Faith of My Fathers

New York: Random House, 1999. Sixth printing [stated]. Hardcover. Very good/Very good. Andy Carpenter (Jacket Design). xi, [1], 349, [7] pages. Illustrations. Acid-free paper. Slight wear to DJ edges. Inscribed by John McCain on half title page. John Sidney McCain III (born August 29, 1936) is an American politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Arizona, a seat he was first elected to in 1986. He was the Republican nominee for President of the United States in the 2008 election, which he lost to Barack Obama. McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and followed his father and grandfather—both four-star admirals—into the U.S. Navy. He became a naval aviator and flew ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. While McCain was on a bombing mission over Hanoi in October 1967, he was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war until 1973. McCain experienced episodes of torture and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer. The wounds left him with lifelong physical disabilities. In 1982, McCain was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served two terms. He entered the U.S. Senate in 1987 and easily won reelection five times, most recently in 2016. Mark Salter (born 1955) is an American speechwriter from Davenport, Iowa, known for his collaborations with United States Senator John McCain on several nonfiction books as well as on political speeches. Salter also served as McCain's chief of staff for a while, although he had left that position by 2008. Salter was often been referred to as McCain's "alter ego". McCain has always given Salter front-cover credit for his writing work, and also splits income from the books with Salter evenly. That even split is a rarity in the political world. Derived from a Kirkus review: A candid, moving, and entertaining memoir by the US senator from Arizona. Aided by Salter, his legislative assistant since 1989, McCain writes of growing up with his sister and brother as navy "brats,— constantly moving from school to school as their devoted mother filled in the educational cracks at home. He was strongly influenced by his father and grandfather, both four-star admirals, honest, brave, and loyal men with normal human imperfections. An individualist to the core, McCain chafed under the discipline of the US Naval Academy, constantly challenging petty rules he considered unnecessary in the making of an officer. Shot down and captured near Hanoi, McCain suffered more than five years of beatings and torture. Feisty as ever, the POW made it worse for himself by resisting his captors as much as he could, holding onto the steely resolve of his role models, —the faith of his fathers.— He still regrets his single breakdown under severe pain; he feels that Vietnam matured him, strengthened his confidence, and forced him to look at his failures, while seeing opportunities for redemption. Impressive and inspiring, the story of a man molded by fire who served his country in a time of suffering and challenge.