Enduring Courage: Ace Pilot Eddie Rickenbacker and the Dawn of the Age of Speed

This biography of Eddie Rickenbacker – the early race car driver and World War I flying ace who founded an automobile company and became an American cultural icon – is able and engaging. Rickenbacker was born in 1890 in Columbus, Ohio, the child of Swiss immigrants, and went to work after his father’s death when he was thirteen. His interest in machinery, and his risk-taking personality, quickly became evident. By the time Eddie was sixteen, he was working for an early automobile manufacturer, designing and building cars as well as racing them. He quickly grew to be one of the most successful drivers in the new sport. His fame only grew when he joined the army when the United States entered World War I, and became one of the most successful flying aces, collecting twenty-six confirmed kills and flying more hours than any other US pilot. After the war, Rickenbacker started a car company, owned and ran the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for nearly two decades, and served as the president of Eastern Air Lines. Although Ross’s book blazes no new trails, it competently collects the story of Rickenbacker, his life, and his legacy.