For the past several months I've been reading in bits and pieces a book
by one of our list members:
Striving: Barnstorming America for role models in the shadow of Lindberg
by Sandy Sinclair, 2001, ISBN 0-9708640-1-9, osaltsandy@msn.com.
It's a picaresque tale of the author's travels around America in
his small airplane. He interviews people from all walks of life and
lets them tell their stories.
``Do something, man, even if it's wrong.'' -- Jim McGowan, rodeo cowboy
Each page has a quotation, some attributed, others not.
``Our present values can't be overlaid onto past events that occurred
under different values.''
And yes, he does go to Westford, Mass., and see the Westford Knight.
He also keeps his eyes open and meets a real Indian Chief in the same
town.
This book is about serious topics, such as
attention, detail, patience, control, decision, change, vision.
But it (mostly) isn't preachy; it's anecdotes of people and places.
Motivational books normally give me apprehension that they're going
to be either all sugary or all bluff football coach slogans. This is
neither. The author complains about potholes in runways and even
though he was a coach (and a bush pilot and a schoolteacher), most
of the book is actually about the people he meets and what they say.
With so many opinions, it is probably not possible to agree with all
of them (I don't). But there's no need to.
``If you don't read, you have no advantage over one who can't.'' -- Mark Twain
This book is a good read. I recommend it.
John S. Quarterman <jsq@quarterman.org>
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