JOHN MCCAIN

John McCain, Mark SalterJohn McCain is one of the most admired leaders in the United States government, but his deeply felt memoir of family and war is not a political one and ends before his election to Congress. With candor and ennobling power, McCain tells a story that, in the words of Newsweek, "makes the other presidential candidates look like pygmies." John McCain learned about life and honor from his grandfather and father, both four-star admirals in the U.S. Navy. This is a memoir about their lives, their heroism, and the ways that sons are shaped and enriched by their fathers. John McCain's grandfather was a gaunt, hawk-faced man known as Slew by his fellow officers and, affectionately, as Popeye by the sailors who served under him. McCain Sr. played the horses, drank bourbon and water, and rolled his own cigarettes with one hand. More significant, he was one of the navy's greatest commanders, and led the strongest aircraft carrier force of the Third Fleet in key battles during World War II. John McCain's father followed a similar path, equally distinguished by heroic service in the navy, as a submarine commander during World War II. McCain Jr. was a slightly built man, but like his father, he earned the respect and affection of his men. He, too, rose to the rank of four-star admiral, making the McCains the first family in American history to achieve that distinction. McCain Jr.'s final assignment was as commander of all U.S. forces in the Pacific during the Vietnam War. Itwas in the Vietnam War that John McCain III faced the most difficult challenge of his life. A naval aviator, he was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 and seriously injured. When Vietnamese military officers realized he was the son of a top commander, they offered McCain early release in an effort to embarrass the United States. Acting from a sense of honor taught him by his father and the U.S. Naval Academy, McCain refused the offer. He was tortured, held in solitary confinement, and imprisoned for five and a half years. Faith of My Fathers is about what McCain learned from his grandfather and father, and how their example enabled him to survive those hard years. It is a story of three imperfect men who faced adversity and emerged with their honor intact. Ultim

A personal history of war from bestselling authors John McCain and Mark Salter, told through the stories of thirteen remarkable American soldiers who fought in the nations major military conflicts, from the Revolution of 1776 through the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.As a veteran himself, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and a long-time student of history, John McCain brings a distinctive perspective to the experience of war. With Mark Salter, Thirteen Soldiers tells the stories of real soldiers who personify valor, obedience, enterprise, and love. Youll meet Joseph Plumb Martin, who at the tender age of fifteen fought in the Revolutionary War; Charles Black, a freeborn African American sailor in the War of 1812; and Sam Chamberlain, of the Mexican American War, whose life inspired novelist Cormac McCarthy. Then theres Oliver Wendell Holmes, an aristocratic idealist disillusioned by the Civil War, and Littleton Tony Waller, court-martialed for refusing to massacre Filipino civilians.Each story illustrates a particular aspect of war, such as Mary Rhoads, an Army reservist forever changed by an Iraqi scud missile attack during the Persian Gulf War; Monica Lin Brown, a frontline medic in rural Afghanistan who saved several lives in a convoy ambush; and Michael Monsoor, a Navy SEAL, who smothered a grenade before it could detonate on his men in Iraq. From their acts of self-sacrifice to their astonishing valor in the face of unimaginable danger, these inspirational accounts of thirteen Americans who fought in various warsaptly reveal humanizing moments in such theaters of cruelty (Publishers Weekly).

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Senator John McCains deeply moving memoir is the story of three generations of warriors and the ways that sons are shaped and enriched by their fathers.John McCains grandfather, a four-star admiral and one of the navys greatest commanders, led the strongest aircraft carrier force of the Third Fleet during World War II. McCains father, also a four-star admiral, served as commander of all U.S. forces in the Pacific during the Vietnam War.It was in Vietnam that John McCain III faced the most difficult challenge of his life. A naval aviator, he was shot down over Hanoi in 1967. Recognized as the son of a top commander, McCain was tortured and imprisoned for five and a half years. Despite this, he refused Vietnamese offers of an early release. What McCain learned from his grandfather and father enabled him to survive those hard years.A testament to the power of human endurance, Faith of My Fathers is the story of three men who fought for their country with courage and emerged with their honor intact.Praise for Faith of My FathersA thoughtful first-person take on survival, both physical and psychological . . . hard to top and impossible to read without being moved.USA Today A candid, moving, and entertaining memoir . . . impressive and inspiring, the story of a man touched and molded by fire who loved and served his country in a time of great trouble, suffering, and challenge.Kirkus Reviews A serious, utterly gripping account of faith, fathers, and the military.Publishers Weekly (starred review) Faith of My Fathers may also appeal to those who flocked to Saving Private Ryan and kept Brokaws The Greatest Generation near the top of the bestseller lists.Library Journal Faith of My Fathers is the powerful story of a war hero. In it we learn much of what matters most. As prisoner (and later Senator) McCain instructs us: Glory is not an end in itself, but rather a reward for valor and faith. And the greatest freedom and human fulfillment comes from engaging in a noble enterprise larger than oneself. Faith of My Fathers teaches deep truths that are valid in any age but that warrant special attention in our own.William J. Bennett

