A Higher Call

An Incredible True Story of Combat and Chivalry in the War-Torn Skies of World War II

By: Adam Makos

Narrated by: Robertson Dean

Length: 13 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER: “Beautifully told.”—CNN • “A remarkable story…worth retelling and celebrating.”—USA Today • “Oh, it’s a good one!”—Fox News

A beautiful story of a brotherhood between enemies emerges from the horrors of World War II in this New York Times bestseller by the author of Devotion, now a Major Motion Picture.

Four days before Christmas in 1943, a badly damaged American bomber struggled to fly over wartime Germany. At its controls was a twenty-one-year-old pilot. Half his crew lay wounded or dead. It was their first mission. Suddenly a sleek, dark shape pulled up on the bomber’s tail—a German Messerschmitt fighter. Worse, the German pilot was an ace, a man able to destroy the American bomber with the squeeze of a trigger. What happened next would defy imagination and later be called the most incredible encounter between enemies in World War II.

This is the true story of the two pilots whose lives collided in the skies that day—the American—Second Lieutenant Charlie Brown, a former farm boy from West Virginia who came to captain a B-17—and the German—Second Lieutenant Franz Stigler, a former airline pilot from Bavaria who sought to avoid fighting in World War II.

A Higher Call follows both Charlie and Franz’s harrowing missions. Charlie would face takeoffs in English fog over the flaming wreckage of his buddies’ planes, flak bursts so close they would light his cockpit, and packs of enemy fighters that would circle his plane like sharks. Franz would face sandstorms in the desert, a crash alone at sea, and the spectacle of one thousand bombers, each with eleven guns, waiting for his attack.

Ultimately, Charlie and Franz would stare across the frozen skies at one another. What happened between them, the American Eighth Air Force would later classify as top secret. It was an act that Franz could never mention without facing a firing squad. It was the encounter that would haunt both Charlie and Franz for forty years until, as old men, they would search for one another, a last mission that could change their lives forever.

©2012 Adam Makos (P)2013 Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

Critic reviews

“This book grips you like a movie. It’s part Top Gun, part Valkyrie, and more!”(Marcus Brotherton, New York Times best-selling author

“It is often said that ‘war is hell’ - and it is - however, this story reveals how the human spirit can shine in the darkest hours. A Higher Call is an eye-opener.” (Col. Charles McGee, Tuskegee Airman, WWII)

“‘Can good men be found on both sides of a bad war?’ The author asks the question and delivers the answer. A powerful, haunting read.” (Chuck Tatum, author of Red Blood, Black Sand)

As moving as it was interesting and pleasant

I never do audiobooks but this one was totally worth it. I couldn’t stop listening. The voicing was impeccable. And the story was so moving in so many ways that it brought tears to my eyes many times throughout the book. Very well written and researched. Very well read. Very well done.

How to live through War Should be.

Real Love Shown!!! Truthfully How to walk out life with Grace/ Mercy/ Love with Honor !!!

An amazing tale from WWII

This is a remarkable book. The story is at once inspiring and conflicting. The history undertones are significant and helpful in understanding what was happening in Germany under Hitler.

The book is well written and informative as well as very interesting.

Equally important, the performance is top notch. When listening while driving, I found myself lingering in my vehicle to continue to listen, even though I had reached my destination.

Jobs of WWII

The way the book was written made me feel like I was there experiencing the same thing that those two pilots experienced. Being a pilot myself I can understand the kind of things they lived. My hopes are that Adam Makos gets to make a movie from the book. But based on my experience with great books that are make into a movie that the book was better. Great experience!!!!!!!!

Wonderful story and very well written

Would you listen to A Higher Call again? Why?

No I do not normally listen to books twice.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

It was just a great story and it shows how one decision affects generations.

A wonderful book with depth about honor

A Higher Call should be required reading for every senior in high school along with discussion. Every person should read this book. True honor and love is shown through the pages of this book. Human beings can be remarkable, even in the midst of evil times . I would normally not choose a book of this type; however, I am grateful that I listened . I loved it and the
narrator was excellent. Thank you audible!

Honorable

An incredible story of survival and an act of compassion that changed the lives of a handful of men in WWII. The book mostly focuses on Franz Stigler's experiences and the physical and mental toll the war took on him. An excellent piece of WWII history.

On a technical I listened at 1.5 speed

Enemies and friends.

What an outstanding story of bravery, and chivalry. One of the best stories that I’ve read in years.

Great story.

loved it. Amazing story that tells of incredible bravery. I definitely recommend you read this book.

A Better Story You'll Not Find!

Exceptional on so many levels. This is more than a story of chivalry and compassion. This is a story of duty, honor, humanity and getting the job done. I found myself several times stoping and asking out loud, "would I have had the courage to do that…"?!

This is a must read/listen for anyone who enjoys war novels or books about the toughness, tenderness and kindness of the human soul. This needs to be made into a movie, but read the book first.