was instrumental in their interest in flying. They ran a bicycle repair and sales shop while they were inventing their "flying machine" and worked exceedingly long hours. While they often disagreed about their inventions, they always presented a unified front. For years, people scoffed at their efforts but they persisted. Wilbur was a better speaker/sales person so he took the lead in speaking at events and in negotiations. The book provided a good look at their business partnership (hard to maintain with a family member you live with!), innovation processes, and the work behind selling their idea and handling public relations.

I enjoyed learning about aviation and the mechanics and physics behind flight, but these were the parts of the book I found tedious. Too much detail for me but I think McCullough was right in including it all in the book.