Enduring Courage

Early in the twentieth century, two new American super figures—the racecar driver and the flying ace—would become the embodiment of American skilled manhood, and no individual did more to create and intensify these new roles than Eddie Rickenbacker. Over and over he would defy death in racecar and airplane as America would come to know him better than the current President. ENDURING COURAGE chronicles his improbable rise, overcoming the specter of his father’s violent death, a debilitating handicap, and, later, accusations of being a German spy. Not only would he become a world-renowned racecar driver, but America’s ace of aces in WWI as well, shooting down more enemy planes than anyone and receiving the Medal of Honor. He and his comrades created a new kind of warfare, making up maneuvers on the fly while battling The Red Baron and his deadly squadron, pushing their machines beyond the edge of destruction without parachutes or radios. The next chapter in Rickenbacker's life was every bit as momentous, from buying Eastern Air Lines, to surviving two horrendous plane crashes, one during WWII on a secret mission in the Pacific that left him lost at sea. Adrift for 24 days, Rickenbacker led the survivors in catching food and water until they were rescued, barely alive. With impeccable research, author John Ross tells the gripping story of a man who pushed the limits of speed and endurance, and emerged an American legend.