The Aviators

Eddie Rickenbacker, Jimmy Doolittle, Charles Lindbergh, and the Epic Age of Flight

By: Winston Groom

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 17 hrs and 23 mins

Publisher's summary

Gifted storyteller Winston Groom, the best-selling author of Forrest Gump, has written the fascinating story of three extraordinary heroes who defined aviation during the great age of flight: Charles Lindbergh, Eddie Rickenbacker, and Jimmy Doolittle. 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 Unbroken, The Greatest Generation, and Flyboys.

With the world in peril during 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 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 the intertwined stories—from broken homes to Medals of Honor (all three would receive one), barnstorming to the greatest raid of World War II, front-page triumph to anguished tragedy, and near-death to ultimate survival—of these three men who took to the sky, time and again, to become exemplars of the spirit of the "greatest generation."

©2013 Winston Groom (P)2013 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

great book to read. i could not stop listening

great book to read. i could not stop listening to this interesting fact bound book

This book is Aces! (See what I did there)

This story is fantastic! If you love history you will love this book. I knew much of this history already but the author really pieces these three men's lives together in a compelling and entertaining style. This is like history nerd ice cream.

An age of individualism

The author blends the human narrative of these giants of aviation while not neglecting their individual struggles and challenges. Entirely engaging, wholly fascinating.

Aviation history at its best!

Anyone who has any interest in aviation has to get this book. Well written and well preformed.

I knew these guys were aviation pioneers but I didn’t know all they did for aviation. Even more surprising is what they did in both world wars.

True American heroes!

Enthralling, Fascinating, and Inspiring

The Aviators was a real "virtual page turner" in every respect. The stories were enthralling from start to finish, and the narration was outstanding. The narrator seemed to be perfectly matched with the characters, and made you feel as if you were there with them.

READ IT! My favorite Audible book yet!

I love biographies, and this is a triple biography on some of the best Americans, pilots, and pioneers of all time. The book is well-written and I appreciated the reader. I have studied aviation for decades, and knew the basics about these three, but had never gone in any depth. This made me really appreciate each one, while seeing they were fallible human beings with real failings, but also placed in extraordinary times and able to uniquely fit in to those times. AMAZING book, and I HIGHLY recommend!

Outstanding!

This book was an outstanding history of the pioneers in aviation! It was well-researched and well written. The narration was excellent as well.

Incredible!!

if you are at all interested in airplanes you will love this book. it keeps your attention all the way through

Simply a must-listen.

The writing and narration were superb. The interweaving of the stories of these tremendously impactful aviators and their families and peers was constantly interesting. I recommend this book to all those who wish not to forget the history of aviation and the days in which these people lived with particular distinction.

Excellent. Highly recommend it.

The Aviators is a book well worth your time. It highlights the history IV aviation through the incredible experiences of the three greatest aviators of their time, Lundberg, Rickenbacher and Dolittle.