NATIONAL BESTSELLER Senator John McCain tells the story of his great American journey, from the U.S. Navy to his electrifying campaign for the presidency in 2000, interwoven with heartfelt portraits of the mavericks who have inspired him through the years. After five and a half years as a prisoner of war in Vietnam, naval aviator John McCain returned home a changed man. Regaining his health and flight-eligibility status, he resumed his military career, commanding carrier pilots and serving as the navys liaison to what is sometimes ironically called the worlds most exclusive club, the United States Senate. Accompanying Senators John Tower and Henry Scoop Jackson on international trips, McCain began his political education in the company of two masters, leaders whose standards he would strive to maintain upon his election to the U.S. Congress. There, he learned valuable lessons in cooperation from a good-humored congressman from the other party, Morris Udall. In 1986, McCain was elected to the U.S. Senate, inheriting the seat of another role model, Barry Goldwater. During his time in public office, McCain has seen acts of principle and acts of craven self-interest. He describes both extremes in these pages, with his characteristic straight talk and humor. He writes honestly of the lowest point in his career, the Keating Five savings and loan debacle, as well as his triumphant momentshis return to Vietnam and his efforts to normalize relations between the U.S. and Vietnamese governments; his fight for campaign finance reform; and his galvanizing bid for the presidency in 2000. Writes McCain: A rebel without a cause is just a punk. Whatever youre calledrebel, unorthodox, nonconformist, radicalits all self-indulgence without a good cause to give your life meaning. This is the story of McCains causes, the people who made him do it, and the meaning he found. Worth the Fighting For reminds us of whats best in America, and in ourselves.Praise for Worth the Fighting ForWhen [John] McCain writes of people and patriotism, his pages shine with a devotion, a loving awe, that makes Worth the Fighting For worth the shelling out for. . . . McCain the man remains one of the most inspiring public figures of his generation.Jonathan Raunch, The Washington Post[An] unpredictable, outspoken memoir . . . a testimonial to heroism from someone who has first-hand knowledge of what it takes.The New York Times

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In this inspiring meditation on courage, Senator John McCain shares his most cherished stories of ordinary individuals who have risked everything to defend the people and principles they hold most dear. We are taught to understand, correctly, that courage is not the absence of fear but the capacity for action despite our fears, McCain reminds us, as a way of introducing the stories of gures both famous and obscure that he nds most compellingfrom the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to Sgt. Roy Benavidez, who ignored his own well-being to rescue eight of his men from an ambush in the Vietnam jungle; from 1960s civil rights leader John Lewis, who wrote, When I care about something, Im prepared to take the long, hard road, to Hannah Senesh, who, in protecting her comrades in the Hungarian resistance against Hitlers SS, chose a martyrs death over a despots mercy. These are some of the examples McCain turns to for inspiration and offers to others to help them summon the resolve to be both good and great. He explains the value of courage in both everyday actions and extraordinary feats. We learn why moral principles and physical courage are often not distinct quantities but two sides of the same coin. Most of all, readers discover how sometimes simply setting the right example can be the ultimate act of courage. Written by one of our most respected public gures, Why Courage Matters is that rare book with a message both timely and timeless. This is a work for anyone seeking to understand how the mystery and gift of courage can empower us and change our lives.Praise for Why Courage Matters[John] McCain the man remains one of the most inspiring public figures of his generation.The Washington Post Book WorldThrilling . . . John McCains profiles in courage offer inspiration. . . . A marvelous collection of stories featuring honest-to-God heroes.Fort Worth Star-TelegramExtraordinary . . . McCain proves how courage can change lives and improve the world.New York Daily News[McCain] is open and candid, a refuge from spin and arrogance.The Washington PostWise words from a man who personifies courage.The Sunday Oklahoman

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERHistory matters to McCain, and for him America is and was about its promise. The book is his farewell address, a mixture of the personal and the political. I have loved my life, he writes. All of it. The Restless Wave is a fitting valedictory for a man who seldom backed down. The GuardianA book-length meditation on what it means to face the hard challenges of long life and the sobering likelihood of imminent deathA reflection on hardship, a homily on purpose, a celebration of lifeand a challenge to Americans to live up to their values and founding principles at a time when both are in jeopardy. The Boston GlobeIn this candid political memoir from Senator John McCain, an American hero reflects on his life, public service, country, courage, and what matters most.I dont know how much longer Ill be here. Maybe Ill have another five yearsMaybe Ill be gone before you read this. My predicament is, well, rather unpredictable. But Im prepared for either contingency, or at least Im getting prepared. I have some things Id like to take care of first, some work that needs finishing, and some people I need to see. And I want to talk to my fellow Americans a little more if I may. So writes John McCain in this inspiring, moving, frank, and deeply personal memoir. Written while confronting a mortal illness, McCain looks back with appreciation on his years in the Senate, his historic 2008 campaign for the presidency against Barack Obama, and his crusades on behalf of democracy and human rights in Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Always the fighter, McCain attacks the spurious nationalism and political polarization afflicting American policy. He makes an impassioned case for democratic internationalism and bipartisanship. He recalls his disagreements with several presidents, and minces no words in his objections to some of President Trumps statements and policies. At the same time, he tells stories of his most satisfying moments of public service and offers a positive vision of America that looks beyond the Trump presidency. The Restless Wave is John McCain at his best.