Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters [Deckle Edge] [Hardcover]

Chesley B. Sullenberger (Author), Jeffrey Zaslow (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Captain Chesley Sully Sullenberger became a hero after landing a distressed U.S. Air plane on the surface of the Hudson River in New York City. His fascinating and deservedly praised memoir reflects on his childhood love for planes and an outstanding 42-year career as a pilot—as well as how he and his family coped with the onslaught of sudden celebrity. McConnohie does his level best to fill Sully's shoes and delivers a solid performance, but the real highlights are the portions of the text read by Sully himself, sounding as cool, calm, and collected as he was on that day in January 2009. An enhanced CD with the voice recorder transcript of the crash completes the package. A Morrow hardcover (Reviews, Aug. 19). (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Description

On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed one of the most remarkable emergency landings in aviation history when Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger skillfully glided US Airways Flight 1549 onto the surface of the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 aboard. His cool actions not only averted tragedy but made him a hero and an inspiration worldwide. To Sullenberger, a calm, steady pilot with forty years of flying experience who is also a safety consulting expert, the landing was not a miracle but rather the result of years of practice and training-wisdom he gained in the cockpit of U.S. Air Force jets and in his Texas boyhood.

Born to a World War II veteran and dentist father and an elementary school teacher mother, Sully fell in love with planes early. He learned to fly as an eager 16-year-old from a crop duster, an older neighbor in north Texas, who took off and landed his fragile plane on the grass field behind his house. While Sully′s father encouraged his interest in flying, he also imparted stern advice he′d learned from his Navy service during World War II: a commander is responsible for everyone in his care-and those words have shaped Sully′s life and work and continue to guide him today.

HIGHEST DUTY reveals the important lessons Sully learned through childhood, in his military service, and in his work as a commercial airline pilot. At heart, it is a story of hope and preparedness-that life′s challenges can be met if we′re ready for them-reminding us that, even in these days filled with war, tragedy, and economic uncertainty, there are values still worth fighting for.

A few weeks after the crash, Sully discovered that he′d lost a library book about professional ethics, Just Culture: Balancing Safety and Accountability, in the downed plane′s cargo hold. When he called the library to notify them, they waived the usual fees. Mayor Michael Bloomberg replaced the book when he gave Sully the Key to the City in a New York ceremony.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow; 1 edition (October 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061924687
• ISBN-13: 978-0061924682
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (100 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #82,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

  #18 in	Books > History > World > Transportation > Aviation
  #13 in	Books > Nonfiction > Transportation > Aviation > Commercial

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

147 of 150 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Daily Devotion to Duty", October 14, 2009

By	Alexander Clemens (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters (Hardcover)

I think that Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger's book reads well. Very well, indeed. Were it solely about the five minute flight over New York City in January, 2009, it would have a lot of padding in its 300+ pages - but fortunately, and obviously (to those who know the author), it's not just about the world-famous events of the amazing ditching on the Hudson River - it goes far, far beyond that.

Highest Duty is a portrait of an American life. Sully takes us on a tour encompassing his small-town upbringing, discussing his parents' instillation of strong, consistent values, discussing his early love affair with aviation, telling personal and touching stories of his family and his remarkable wife and partner Lorrie, covering his life-long focus on improving safety and reliability in aviation, and reviewing his observations about our nation's commercial aviation industry.

While one might reasonably wonder whether a formerly anonymous commercial pilot would have a compelling story to tell - a story that goes beyond the brief flight over the Hudson River - the engaging pages of Highest Duty make it clear that Sully's story is engaging, gripping, and filled with lessons for us all.

72 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An American Story, October 19, 2009

By	AdamSmythe (Colorado) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters (Hardcover)

If you are looking for a long narrative of Chesley "Sully" Sulllenberger's amazing piloting of US Airways Flight 1549 on January 15, 2009, then you will be disappointed, so don't buy this book. On the other hand, if you want to know just what brings a man like Sully Sullenberger to exceptional (maybe even heroic) performance, then read on. The answer is developed over 300 pages of Sullenberger telling the reader the story of his life--from a small community in Texas through the rigors of the Air Force Academy through service to his country as an Air Force fighter pilot and on to his commercial flying career. Were it not for the remarkable challenge of "The Miracle on the Hudson," chances are that we'd never have heard of Sully Sullenberger. Indeed, he estimated that he has flown perhaps a million people--and until January 15 virtually none of whom would recognize him a week after their flight--and that's the way he would want it to be. Yet that doesn't mean the strength and character of the man weren't already there. If there's one thing to derive from this interesting book, that's it. His remarkable qualities were already developed through his life experiences.

As you read this book, you realize that Sullenberger was absolutely prepared to be a pilot. It started back when he learned to fly (at age 16), it continued during his years at the Air Force Academy and in the Air Force, and it kept growing through his commercial pilot career. For example, he made a point of studying aircraft accidents, trying to put himself in the seats of those who had to make split-second decisions. I was surprised to read that he studied an ocean ditching (a flight from Hawaii to San Francisco) that had remarkable similarities to Sullenberger's ditching in the Hudson: that pilot walked up and down the plane, twice, to make sure everyone had left, and the plane stayed afloat for 21 minutes. Sullenberger knew what to do on January 15, 2009, because he had thoroughly thought through the process long before he was called to land in the Hudson.

There is a fair amount of personal story in Highest Duty--the story of his parents, wife and adopted daughters; the sad state of the commercial airline business; his struggling finances and his commitment to helping others. The reader can see that Sullenberger is no Superman, just another one of a long list of committed people who have resolved to be prepared and to do the right thing--whether or not they ever become famous. There are also some fighter pilot stories that you'd expect (and appreciate). You learn that one thing about being a fighter pilot is that one understands how important skill and clear thinking are, but one also realizes that some things aren't necessarily left in your own hands.

In short, this book is an easy to read and enjoyable experience. It is insightful, too. You'll probably read it in just a few sittings, and you will likely develop the feeling that there are many American heroes out there. We just don't know all their names.

54 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant & stunning!, October 15, 2009

By	genesrus - See all my reviews

This review is from: Highest Duty: My Search for What Really Matters (Hardcover)

Found myself captivated by the book that Capt. Sully Sullenberger wrote in the aftermath of sailing on the Hudson with an Airbus A320. Agree with the couple of other reviewers that this is about much more than just the LGA incident. This book describes the ethos of a very modest, private and self effacing pilot and gives us a window into a career and a calling that saved the lives of some 150 odd people. I found the content on relationships and parenting very readable and poignant. What I found saddening is the dismantling of America that I see in all walks of life extends to even the airline industry. I probably realized it was happening but to have it spelled out by Sully .....the outsourcing of even the airlines: maintenance, machining and the incredibly low wages accorded pilots is STUNNING. I found the book well written and lucid!! On a somewhat separate note I find it beyond belief that we all prop up systems that reward Wall Street and their sinecures while driving the likes of Sully into penury!