Faith of My Fathers

Starred review from August 2, 1999
As the 2000 presidential campaign heats up, Republican hopeful McCain, the senior senator from Arizona, weighs in with the most engrossing book to appear in a long time from a presidential candidate. Writing with Salter, his administrative assistant, McCain carefully avoids the pitfalls of self-promotion, knowing that he has a larger, more interesting story to tell than merely why he wants to be president. McCain is famous for the five years he endured as a prisoner in the Hanoi Hilton, the most notorious POW camp in Vietnam. Less well known are two other John McCains: his father and grandfather, both of whom served as admirals in the U.S. Navy. The military service of all three men forms the basis of this gripping, heartfelt reflection on war and naval culture. McCain's grandfather was a legendary old salt, a hard-drinking gambler who fought in WWII next to giants like Nimitz and Halsey. McCain's father was a submarine commander who rose to become commander of all U.S. forces in the Pacific during the Vietnam War. Almost half the book is devoted to McCain's grueling tenure as a POW. When he was shot down over Hanoi in 1967, he broke both arms, one shoulder and one knee. During his imprisonment, McCain was tortured repeatedly and frequently locked in solitary confinement. The faith McCain avows is a simple one: "in God, country, and each other"--each other being his comrades at the Hanoi Hilton and, later, his fellow citizens. McCain's memoir is too good to be dismissed as simply another campaign book. It is a serious, utterly engrossing account of faith, fathers and military tradition.

May 1, 1999
Not a political biography, this title recounts the early life of Senator McCain (R-AZ), son and grandson of four-star admirals and a POW in Vietnam for five and a half years.

Copyright 1999 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 1999
Yes, campaign season looms, but this "family memoir" from presidential candidate McCain, Republican senator from Arizona, is not the usual cut-and-paste "please vote for me" quickie. Instead, with the help of longtime aide Salter, McCain examines the lives of his grandfather and father--both four-star admirals--and how their lessons helped him through his years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. The elder McCains were notable officers: John Sidney McCain Sr. headed Admiral Halsey's fast carrier task force in the latter days of World War II; McCain Jr. became CINCPAC--Commander in Chief, Pacific Region--in 1968, by which time his naval aviator son was already in a North Vietnamese prison. The elder McCains share roughly a third of the book; the balance covers the senator's life through his return from Vietnam. The book's obvious target (beyond McCain's campaign supporters) is Vietnam vets, and Random House's promotional plans are directed at them. With the story of the elder McCains, however, "Faith of My Fathers" may also appeal to those who flocked to "Saving Private Ryan" at the multiplex and kept Brokaw's "Greatest Generation" near the top of the best-seller lists. One need not agree with the author's generally conservative political opinions (about Vietnam as well as contemporary issues) to find this narrative of three generations of navy officers interesting. ((Reviewed July 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)

August 1, 1999
This is the story of the McCains, a family with a distinguished history of naval service: John Sr. (also known as Slew or Popeye), John Jr., and John III, the author and currently the senior U.S. senator from Arizona. Senator McCain pays homage to his grandfather and father by relating tales of their significant contributions in World War II and, in the case of John Jr., Vietnam. He also relates, in very moving ways, the high moral and professional standards that these two men set for him and how he tried to emulate their lives by attending the Naval Academy and pursuing a career in the navy as a pilot. Nearly half of the book deals with the senator's five and a half years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam, captured after his plane was shot down. The reader learns in some detail the horrors inflicted on the future senator but also how he was able to remain strong during his long incarceration. As he is seriously considering a presidential run, anyone interested in learning more about John McCain would be well advised to read this book.--Thomas J. Baldino, Wilkes Univ., Wilkes Barre, PA

Copyright 1999 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.