The Wright Brothers

The world relies on the expertise, the brilliance and the contribution of a few extra-ordinary men. Wright brothers, the inventors of modern day aircrafts fall in that category. For some of us in India, we had heard of them, but knew little about their motivations, their background, what made them succeed, what were the challenges that they overcame and what were some of the other factors that made them what they are. Wright Brothers is an easy to read biography of Wilbur and Orville Wright written by David McCullough. It brings the characters to life. For me the following stood out: 1. The intense intellectual curiosity of the two brothers stands out. The author seems to suggest that it was their environment that triggerred their curiosity in flying i.e., by a toy, they played with as children and growing up in a home with books on science. Interestingly, intellectual curiosity is a quality that US universities claim to look for in applicants. 2. Wright brothers did not go to great US universities. Nor were they born into a family of privilege. They were self made men. They spent a fraction of money spent by some other much better funded groups, who despite the funding and support from the very best failed. However, what they had was passion, attention to detail, looking at things carefully and making incremental changes constantly. As you read the book, these qualities come through loud and clear. 3. They are men of great determination and tenacity. Year after year, they travel to Kitty Hawk (a remote part of North Carolina) where they overcome mosquitoes and inclement weather, set up a base, assemble prototypes, experiment and successfully fly a plane. 4. Successfully flying a plane is not enough. US Government repeatedly rejects them and show little interest in helping them. No surprises that innovation has an inverse relationship with bureaucracy. However, the brothers do not give up and ultimately, the world recognises them. 5. The success of the Wright Brothers is also about strong family tie. Their father and sister whole heartedly support them in their endeavours through thick and thin. 6. Their success also illustrates the importance of hiring high quality professional manager.....their aircraft hobby was funded by their bicycle business.....while they were away focussing on experiments with aircrafts, a professional manager ran their bicycle business. On the shortcomings of the book, they is a lack of technical detail e.g., what is not clear is how did bicycle experts acquire the expertise to design an engine to fly a plane. Also not very clear is why they succeeded and why did the other dreamers fail. All in all a good and a very inspiring book to read. I recommend it.

Lucid narrative. Nicely takes the reader through the life in US at the turn of the 18th century.

Excellent. A lifetime achievement. American spirit par excellence. Great book to Gift to Youth.

Excellent work. Writer has collected a lot of facts together to create vivid story for readers. Recommended for all young students and adults alike.

Rich narrative of life of the two legends. Has very detailed description of journey to first controlled flight. Has real collection of handwritten letters, dairy entries etc. Very inspiring and a must read by every Aviation Enthusiast.

The story of wright brothers is known to everyone but I never knew their story this well before I came across this book. The book is meticulously written amd well researched. The dedication, the effort they did put in realising their dreams without and formal training is very inspiring to read. Neatly written. A very good book to read.

An Absolute delight to read the passion and the hardships behind the extraordinary success story of one of the most amazing inventions on earth by the Wright brothers. Go for it even if you are not an aviation connoisseur.

Never knew the exact story how the aeroplane was invented. From cycle mechanics to invention of plane- What an extraordinary story, and above all the humility of the brothers is awe inspiring.

This book is just 100/10. It is short, dense and many many lessons you can draw out from it - including parenting lessons. David McCullough is a seriously good writer, and every book of his is a real joy

Brings back the joy of flying!

interesting book to read about wright brothers. especially the first 60% or so . the last 40% about when they got fame become very boring.

I really enjoyed this read. Sitting here on holidays on the other side of the world, I hadn't even considered the debt of gratitude I owed to the brothers who against all odds made the magic of flight possible. The author addresses the Wright brothers' story it in an entertaining and informative way. It is easy to read, logical and each chapter leads you wanting to know more (and keep reading). This story should be made into a movie and McCullogh's book would serve as a worthy script.

Great book