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Oct 14, 2008

booklady rated it:

Despite its unfortunate title, Faith of My Fathers is an incredible book which has almost nothing to do with organized religion and everything to do with living an honorable life. The 'faith' Senator McCain is speaking about only becomes apparent on page 257 of the book and it is spelled with a small 'f', meaning 'keeping faith with one's brothers', in particular under the uniquely horrendous circumstances he faced as an American in a Vietnamese Prisoner of War camp in the 1960s. To attempt to More...

16 comments like (4 people liked it)

Sep 02, 2008

Ryan rated it:

Just like Obama's first book, this family memoir really tells you a lot about McCain. It goes into great length about his father's and grandfather's roles in WWII and the Vietnam War, which is both fascinating and a good history lesson. It also has many detailed chapters about his time as a POW. I'd challenge anyone to read this and not come away with a deeper appreciation for his service to our country.

You always hear about his 5 1/2 years spent as a POW, but I think that conce More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Jan 13, 2009

Philip rated it:

This book reminded me about everything I love and hate about patriotism. Although it initially dragged, (and I mean really dragged) McCain's stories of his internment in Vietnam along with his father's stories of being in a submarine while the Japanese were dropping depth charges were fascinating. But, it took him too long to get to the stories of his sacrifice for our country.

The beginning of the book dealt with a lot of McCain's ancestry. He was trying to portray a sense of fate More...

2 comments like (3 people liked it)

Oct 31, 2007

Eric rated it:

The 5-star review is NOT an endorsement of McCain for President. His time and place was 2000, and the country and the world suffer for his loss to Bush in the GOP primaries. Now he's too old, too crotchety, and will with a mathematical certainty get the USA into a righteous and wholly unnecessary war with Iran. As it happens, so far I support Obama.

But this book is extraordinary. McCain's father AND grandfather were admirals, but he never felt affection for or from them. He enrol More...

2 comments like (2 people liked it)

Sep 29, 2008

Brandon rated it:

My goal was to read a McCain and Obama book by the time of the election. I feel more comfy with McCain so he got the nod. This is not a political book in the sense that it is not about current policy. It is a memoir of his grandfather, father, and his own experiences in war. Anything political in his book refers to Vietnam.
The first third of the book was OK. It dealt with his grandfather and father's experiences in WWII, mainly. The book kicked into high gear for me when More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 19, 2008

Jessica rated it:

Wow! I loved this book so much. John McCain is a great storyteller and he has many too tell. It was a fascinating and educational read, full of ups and downs. The things he indured throughout his navy carrier and as a POW are amazing and make me so proud of all those who serve our country. He has had so many close calls that I'm left feeling God has great work for this man to do. He strikes me as a humble man who is full of integrity and lives his life to the best of his ability (though he never More...

3 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 05, 2008

Kevin rated it:

Excellent book, well written, and engaging. I wanted to read this book to learn a bit more about John McCain. To be fair to both presidential candidates, I also plan to read Barack Obama's autobiography, not because I like or support him, but because I want to know more about him. Let me emphasize the fact that I do not plan on reading it because I like him, support him, or agree with his views (in fact, I feel quite the opposite), but to learn more about him.

Anyways. Back to John More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Sep 03, 2008

Chrissy rated it:

You’re probably saying to yourself “I have heard of family values but I really don’t know what it is.” The meaning of this phrase is simply put as a political and social concept used in many cultures to describe what is expecting. In the book “Faith of My Fathers”, John McCain III tries to follow in his father and paternal grandfather’s footsteps by enrolling in the navy. His family was very big on military and fighting for your country. To be a son and grandson of two men that have both ranked More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 06, 2008

Ray rated it:

I had mixed feelings about McCain going into this book. I finished it, and in some ways I am more confused. Not because the book wasn't clarifying -- it added ALOT to my picture of McCain. The problem is that the more you know him the more complicated you realize he is.

This is NOT your typical ghost written 'campaign' autobio. (though I'm sure his help from Mark Salter was considerable). This is a VERY honest and revelatory account of his pre-political life and that of his family. H More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Feb 16, 2008

Janet rated it:

“People may not love you for being strong when you have to be, but they respect you for it and learn to behave themselves when you are.”

