Rating: 
Summary: Pleasant book, rambles a bit
Review: The title of the book is "Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life." The title promises lessons or explanations about why courage is important, and how we can develop courage; however, Senator John McCain just rambles around. He talks about people who did brave deeds. Many of the events are in wars. Some of his comments about these events are confusing. It isn't really clear just what he is trying to teach us. He talks about how it is important to be brave, but then sometimes he bewails the costs of being brave.
For example he talks about is a mother in East Baltimore, a rough neighborhood. She works to keep the drug dealers out of her front yard. They don?t like this. Finally one of her neighbors lights her house on fire, and she and her family are burned to death. Senator McCain says maybe she was too brave. What does this mean? Does he want us to be brave, but only in certain situations? He just comments that it is sad, but doesn't really explain what lessons he wants us to learn. In a similar vein he talks about the battles in the island of Pelelu during the end of World War II. Men on both sides were brave, but Senator McCain dwells on the waste, so it wasn't clear what the point was.
At a number of places in the book he briefly mentions some of his experience being a prisoner of war, but there are very few details. It would have been nice to have more insight into his life through this time.
The stories of courage he tells come from around the world. The stories are well told, and for the most part do show how men and women with courage made a difference. Aung San Suu Kyi standing up to the Burma (Myanmar) generals reminded me of the lone man stopping the tanks at Tiananmen Square. This one woman has shaken the military dictators who run Burma.
At the end of the book he does talk very briefly about how we can develop courage by doing the things we fear. This is more of an afterthought, than a point to which he has been building.
There are many good thoughts. The book is a quick read, and some of the stories were very interesting. A better title would have been "Thoughts and stories about Courage." It is worth reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Inspiration from a master of courage
Review: "Why Courage Matters" is Senator John McCain's attempt to quantify courage, and to help readers get more of it. Strangely enough, the book does not achieves its first goal, and leaves the second for the reader to pursue. Yet, it is quite worthwhile reading. I listened to the abridged audio version of the book, and was honored to hear John McCain reading from his own writing. Here is a man who has demonstrated enormous courage and resilience, yet whose voice expresses great humility, and the sure knowledge that even greater exemplars of heroism exist. McCain is a person who has experienced the limits of his own courage, and the lack of bravado in his voice is awe-inspiring.
McCain admits that defining courage is easy enough -- taking action that is dangerous or worthy without regard to one's personal safety or reputation. But prior to our need for courage, who can tell which of us will rise up to challenges, and which of us will run? McCain has seen enough of life's challenges, including five years in a North Vietnamese prison, to know that it's not always the physically strong who have the greatest reserves of courage. And he frankly seems at a loss for giving his readers a program for increasing their own personal courage. The best he can do, he admits, is to let them hear stories of others' courage, hoping some of it will stick at the moment of crisis.
McCain's stories of heroism are the core and glory of "Why Courage Matters." He picks stories from wartime and from political struggles. He chronicles the March on Selma through the eyes of civil rights leader Carl Lewis. He tells the story of Aung San Suu Kyi, who for decades has risked arrest and death to stand up to the thugs who rule Burma. He tells of unsung soldier heroes of Vietnam and Korea, who disregarded their own safety in almost comic-book-style martial performances that allowed their buddies to survive. These stories are riveting, and they show the degree to which some human beings are able to overcome fear and intimidation in the pursuit of right.
McCain is correct. His stories *are* an inspiration to courage. They help us learn to face our fears of losing life, comfort, wealth or reputation -- and to overcome those fears in the pursuit of worthy goals that are larger than any of us.
Rating:
Summary: Sen. McCain is arguably the most popular politician in...
