Aviators The

Written by gifted storyteller Winston Groom (author of <i>Forrest Gump</i>) <i>The Aviators</i> tells the saga of three extraordinary aviators--Charles Lindbergh Eddie Rickenbacker and Jimmy Doolittle--and how they redefine heroism through their genius daring and uncommon courage.<br> &#160;<br>This is the fascinating story of three extraordinary heroes who defined aviation during the great age of flight. These cleverly interwoven tales of their heart-stopping adventures take us from the feats of World War I through the heroism of World War II and beyond including daring military raids and survival-at-sea and will appeal to fans of <i>Unbroken</i> <i>The Greatest Generation</i> and <i>Flyboys</i>. With the world in peril in World War II each man set aside great success and comfort to return to the skies for his most daring mission yet. Doolittle a brilliant aviation innovator would lead the daring Tokyo Raid to retaliate for Pearl Harbor; Lindbergh hero of the first solo flight across the Atlantic would fly combat missions in the South Pacific; and Rickenbacker World War I flying ace would bravely hold his crew together while facing near-starvation and circling sharks after his plane went down in a remote part of the Pacific. Groom's rich narrative tells their intertwined stories--from broken homes to Medals of Honor (all three would receive it); barnstorming to the greatest raid of World War II; front-page triumph to anguished tragedy; and near-death to ultimate survival--as all took to the sky time and again to become exemplars of the spirit of the greatest generation.