Admiral Jack McCain father of Senator John McCain

Combining 2 targets of recent study, the military and politics, I began John McCain’s book with heightened interest. In searching for the right candidate for the Presidency, John McCain has become the man that intrigues me most. Here is an obvious American Hero, an individual who has given More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jun 26, 2010

Laurel rated it:

I consider myself an Independent, and since I read Obama's book, I felt I should read McCain's as well.

The first half of this book discussed the history and military experiences of both McCain's father and grandfather. Though impressive, I found the details rather slow to get through. However, the second half of the book describes McCain's life as a POW, and it is here that the book becomes a page turner. It truly is a remarkable story. It gave me newfound respect for Mccain and a More...

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Dec 17, 2009

Dennis rated it:

I gained a lot of respect for John McCain after reading this. I came away from believing McCain is steadfast and sincere in his convictions about the war in Iraq. At the same time i disagree wholeheartedly with his conclusions about Vietnam.
I read this while traveling to Vietnam. After touring Hanoi and visiting a Vietnam War museum there, it becomes clear our leaders view of the war and the way the people of Vietnam viewed it were very different. Iraq seems to be a continuation of our le More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jan 30, 2011

dtjunkie rated it:

It's an odd feeling when you are purchasing a book that goes contrary to your point of view. I felt like explaining to everyone near me that I wasn't a Republican, that I was planning on voting for Obama, and that I just felt I needed to give each candidate a "fair" shot at gaining my vote. I selected the book entitled "Faith of my Fathers" as I felt it would be a nice complement to Obama's "Dreams From my Father". Both books detail the early years of the candidates More...

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Jan 23, 2009

Kim rated it:

I read an Obama book so I had to be far. This book was very interesting. It contains one of my favorite quotes:

Ironically for someone who had so long asserted his own individuality as his first and best defense against insults of any kind, I discovered that faith in my self proved to be the least formidable strength I possessed when confronting alone organized inhumanity on a great scale than I had conceived possible. Faith in myself was important...but I discovered in prison that fa More...

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Aug 09, 2011

Marcia rated it:

I have never been a big fan of John McCain, but his is a great story. For people who appreciate family tradition and honor (and especially families with a military history), this is a very interesting book. He tells the story of his father and grandfather as well as the story of his own military service. It is straitforward with not much flourish or fan fare. Because of this, it is very, very slow in parts. But it is such an amazing story it is worth it. I bought this book at the dollar More...

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May 26, 2010

Heather rated it:

Following his failed race to the White House in 2008 and all the talk of his stamina and stoicism, my curiosity was piqued. I wanted to hear his own account of his time in Vietnam. Oddly enough I read this during the controversy surrounding U.S. "torture" of its own POWs. Let me assure you, reader of my words, water boarding is not nor ever will be torture. If it is, then Vietnam was Hades.

Enjoyed learning of McCain's lineage, how he entered the Navy, but Vietnam was what k More...

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Nov 19, 2011

Katie rated it:

This book had way more bad language than the books I usually read. I almost stopped reading it, but I continued because I wanted to read about his experiences as a POW in Vietnam and because my sister had given me the book. I did learn a lot. I was truly enraged by the treatment these poor men received and the reasons behind it. I cannot believe that anyone would beat and torture a prisoner in an effort to get the prisoner to say he was being treated well and was grateful for said treatment. More...

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Oct 14, 2011

William rated it:

This book is a great review of McCain's life up to the point where he gets over the huge conflict of being a POW. The beginning of the book was very slow and uninteresting, but as you move further on he really gets his voice. Actually, only a few of the stories about his grandfather and father were really worth reading. When the story got down to McCain's life then it really got interesting. He definitely was a hellion throughout his childhood: A true leader of the rebellious crowd. Don't get me More...

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Apr 25, 2010

Tyler rated it:

Synopsis: The first half of this book is the story of McCain's naval forbears. His grandfather commanded an aircraft carrier in the Second World War and his father presided over all naval forces in the Pacific arena during the Vietnam War. McCain then moves into the story of his own life at the Naval Academy and early naval career. McCain was on his second tour of Vietnam when he was shot down over Hanoi and imprisoned in cruel prison camp where many prisoners were tortured to death. The book en More...

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Oct 01, 2009

Ann rated it:

The first couple of chapters about John McCain's father and grandfather should have been more interesting but I was not fond of either person from the descriptions their son/grandson gave of them as hell-raisers, although very successful, honorable men. His own story got better, even though he seemed to have a similar character when he was young. His description of the 5.5 years he spent in Vietnam as a POW were wrenching at times. I loved the humor he and his fellow POW's found in their awful s More...

