Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember [Hardcover]

John McCain (Author), Mark Salter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 25, 2005

In Character is Destiny, McCain tells the stories of celebrated historical figures and lesser-known heroes whose values exemplify the best of the human spirit. He illustrates these qualities with moving stories of triumph against the odds, righteousness in the face of iniquity, hope in adversity, and sacrifices for a cause greater than self-interest. The tributes he pays here to men and women who have lived truthfully will stir the hearts of young and old alike, and help prepare us for the hard work of choosing our destiny.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. As in last year's Why Courage Matters, McCain's latest volume uses biography as an illustration of virtue, but this time the senator broadens his palette significantly, telling 34 stories of heroes whose lives embody qualities ranging from honesty and loyalty to curiosity and enthusiasm. At the root of them all, he says, is a willingness to stay true to one's conscience against all challenges. Thus martyrs appear prominently, from Thomas More and Joan of Arc to Edith Cavell and Father Maximilian Kolbe, as do military heroes, including Pat Tillman, the pro football player whose love of country led him to enlist in the army shortly after 9/11. But the pantheon is inclusive enough to hold Aung San Suu Kyi and Gandhi alongside Churchill and Eisenhower. Although he is reaching out to a younger readership, McCain's plain but sincere language does not condescend to his audience. He makes occasional oblique references to his experiences as a prisoner of war—describing, for example, how they reinforce his understanding of Victor Frankl's concept of dignity—but the only chapter centered on his ordeal highlights a furtive moment of kindness from a Vietnamese soldier. Amid much speculation concerning his plans for 2008, McCain has made a declaration of values that liberals can embrace as readily as conservatives.
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About the Author

After a career in the U.S. Navy and two terms as a U.S. representative, John McCain was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986 and reelected in 1992 and
1998. He and his wife, Cindy, reside in Phoenix, Arizona.

Mark Salter has worked on Senator McCain's staff for more than 15 years. He lives in Alexandria, Virginia, with his wife, Diane, and their two daughters.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1st edition (October 25, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400064120
• ISBN-13: 978-1400064120
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 1.1 x 9.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #722,539 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

58 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Singularly Important Listing of Remarkable People, November 13, 2005

By 

Kent Ponder (Albuquerque., NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember (Hardcover)

Other reviewers have not revealed McCain's list of admirable character traits, and the individuals he believes best personify them, so let's do that:
Grouped under "HONOR": Honesty (Thomas More), Respect (Ghandi), Authenticity (Joan of Arc), Loyalty (Sir Ernest Shackleton), Dignity (Victor Frankl).
Grouped under "PURPOSE": Idealism (Sojourner Truth), Righteousness (Romeo Dallaire), Citizenship (Pat Tillman), Diligence (Winston Churchill), Responsibility (Lord Nelson & lieutenants), Cooperation (John Wooden).
Under STRENGTH: Courage (Edity Cavell), Self-Control (George Washington), Confidence (Elizabeth I), Resilience (Abe Lincoln), Industry (Eric Hoffer), Hopefulness (John Winthrop).
Under UNDERSTANDING: Faith (Christian guard at Hua Lo Prison), Compassion (Maximillian Kolbe), Mercy (Mother Antonia), Tolerance (The Four Chaplains), Forgiveness (Nelson Mandela), Generosity (Oseola McCarty).
Under JUDGMENT: Fairness (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), Humility (Eisenhower), Gratitude (Tecumseh), Humor (Mark Twain), Courtesy (Aung San Suu Kyi).
Under CREATIVITY: Aspiration (Ferdinand Magellan), Discernment (Leonardo da Vinci), Curiosity (Charles Darwin), Enthusiasm (Theodore Roosevelt), Excellence (Wilma Rudolph).
Under LOVE: Selflessness and Contentment (Mother Teresa)

Little reflection is required to notice the arbitrariness of some of the above pairings of characteristics and individuals. Several other classifications and pairings would have been possible and, obviously, many of the above people qualify under more than one heading. But any listing and pairing could be criticized, so it's more practical to understand that McCain and Salter's list, while arbitrary in some respects, does perform the valuable service of setting out traits and proposed representatives in a listing probably as good as any other.

