Title: Character is Destiny: Inspirational Stories Every Young Person Should Know and Every Adult Should Remember
Author: John McCain with Mark Salter
Summary: Yes, it’s that John McCain. Before the senator from Arizona ran for president in 2008, he co-wrote this book of short biographies highlighting the lives of remarkable people who, through their lives or actions, changed the lives of hundreds, thousands, and even millions of people. Each entry in the book pairs up a heroic figure with a particular virtue – George Washington is the representative of self-control, Pat Tillman is the model for citizenship, Mark Twain is cited for humor – and describes how each person exemplifies that trait.
The authors go out of their way to select people who you might not have heard of, or may not get the chance to learn about in history classes. You will be as moved and inspired learning about Wilma Rudolph, Viktor Frankl, Edith Cavell and Aung San Suu Kyi as you will in reading about more familiar names such as Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Theodore Roosevelt. A wonderful and thought-provoking book – no matter what your political persuasion is.
Who will like this book: Readers who like to be inspired by true stories. People who like biographies, but don’t feel like slogging through an entire full-length book.
If you like this, try this: More short, true, and often inspirational stories: I Thought My Father Was God, edited by Paul Auster. Listening is an Act of Love, edited by David Isay. The PostSecret series.
Recommended by: Nicole, Teen Librarian