Book Review
Review of Walter L. Hixson, Charles A. Lindbergh: Lone Eagle.
Due March 16
Requirements: 3-4 pages, typed, double-spaced with 1 inch margins, 12 point font.
A book review should include both a summary of the book’s contents and an evaluation. The summary should indicate what topics the book covers and the author’s perspective on those topics. Consider the balance of coverage (how much space is devoted to different topics), what questions the author asked, and the conclusions which the author drew. (Obviously, different types of books – biography, the history of a group, of the history of a major event – require authors to write in different ways.) In evaluating a book you must consider the nature of the coverage and the presentation, or argument, which the author employs. Is it logical, consistent, and persuasive? In discussing a book you do not need to read more about the subject, but you can mention information which relates directly to the subject. A review is not a research paper, but it should reflect your general perspective.
There are a few things you should not include or do in a review. Use past tense not present tense (Lindbergh “flew” not “flies”). Do not write a summary of each chapter; instead, identify the important points in the point and write about them. Do not write in first person (“I thought”); since you are writing the review, any opinion is obviously yours. You do not need to indicate whether you disliked the author’s style (“it was boring”), since this may say less about the book than about you. Instead, you could characterize the style (e.g. very descriptive, or well-organized). Finally, don’t suggest that “anyone looking for an interesting book” or claim that “I heartily recommend (or don’t recommend)” the book. Instead of such a general and clichéd conclusion, let the quality of your insights guide the reader of your review.
Charles A. Lindbergh: Lone Eagle
Study Guide
In reading this book you need to consider, first, what topics the author covers and, second, what he thinks about them. Start with specifics such as those listed below. Then think about broader themes, such as science, progress, and individualism. Finally, evaluate what the author says -- and does not say.
[Remember, these questions are simply to help you summarize the book; do not think that you must answer them all as part of your review.]
Chapter 1
What was Charles' family background, how was he raised, and how did that affect him?
Why was Charles drawn to aviation?
Chapter 2
How was Charles affected by "minor mishaps and periodic near misses?"
What public persona did Charles attempt to portray?
What was the "winged gospel?"
Analyze Lindbergh's moral life.
How did he prepare to fly?
What was his attitude toward the press?
What was the irony of his flying solo longer than any person before him?
Chapter 3
How did Charles respond to popularity and attention?
Why did America respond so enthusiastically to Lindbergh's flight to Paris?
How did Charles react to his fame and how did this affect his life?
What influence did he have on commercial aviation?
In what ways was he an agent of U.S. expansion?
Chapter 4
What were Lindbergh's priorities after his marriage?
What was his relationship with the press?
Who was Dr. John Condon, and what role did he play in Lindbergh's life?
What was the "Lindbergh Law," and how did it come about?
How did the kidnapping and murder of their son affect the Lindberghs’ view of life? of American society?
Chapter 5
What did flying mean to Anne?
What did Anne teach Charles?
What was Charles' contribution to science?
What was Charles' relationship with FDR? Note some examples.
Why did the Lindberghs move to England?
Explain Charles' mounting fascination with Germany.
How did his visits to Germany affect his life?
How did Lindbergh fall from hero status?
Chapter 6
How, and in what ways, did Charles become involved in the war?
What was his attitude to the war in Europe? Why did he feel this way?
Why did Anne call his German medal "the albatross?"
What was the America First Committee and what place did it take in Charles' life?
Was he a pacifist? Anti-Jewish? Explain.
How did Pearl Harbor change Lindbergh's stance on the war?
Chapter 7 & 8
How did Charles react to a loss of fame?
Compare and contrast Henry Ford and Charles Lindbergh.
How did Lindbergh become rehabilitated in the eyes of the rest of the country?
What was his attitude toward technology?
How did his attitudes and beliefs change as he grew old?
What place did Vietnam take in Lindbergh's life?
What was his attitude toward nature?
What themes does the author consider important in Lindbergh's life?