It's an odd feeling when you are purchasing a book that goes contrary to your point of view. I felt like explaining to everyone near me that I wasn't a Republican, that I was planning on voting for Obama, and that I just felt I needed to give each candidate a "fair" shot at gaining my vote. I selected the book entitled "Faith of my Fathers" as I felt it would be a nice complement to Obama's "Dreams From my Father". Both books detail the early years of the candidates. Obama's from birth, through his years of organizing in Chicago, until his life changing journey to his father's native land of Kenya. McCain tells the story of his grandfather, father, and his own life up through his release from a Vietnamese POW camp.
As I mentioned I felt weird, and a little ashamed, as I read through McCain's book in a crowded airport. I was definitely reading the book with a jaded eye as I saw a politician's voice leaping at me from every line. But the more I read the more I liked this Mac Kane (as his Vietnamese captors called him) guy. His admiration for his grandfather (an Admiral in WWII who was at the Japanese surrender) and his father (Admiral and Commander of the Pacific Command during the Vietnam War) is very apparent and you can tell that McCain comes from a different breed of men. Men of honor and determination who would give their lives for America without a moment's hesitation.
I guess the part of the book that impressed me the most was McCain's description of his experiences as a POW for 5 1/2 years. Though he certainly deserves admiration for his own loyalty and faith during his years of imprisonment he continually downgrades his own achievements to relate the heroic deeds of other POWs. I can't imagine going through what McCain endured in those 5 years and the man is obviously an American Hero.
That's what I think really gets confused in this red-blue divided country of ours. Though I disagree with McCain's stances on a lot of issues, I began to see him in a different light in this book. He is a good man. An American Hero. There's a lesson to be learned here. I think deep down we all want the same things, the things that Michelle Obama (in her convention speech) reiterated. We all want an equal opportunity to succeed based on our own merit and the ability to provide our children with a better life than we had. No matter how much Fox News tries to blast Obama for his lack of a lapel American flag, or how much Comedy Central rips McCain I think during the rest of the election season I will try to remember that at the core these two people are good men.
I know some of you are cynical about politicians. But when I read these books I just feel I get a little more than listening to 5 second sound bytes on the news. I'm reminded of a quote by Vaclav Havel where he writes that living normally, "begins as an attempt to do your work well, and ends with being branded an enemy of society"
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