The Wright Brothers Audiobook

Quotes

• “[An] enjoyable, fast-paced tale…A fun, fast ride.”

  — Economist

• “Another work of blue-chip history from this exalted source.”

  — New York Times

• “A story of timeless importance, told with uncommon empathy and fluency…A story, well told, about what might be the most astonishing feat mankind has ever accomplished…The Wright Brothers soars.”

  — New York Times Book Review

• “McCullough…brings his deft touch with language and his eye for humanizing details to the unusually close relationship between a pair of brothers from Dayton, Ohio, who changed aviation history…Like other great biographies before it, The Wright Brothers tells the story about the individuals behind the great moments in history, while never sacrificing beauty in language and reverence in tone.”

  — Amazon.com

• “Does more than chronicle their painstaking, game-changing breakthrough…It reveals what truly remarkable men they were: their unparalleled work ethic, their dogged persistence, their unwavering modesty.”

  — Associated Press

• “Draws on Wright family archives to tell the story of this remarkable duo, whose first solo flight in 1903 marked a turning point for science, travel and warfare. McCullough brings special insight to the dynamics of the Wright family, including Orville and Wilbur’s outgoing sister Katharine, who tirelessly supported the brothers in their work.”

  — BookPage

• “McCullough effectively blends impeccable writing with historical rigor and strong character definition in his biography…Highlights of McCullough’s narrative include his discussions of the Wrights’ innovative conception of wing-warping as a means of flight control…Highly recommended.”

  — Library Journal (starred review)

• “An outstanding saga of the lives of two men who left such a giant footprint on our modern age.”

  — Booklist (starred review)

• “McCullough’s usual warm, evocative prose makes for an absorbing narrative; he conveys both the drama of the birth of flight and the homespun genius of America’s golden age of innovation.”

  — Publishers Weekly

• “A charmingly pared-down life of the ‘boys’ that grounds their dream of flight in decent character and work ethic…McCullough highlights the intellectual stimulation that fed these bookish, creative, close-knit siblings…An educational and inspiring biography of seminal American innovators.”

  — Kirkus Reviews

• “A stellar production on every count and a supremely satisfying listening experience. McCullough’s calm, avuncular voice, familiar to millions from his PBS productions, is for many of us the voice of history itself. In the Wrights he sees exemplified the values of courage, character, and perseverance, which he has honored in book after book, never with such unqualified admiration as here. McCullough concentrates on the first decade of the 1900s—the Wrights’ years of labor and invention and a period of unparalleled public excitement their first flights inspired in Europe and America. The text is concise, rich in telling and illuminating detail. You feel you’re not just listening but seeing the story unfold before your eyes. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.”

  — AudioFile