John Mccain

“Courage,” Winston Churchill explained, is “the first of human qualities . . . because it guarantees all the others.” As a naval officer, P.O.W., and one of America’s most admired political leaders, John McCain has seen countless acts of bravery and self-sacrifice. Now, in this inspiring meditation on courage, he shares his most cherished stories of ordinary individuals who have risked everything to defend the people and principles they hold most dear.

“We are taught to understand, correctly, that courage is not the absence of fear but the capacity for action despite our fears,” McCain reminds us, as a way of introducing the stories of figures both famous and obscure that he finds most compelling—from the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Aung San Suu Kyi to Sgt. Roy Benavidez, who ignored his own well-being to rescue eight of his men from an ambush in the Vietnam jungle; from 1960s civil rights leader John Lewis, who wrote, “When I care about something, I’m prepared to take the long, hard road,” to Hannah Senesh, who, in protecting her comrades in the Hungarian resistance against Hitler’s SS, chose a martyr’s death over a despot’s mercy.

These are some of the examples McCain turns to for inspiration and offers to others to help them summon the resolve to be both good and great. He explains the value of courage in both everyday actions and extraordinary feats. We learn why moral principles and physical courage are often not distinct quantities but two sides of the same coin. Most of all, readers discover how sometimes simply setting the right example can be the ultimate act of courage.

Written by one of our most respected public figures, Why Courage Matters is that rare book with a message both timely and timeless. This is a work for anyone seeking to understand how the mystery and gift of courage can empower us and change our lives.

From the Hardcover edition.

Why Courage Matters: The Way to a Braver Life

The son and grandson of four-star admirals, navy pilot John McCain was shot down in 1967 while flying a bombing mission over Hanoi. A POW at the infamous Hanoi Hilton, he was released in 1973. In 1981, he moved to Phoenix and entered politics. Join us as we examine just how far up the political ladder this maverick U.S. Senator will climb.

Produced and broadcast on cable television before Arizona senator John McCain announced he was a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2008 presidential race, Biography: John McCain told the warts-and-all story of McCain’s life and political career. The familiar chapters are all here, including the struggle between McCain’s destiny–as the son and grandson of elite military officers–to serve in the armed forces with distinction and his more naturally wild and devil-may-care attitude. (McCain graduated from Annapolis fifth from the bottom of his class.) The womanizing and rebellious McCain ultimately married and flew missions dropping bombs over Hanoi, the latter resulting in his five-and-a-half years as a prisoner-of-war, enduring many hardships and constant torture. The familiar newsreel footage of a shaken McCain in captivity belies the terrible conditions he withstood when the propaganda cameras weren’t rolling. When that harrowing part of McCain’s story finally ends, Biography examines in fascinating detail the ups and downs of his political life, establishing a reputation as a party maverick but taking his lumps, too, with the Keating scandal. Along the way, McCain’s natural honor and impish humor always shine through. On the other hand, one does get a glimpse or two of his legendary impatience and temper, chalked up to a Vietnam experience that taught McCain not to waste time and opportunity. Biography: John McCain includes a short coda updating the original program with facts and details about McCain’s campaign for the 2008 race. –Tom Keogh

Biography: John McCain