Product Description

“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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #671867 in Books
• Published on: 2004
• Released on: 2004-04-13
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Publishers Weekly
After two stirring memoirs, Senator McCain turns in a slim meditation on the nature of courage. Suggesting the definition of courage has been stretched thin in contemporary parlance, where it can be applied to acts as insignificant as cutting or not cutting one's hair, McCain seeks to return to the word's fundamental meaning not just of "the capacity for action despite our fears" but self-sacrifice for the benefit of others as well as for oneself. Although he addresses valorous conduct by American soldiers in the Korean and Vietnam Wars, he is, as always, modestly self-critical of his own experiences in Vietnam (although he and his fellow POWs turned to one another for moral support on a daily basis, he confesses, "I was not always a match for my enemies"). In an especially moving chapter, he recounts the participation of his congressional colleague John Lewis in the nonviolent wing of the Civil Rights movement. Other sections discuss the Navajo leaders Manuelito and Barboncito, Jewish freedom fighter Hannah Senesh and Burmese dissident (and Nobel Peace Prize recipient) Aung San Suu Kyi. These compelling life stories stand up against the best passages of McCain's previous works. Alas, his writing becomes more vague and less interesting when he shifts to a more abstract discussion of the need for courage in the post–September 11 era. One of McCain's greatest strengths as a writer has been that he doesn't sound like just another politician, and while the drop-off in quality here isn't significant, it is noticeable.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–Senator McCain approaches the investigation of courage from a position of unease at how diluted a commodity it has become in our society, and at how shallowly the label is applied. In offering anecdotes of individuals whose actions embody the rarity of true courage, his well-drawn examples range from Navajo leaders to Colorado River explorers to Jewish freedom fighter Hannah Seneshand Burmese dissident and Nobel Peace Prize-recipient Aung San Suu Kyi. He reflects on the wellsprings of courage, defining it as conscious self-sacrifice "for the sake of others or to uphold a virtue," encompassing actions that may be spurred by honor, outrage, a sense of duty, one's conscience, or moral obligation. He is self-critical and careful to avoid personal aggrandizement, but coaches readers to believe that one can use "fear [as] the opportunity for courage," and, by tackling modest daily challenges, increase the probability of summoning deeper reserves when needed. The book is not a primer but is, rather, a declaration of why striving for courage is fundamentally important as an attribute of character. The anecdotes are the most crisply written portions; the text becomes less taut and more hazy when addressing abstractions such as the qualities and types of courage, but focus and momentum are usually restored, often by a signature McCain sound bite.–Lynn Nutwell, Fairfax City Regional Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
A surprisingly good narrator, the famous senator has two previous bestselling audios--WORTH FIGHTING FOR and FAITH OF OUR FATHERS. In this one, his well-known emotional depth and stony convictions are put to good use talking about a bedrock quality of the well-lived life: courage. "Courage is not the absence of fear but the capacity for action despite our fears," he says, while sharing stories of ordinary people who risked everything to help others or to honor a principle. McCain's writing is personal--it's unusually touching for that of a political figure. The audio is inspiring without being sentimental or sensational. A satisfying character lesson will make you want to hear more about this man's life and thoughts. T.W. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine