John McCain's grandfather was rail thin, a gaunt, hawk-faced man known as "Slew" by his fellow officers and, affectionately, as "Popeye" by the sailors who served under him. McCain Sr. played the horses, drank bourbon and water, and rolled his own cirgarettes with one hand. more significantly, he was one of the Navy's greatest commanders, who led the air craft carrier of the Third Fleet in key battles during World War II.

John McCain's father followed a similar path, one that was equally distinguished by heroic service in the Navy as a submarine commander who fought off Japanese depth charge attacks during World War II. McCain Jr. was a slightly built man, but like his father, he earned the respect and affection of his men. He too rose to the rank of four-star Admiral, making the McCains the first family in American history to achieve that distinction. McCain Jr.'s final assignment was command of all U.S. forces in the Pacific during the Vietnam War.

And it was in the Vietnam War that John McCain III faced the most difficult challenge of his life. A naval aviator, he was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 and seriously injured. When Vietnamese military officers realized he was the son of a top commander, they offered McCain early release in an effort to embarass the United States. Acting from a sense of honor taught to him by his fathers and the U.S. Naval Academy, McCain refused the offer. He was tortured, held in solitary confinement, and imprisoned for five-and-a-half years.

This memoir is the story of what McCain learned from his grandfather and father, and how their example enabled him to endure these hard years. It is a story of three imperfect men who faced adversity and emerged with their honor intact. Ultimately, Faith of My Fathers is a story of fathers and sons, what they give to each other, and what lasts.

שם הספר
Why courage matters:the way to a braver life
Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir
Faith of My Fathers
Worth the Fighting For: The Education of an American Maverick, and the Heroes Who Inspired Him