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Mar 12, 2009

D. rated it:

Faith of My Fathers is a powerful story of John McCain's grandfather, father and himself, all three generations graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. Grandfather and father both four star generals/admirals. It is a very moving, candid & incredible story of John's courage and character in the face of evil. He is a present time palpable, faithful war hero of this country. We learn along with him what matters most in this life. That glory is not an end in itself, but rather a reward for More...

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Jan 07, 2009

Richard rated it:

A cathartic experience in writing, I'm sure. I might have chosen to put the entire ordeal into the locked position of my brain, not to be revisited by me or anyone else. If one day you think that things are tough, you should pick this book up and read it. Perhaps more than once.
Not knowing if you are going to live or die from one hour to the next. Or if you are going to be enslaved or freed from month to month is not within my realm of understanding.

This is a good read if you w More...

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Nov 11, 2011

Maggie added it

I put off reading this book for years, fearing it would be awful. I was pleasantly surprised that it was well written and not nearly as self-aggrandizing as I expected from a book written by a senator. Senator McCain's father and grand-father were very interesting subjects, especially as I was totally ignornant of them and their part in history. Senator McCain's coverage of his POW years was helped by the inclusion of the suffering of other POWs, and it made me appreciate all the more the te More...

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Apr 13, 2009

Nancy rated it:

While I found the book interesting, I skipped over a lot of the military details. The parts I found most interesting was when McCain was a prisoner of war, but even there he went on and on, mentioning numerous other POWs that he admired “the most” or who were his most trusted friend. I guess there is a reason that McCain became a politician, not a writer. McCain is undoubtedly courageous and tenacious. The book did, however, bring to mind The Great Santini and the family, military “traditio More...

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Jan 29, 2012

chucklesthescot rated it:

Senator John McCain tells of his family service in the American military, including his own service in Vietnam. He talks about his capture and his 5 years of imprisonment and torture by the NVA and it is a really incredible story.

Two stars might seem a bit mean to those who have read this book and it should not discourage anyone from reading it. The parts of the book that dealt with John McCain's war service, capture and torture by the NVA in Vietnam were shocking and gripping. It talk More...

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Nov 02, 2009

Kimberly rated it:

I gained a greater understanding of war and McCain's perspective based on his experiences. To me, he seemed rather boastfult. Reminded me of his 08 campaign, that even though he kept saying that he wasn't about himself, all for his country, he kept reciting all the things HE went through for his country. NOW, when I see him in the media voicing his viewpoints as senator from Arizona, I can appreciate his opinions and perspectives so much more - in part, from reading this book. But moreso, seems More...

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Nov 08, 2008

Louis rated it:

Faith of My Fathers is the book about the making of a military officer, whose author was preparing for the 2000 Republican Presidential primary campaign. McCain talks about his father and grandfather, both successful Navy officers (an Admiral who became CINCPAC, and a submarine Captain).

McCain discusses his relationship with the Navy in the context of this family. The fact that as a young man, he was not so serious about the Navy, that it started out looking like just a job. In More...

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Jan 19, 2009

Heather rated it:

I very much enjoyed the military history of this family's experiences in World War II, Korea and Vietnam. I learned some interesting things about those conflicts that I did not know previously. However, as a memoir I found it disappointing. Good memoir and biography, like good fiction, should draw me in and build an emotional attachment to the characters. This book is very detached in it's descriptions and more sentimental than emotional. Even the narrative of McCain's time in a prisoner of More...

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Oct 18, 2008

Peter rated it:

A insightful look into McCain's family and his captivity in Vietnam. The book is roughly divided into three sections where John describes his grandfather's, his father's and his own military experiences. The book would be a good read for a military history fan, or someone interested in learning about McCain's character.

From the start of the book John explains his families long and faithful military history going back many generations from the Army to the Navy. He then concentrates on More...

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Nov 06, 2008

kyersten rated it:

John McCain said he had a "sense that it would fall to him to represent his family when the history of his generation was recorded." Maybe that was one of the reasons why he wrote "Faith of my Fathers". I am probably not the typical person to read this type of memoir. I'm not really interested in the details of military service, or war time stories, but this book is much more than that. I found it to be quite insightful. When his grandfather said, "dying for your princip More...

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