Rating: 
Summary: Good Commentary on a Rough Time
Review: I admire John McCain for the tremendous suffering he endured at the hands of his captors in Vietnam. I couldn't give this book 5 stars because it is a little too self-serving; the stuff about his father and grandfather isn't all that interesting. His experiences in the prisoner of war camp are. I wish he'd written more about that.
Rating: 
Summary: A surprisingly moving and touching memoir
Review: Initially, I decided to pick up "Faith of my Fathers" since it was John McCain's first memoir, and I wanted to read it before moving on to "Worth the Fighting For." I ended up reading one of those books that is just seared into the brain. I was absolutely blown away by "Faith of my Fathers". By providing the background of both his father and grandfather's Naval careers, I believe that it helped me better understand how McCain survived and persevered as a POW in a Vietnamese prison for over five years. His accounts of his time at the Naval Academy gave a really great description of how it must feel like to go through that experience at Annapolis. I can understand how difficult and testing it must have been to be trained under those circumstances especially with McCain's rambunctious type of personality. The most compelling part of the memoir was of course, McCain's imprisonment in Vietnam. I had no idea how harshly and brutally they treated American POWs! Before picking up his memoir, I had known that McCain was a POW, but after reading this memoir, I have a newfound respect and awe for this man who has survived so much. I was impressed by the honest voice with which John McCain narrated his life experiences. He acknowledged his personality flaws and mistakes he had made, and also shares with the reader the life lessons he's drawn from his unbelievable experiences. By the end of "Faith of my Fathers," I wish that I had the chance to make John McCain a personal friend! I found myself choking up several times while reading this book. There were beautiful stories of courage and honor, and I'm so glad that he was able to share those stories with the public. Of course, he also included some lighthearted moments he enjoyed as a POW...like the Movie Nights that he acted out for the rest of the POWS. hah I can't even imagine how funny these movies must have been when re-enacted by a one man show! John McCain's patriotism is admirable since it was created through tests of fire. Wow. I am so glad that John McCain decided to share his life experiences with the public. I can't wait to start "Worth the Fighting For"!
Rating:
Summary: A Proud Account of An Incredible Lineage
Review: John McCain comes from a long line of strong military men who possess incredible love of country, integrity, and above all, a steadfast sense of honor. As I read the accounts of true honor and loyalty in this book, I was stuck by how, by comparison, we nowadays constantly accept cheap imitations in their place. For instance, newspapers are littered with stories of useless politicians feigning heroism with meaningless proposals and hollow gestures, as well as accounts of protestors and activists whose greatest achievements are self-aggrandizement and self-promotion. These things are worlds apart from, and leagues below, those the lessons taught in Faith of My Fathers. For instance, the last third of the story relates in excruciating detail McCain's five-plus years as a POW in the Vietnam war. His travails at the hands of his captors were horrifying, yet McCain humbly recounts how he never lost hope, never doubted his mission or his country's ability to rescue him, and kept secret information from his enemies despite horrendous torture. McCain had the integrity to refuse special treatment at the hands of the Vietnamese, just as he wouldn't allow his family's distinguished reputation to afford him privileges in the military, or anywhere else in his life. McCain also incredibly downplays his own captivity as he pays respect to that handful of POWs who had it worse than him, including those who perished before betraying the Marine Corps Code of Honor. Another amazing example is of the loyalty McCain's father, a submarine commander, instilled in his men, manifested by a mission patrolling the waters between Midway and Nagasaki, for which Jack McCain received a Silver Star. The submarine "The Gunnel," in order to evade Japanese destroyers (and their torpedoes and depth charges) had to spend an inordinate amount of time underwater without surfacing, to the point where the air became very difficult to breathe, and McCain had to cut the power and lights to conserve them while waiting for the moment to surface. McCain had to calm down, reassure, and commiserate with a large group of men who were scared out of their minds, were praying, and in some cases had to be strapped down. He shared their fate, yet had to stay strong and confidently lead them through circumstances that assuredly would get worse before they got better. If not for faith, the McCain and crew would not have had anything to lead them to their ultimate safety. Faith of My Fathers, in addition to instructional in the ways of honor, is quite funny in parts. McCain was a wise-ass in grade school and the military academy, giving hope for those smart-alecky underachievers with good hearts among us. The anecdotes from Annapolis and a stint at the dry and boring town of Meridian, Mississippi, are among the book's most humorous. His grandfather was a crusty old salt with a foul mouth who nevertheless commanded the attention and respect of hundreds of men as if he were their father. My criticisms of this book are few: one is that this is surely not a tale of revenge; in fact, you are hard pressed to find even a bad word about McCain's captors, which struck me as odd. To not wish horrendous things upon the people who tortured and imprisoned you for over five years of your life is aberrant, in my opinion. Yet McCain kind of chalks his experience up to the realities of war, and seems not to hold anything against the Vietnamese captors. I kind of wanted to hear, perhaps as a venting mechanism, of the special things McCain would have in store for his captors if he ever got his hands on them. The other comment I have is that the prose of this book struck me as a little fancy for a military story. There are a lot of million dollar words and turns of phrase that sound like an English PhD dissertation. The subject matter at hand was so raw that it would ring even more true if the narration were a little earthier.