Review: ...modern day America. He is one of the few remaining political leaders that is able to captivate citizens regardless of party affiliation. This relatively short book is just another example as to why he holds such universal appeal. The book itself is simply a collection of stories about folks who McCain thinks has demonstrated some form of courage. They range anywhere from physical acts of courage on the battlefield to the moral courage to stand up for what is right. He scatters throughout the book his personal thoughts on fear and courage, morality and virtue, and asks some open-ended questions which are not easy to answer. Despite the fact that he doesn't spend too much time discussing his experience as a POW, his thoughts and the stories he's chosen to share are just another example of why Sen. McCain continues to be such an inspirational public figure. Definitely worth the read!
Rating:
Summary: Loud and clear
Review: Belinda Drymon, survivor of abuse'the capacity for action despite our fears' As a woman that lived through both child abuse and domestic violence I have spent a great deal of time trying to figure out my life and how to learn to let go of the past and get on with it. I read many fantastic books regarding the subject i.e NIGHTMARES ECHO, BEAUTY FOR ASHES and COURAGE TO HEAL. Each book offered me the courage and determination they had within themselves. 'WHY COURAGE MATTERS' takes me from the knowing and understanding of my situation to reveal that through the fear of life we can find the courage and determination to move ahead in our lives. Thank you to this author!!!
Rating:
Summary: Why Courage Matters : The Way to a Braver Life
Review: Concerned that the definition of courage has been watered down in late 20th-century America, Senator McCain (R-AZ) has compiled outstanding examples of truly courageous actions to offer inspiration and encouragement. He offers a variety of accounts, from the story of a mother who lost her life fighting the neighborhood drug dealer to those of servicemen and -women who risked their own lives to help others on the battlefield. Because McCain believes that courage is the underpinning of all other virtues, he implores readers to develop this quality in themselves and their children. Unfortunately, though his message comes through loud and clear, the steps one must take to increase one's courage are not as clearly outlined as one would hope; McCain rambles on, as if he were delivering a sermon that becomes more impassioned as it unwinds. This book might do well where inspirational books and parenting books on virtue are popular but otherwise is an optional purchase.-
Rating:
Summary: This man should be president
Review: Here is another book by John McCain who is a real writer. He seems very knowledgeable too. That comes from reading and direct experience. He seems very interested in the future of America. He has a lot of guts. He combines true intelligence and real heart. Many people think that people can be motivated only by fear. McCain shows us that courage is the only way to deal with life. McCain is a thoughtful eperson. He should be president one day.
Rating:
Summary: He has the credibility to tell the tale -
Review: I read both "Faith of Our Fathers" and "Worth the Fighting For" by John McCain. Loved them both as weighty discussions on political science but I enjoyed this one too as accounts of the lives of unsung heroes. This book is filled with tales of truly courageous people. McCain is not condescending, or polemic here and he himself is one of the most courageous representatives in Washington DC. Given the tenor of this book and the others he has written, his experiences and record give him the credibilty to me to listen to whatever he has chosen to say.
Rating:
Summary: A generous exploration -- and an important one
Review: I'm a Democrat but I have always had a soft spot for McCain, because he's ''real'' and true to what he believes. If just about any other politician I can think of tried to write this book, it would be a joke. This book is a triumphant return to a no-nonsense appraisal of courage as something beyond myth. The book shows you what it is really about, and what better time in recent history have we needed to understand, to embrace. For a more intimate and lateral look at courage and human frailty I recommend In The Ghost Country by Peter Hillary as an astonishing and revelatory experience.
Rating:
Summary: much more than I expected
Review: I've never read anything by Senator McCain, but have been interested in his life story, and thought I would give this a shot. Frankly, I was expecting a typical politician's book, full of applause lines and self-serving anecdotes, and thin on depth. What I found was exactly the opposite. Though the book is quite short, it is quite deep and thoughtful. McCain ponders some deep issues: what is courage? how can it be taught? what's the difference between valor and courage? Between fearlesness and courage? Between courage and zealotry? I really got the impression of an author giving us his deeply considered thoughts. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Kudos!
Review: In this book McCain inspires us to have courage by showing us that real courage is born from commitment. It's a must read. Bravo! Debbie Farmer, author of 'Don't Put Lipstick on the Cat'
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