Tags
aeronautics, bicycle mechanics, biography, bird flight behavior, genius, history, Kitty Hawk, risk, Smithsonian
I liked the size of this book – 320 pages. David McCullough is two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize and many of his books are 700 pages plus. This was just right for me. I was swept away to Dayton, Ohio, middle America town life and industry, in a time before any of the big wars. Just how could two unknown, modest bicycle mechanics solve the mystery of flight, leave their sheltered small town household, and walk upon the world stage to prove it? This was such a rivetingl, painless way to experience history that I am ready to move up to Mornings on Horseback at 445 pages!
“An outstanding saga of the lives of two men who left such a giant footprint on our modern age.” (Booklist (starred review))
“[An] enjoyable, fast-paced tale. . . . A fun, fast ride.” (The Economist)
“A story of timeless importance, told with uncommon empathy and fluency. . . . A story, well told, about what might be the most astonishing feat mankind has ever accomplished. . . . The Wright Brothers soars.” (Daniel Okrent, The New York Times Book Review)