Rating:
Summary: Pass it along
Review: I picked up this book because because I can't stand reading books out of order and I saw this as requisite reading before picking up "Worth the Fighting For." ...BR>What I found was a remarkable book that recounted acts of courage under fire and and hope in times of despair. This book tells of selfless dedication to duty and brotherhood that can be taken as lessons to carry into everyday life. This is one of those books that you must pass along to somebody else. I highly recommend picking it up as a gift after you've picked up your own copy.
Rating:
Summary: John McCain- A truely American Patriot
Review: As I read this story my heart felt so proud to be of the same era and have the mirrored feelings for my country. Mr. John McCain has brought back to me all that I am and ever will be, I believe in all that he did and am proud to not only be a American but to have served in the United States Navy. He is the reason you see old men as ourselves with tears in our eyes when our National Anthem is played or when our flag is flown in our view. Men like John and all honorable veterans have made our wonderful country what it is, God bless John and God bless America
Rating:
Summary: Glimpse into what makes him tick
Review: Faith of My Fathers recounts the service histories of John McCain, his father and grandfather. The stories told are compelling and entertaining in their own right. The books principle value, however, is the understanding it gives into how the values and methods of a maverick American statesman developed.
Rating:
Summary: Great read and a very moving story of dedication to the US
Review: Whatever you think of John McCain as a politician and Senator from Arizona, when you consider what he gave for this country as an airman you know as a Citizen he is nothing less than a hero. This autobiography tells the story of the McCain men from the Senator's grandfather and his important role in WWII and standing on the deck of the USS Missouri during the ceremony of the surrender of Japan. They named a destroyer after him. It also tells the story of the Senator's father and his career, which reached its peak when he was appointed CINPAC (Commander In Chief - Pacific). He had the operational command of aspects of the Vietnam War. His character is shown when he responded to duty by calling air strikes on Hanoi while his son (Senator McCain) was a prisoner there. The book also tells us about Senator McCain's youth and academic carelessness, but also shares with us the heroism of the prisoners of war in Hanoi and how they survived. He tells us of his own ordeal, but in more reserved tones than a third party biography would. He does reveal deep emotion towards certain of his captors who were responsible for sadistic torture. This is a very moving book and while people feel differently about Senator McCain's politics, we should all be grateful to the McCain family for their generations of dedication and for the Senator's personal sacrifice for our country. It is a VERY good read and a very moving story. Five stars.
Rating:
Summary: An Incomplete But Revealing Self-Portrait
Review: As are all other memoirs, McCain's are necessarily both subjective and selective but, unlike so many others, his do not seem to me to be sense self-serving. In this remarkably candid and compelling account, he shares his thoughts and feelings about a distinguished family heritage. His grandfather and father were the first father and son to be promoted to the rank of admiral in the U.S. Navy. He was nearly expelled from the U.S. Naval Academy and never achieved the rank of admiral. In 1967, his carrier-based jet fighter was shot down and he was imprisoned as a POW in North Viet Nam. For the next several years he was subjected to vicious physical as well as mental abuse by his captors. Somehow, probably with sheer willpower, he survived while so many others did not. He kept the faith of his fathers. (I think the title of this volume also refers to a new nation's Founding Fathers.) This volume does not include discussion of his subsequent political career which McCain covers in the recently published second volume of his memoirs, Worth the Fighting For. He seems to have been a battler most of his life; along the way, he developed a profound faith in the values of a country he has served so vigorously. Many of his fellow citizens really don't know what to make of him. Perhaps this volume will help at least some of us to understand his motives and the basis for them. Whatever a reader may think of McCain's politics and of his methods for advancing them, no one can deny his patriotism. With this volume, he reveals his humanity in ways and to an extent no one else could.
Rating: 
Summary: Judging a book by its cover
Review: Dag, but McCain was a buck in his youth! I could gaze at this cover for hours.
Rating:
Summary: McCain
Review: John McCain's experiences in Vietnam are will worth reading. But how he has changed since then is even more interesting. Someone recommended him for President in a previous review. Once the hero but not any more.
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