The Wright Brothers

What’s it about? This book takes us back to the turn of the century when air flight was the next great frontier. Wilbur and Orville Wright were men of a certain time and place. Their discoveries were fascinating, not only because they were innovative, but because of the process they used to move these ideas forward. What did it make me think about? As cheesy as it sounds- the Wright Brothers are the perfect example of what made America great. Should I read it? David McCullough writes about history in a way that is so readable. Before you know it you have finished the book and you are that much more knowledgable for it. You do not need to be an aviation buff to enjoy this book. The time and place are fascinating, as well as Wilbur and Orville themselves. Quote- ” The whole course of their lives, they liked to say, had begun in childhood with a toy, and a French toy at that, and now they were in middle age in France, enjoying themselves no less than if they were children still. With the diabolo the magic was not that the toy itself flew, as did Alphonse Penaud’s helicopter. Here you yourself had to overcome the force of gravity with skill. You had to learn the trick by practice, and more practice, with the sticks and the strings, to keep the spool flying- just as an airplane was not enough in itself, one had to master the art of flying.”