What is most important about this book is its descriptions of so many people of high character. This presentation goes way beyond chicken soup stories. It's Lobster Bisque for the Noble Soul.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Senator McCain Identifies 34 Role Models in a Worthy History Book, November 17, 2005

By 

Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember (Hardcover)

In a manner similar to then-Senator John F. Kennedy's "Profiles in Courage" in 1955, Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) has co-written, with his regular writing partner Mark Salter, a straightforward book about 34 historical figures, both famous and forgotten, all of whom followed their conscience against seemingly insurmountable odds to achieve their sense of truth and decency. Depending on your political affiliation, the publication seems either ironic given the declining level of trust for the current administration and its leader, or timely given McCain's own Presidential aspirations. Perhaps to escape such scrutiny, McCain and Salter have targeted their book to young adults who are otherwise ignored by such politicians except in polemics such as promising increased subsidies for higher education. This decision is admittedly crafty, but fortunately, the co-authors handle their history lesson in a non-condescending way that makes it constructive reading for readers of any age.

The overriding message they want to convey is that there is nothing circumstantial when it comes to people who achieve greatness, that in fact, they achieve greatness as a result of their own character. McCain's message of being responsible for one's own happiness resonates, and he modestly assesses himself as a work-in-progress in this regard. The book is rather arbitrarily organized into seven categories - honor, purpose, strength, understanding, judgment, creativity and love - under which he identifies individuals who represent key aspects of those criteria for greatness. The expected figures are included, legendary martyrs such as Joan of Arc (under "Honor" epitomizing authenticity), Thomas More (representing honesty) and Nelson Mandela (showing forgiveness in the "Understanding" section). Four US Presidents are included - Washington, Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Eisenhower - though interestingly and probably intentionally, no Democrats are on their short list.

The real value of the book, however, is reacquainting, and in some cases, introducing readers to figures with far less renown for deeds of comparable courage, such as Aung San Suu Kyi for her non-violent resistance to the repressive military regime in Myanmar; Mother Antonia, who sacrificed a privileged lifestyle to work as a Catholic sister with prisoners in some of Mexico's worst prisons; and Oseola McCarty, a washerwoman who gave away her life savings to help students get into the University of Southern Mississippi. I even appreciate the inclusion of a more controversial selection such as Charles Darwin for his curiosity even though his theories about evolution are at odds with the religious right. McCain gets more personal by including under a section on faith, the Christian guard at Hua Lo Prison where he was otherwise tortured as a POW during the Vietnam War. It's a revelation that makes the list feel more personal even though no one would argue with most of the choices here. Whatever the political motivation, McCain and Salter have done us a favor by celebrating the human spirit through the courage of these 34 individuals.

46 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Virtue of Virtues, November 11, 2005

By 

Robert W. Kellemen "Doc. K." (Crown Point, IN United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Character Is Destiny: Inspiring Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember (Hardcover)

"Character Is Destiny," by Senator John McCain, reminds me somewhat of the series of books by virtue's czar, William Bennett. Bennett's forte was compiling vignettes from classical literature to illustrate various admirable character traits. McCain follows suit by highlighting character as illustrated by famous and not-so-famous individuals from ancient history and modern times.

His choice of heroes and heroines is eclectic enough to please folks on the right and the left. As the subtitle suggests, the book can be a shared experienced between young and old, parents and children. It is worth the reading for its celebration of the human spirit, in particular the spirit of hope that overcomes despair, love that conquers hate, and faith that defeats doubt.

Reviewer: Bob Kellemen, Ph.D., is the author of "Soul Physicians," "Spiritual Friends," and "Beyond the Suffering: Embracing the Legacy of African American Soul Care and Spiritual Direction."