Share This Article

Enduring Courage: Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed

by John F. Ross, St. Martin’s Press, New York, 2014, $26.99

There seems to be a revival of interest in aviation-related subjects among major publishers, and Enduring Courage is a welcome addition to the list. The main title is apt, for no one had more enduring courage than Captain Eddie, but the subtitle is a bit over the top.

A partial biography of Rickenbacker, concentrating mainly on his early years, this book shares with some others of its type a new and undoubtedly necessary feature: It includes a fair amount of context, explaining relevant aspects of the period. To older readers, and particularly to those who are already confirmed Rickenbacker fans, this might seem unnecessary, but if you are new to the field, it may be useful.

Author John Ross focuses primarily on Rickenbacker’s Horatio Alger–like life story up through the end of World War I, devoting 15 chapters to this period. He does a good job of depicting the flier’s transformation from waif to warrior. Ross had access to good primary sources, and pays proper tribute to W. David Lewis’ superb 2005 biography. His account of Rickenbacker’s experiences in France is particularly good, providing real insight into how a rough-hewn, self-made celebrity overcame obstacles of age, class and even physical condition to become America’s ace of aces.

The last two chapters are less satisfying, giving short shrift to the Rickenbacker auto mobile and his ownership of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. His extraordinary leadership of Eastern Airlines is overshadowed by the heroic actions he took after surviving a Douglas DC-3 crash in 1941. The final chapter is devoted to the amazing story of his survival at sea after the B-17 in which he was flying was forced to ditch in the Pacific.

Readers come away from Enduring Courage with a good sense of Ricken backer’s early days. This book and others like it also make clear that writers now have a new requirement: to fill readers in on background information, ensuring they have a proper perspective on the subject.

 

Originally published in the July 2014 issue of Aviation History. To subscribe, click here.