Book Nook Cafe discussion

Alias Reader wrote: 1. Talk about the Wright family circle—especially Sister Katharine and Bishop Milton Wright—and the influence its members had on Orville and Wilbur and their achievement. This leads, inevitably, to the roles that upbringing and genetics play in individual accomplishment. To what extent are all of us shaped by our family environment? How much of our accomplishments are fully our own?."

I think their upbringing had a big influence. The father and sister also seemed self contained and were not flamboyant. personalities.

2. Talk about the differences—and similarities—between the two brothers?

They seem similar in disposition when it came to their work. Wilbur maybe was a bit more outgoing and that is why he went to France. While there he seemed to go out on the town and enjoy himself.

8. What struck you most in the story of the the Wright brothers? What surprised you or impressed you? How much did you know (or understand) before you read McCullough's book...and what did you come away having learned?

I had no idea that their success started in France. I also didn't have a sense of the fierce competition to be the first to fly. I didn't really know much beyond Kitty Hawk and that they were the first to fly. I also didn't know about Wilbur's untimely death from typhoid.

9. In 1908, when the Wrights finally showed their plane to the press, one reporter wrote: "this spectacle of men flying was so startling, so bewildering to the senses...that we all stood like so many marble men." Imagine yourself in that situation: how might you have reacted? Can you think of a future technological advancement that might astonish you the same way?

Space travel to other galaxies . Finding life on in other galaxies.
Infinite dimensions where there are infinite numbers of me !
Seeing people from other galaxies come here.

It's neat to see people responding to the questions. Petra, i know what you mean about the question on the emotions of the brothers. Today we react with more emotions, probably due to the way our entertainment emotes. I think they had less of that back then.

Pauline, i didn't realize how long those patent judgments took. While i had a sense of patent laws & such from reading other bios, i can see why the court cases must have been frustrating for the original minds. Until the court cases were mentioned, i wondered if the Brothers would even take someone to court, so easy going did they seem.

Alias, i agree with you about the book. I think we learned about all we could about the brothers at this length. More pages & we would have had more about the era, not the brothers and family.

One other thing I LOVED, the red canoe in case the plane went down in water.

Alias Reader wrote: "Chapter 10
Last page of chapter.

I thought the author made a good point that I didn't think about when reading the book.


"Further, as would become increasingly clear later, they had seen Europe at almost perfect time, when prosperity and peace prevailed, when American in abundance were discovering and enjoying the experience of European travel and the changes in outlook it brought as never before and when the horrors of modern, mechanized warfare were still to come." ..."

I thought of this while reading the European tour section. The Wrights were there not long before WWI and I was thinking how people were so close to the horrors of this first war. I was glad that they were enjoying some fun.

Alias Reader wrote: "Epilogue

So sad Wilbur died so young.

Why was Orville so upset that his sister was marrying ? To not attend the wedding and then almost not seeing her on her deathbed? Seems quite selfish and out of character with the rest of the books portrayal of him. ..."

I really liked Wilbur and was sorry that he couldn't live to a ripe old age.

Orville's reaction to his sister's wedding did seem out of character. The only reason I could think of was that he was a man very much connected to his family, especially Wilbur, Katherine and his father. With Wilbur dead & his father aging, he may have seen himself deserted, in a sense, and seen Katherine's moving away as a turning her back on the family. They had purchased a large mansion and then the family started to diminish through death and moving away. Wilbur may have felt lonely and on his own for the first time in his life. He'd always had Wilbur & Katherine at his side, so to speak.

I kind of thought that it was sad that Wilbur never lived in the mansion with his own room & bathroom.

madrano wrote: "I was happily surprised to read how much Wilbur enjoyed the Louvre! So many visits were mentioned in Chapter 7. His thoughts and the way he shared them with Orville when he arrived were neat. And it illustrated the breadth of their interests. ....

I loved the section of Wilbur in Paris. He had such a good time; it was so nice to read about that.
I was surprised at Wilbur's knowledge in such a wide variety of subjects. I knew he was smarter than smart but that he had so much in-depth knowledge on so many varied subjects was fascinating. He was a very interesting man.

madrano wrote: "Can you imagine the especial thrill afforded the brothers when they at last flew together? I got misty-eyed over that, imagining their conversation, shared glances and total delight. What a moment. How i would have liked to eavesdrop on their comments as they flew. ..."

That was truly a special moment. One can only imagine how thrilled the two must have felt at that moment. I was really happy that they had this moment of privacy to enjoy their achievement.

I finished this last night and am so glad that I read it. It probably wouldn't have hit my radar except for this group. Thank you.

I really liked the Wright family, especially Wilbur. His first time in Paris was my favorite part of the book because here he relaxed and enjoyed himself. It was a time when he was away from family for the first time and he thrived.

I did feel a bit sorry for the brothers after they became famous in Europe and they were always surrounded by people watching their every move. These are private people. I can only imagine the strain it must have been to always have so many eyes on your every movement. They handled themselves with decorum and dignity.

I loved Neil Armstrong's tribute to the brothers. It was so touching.

Petra wrote: "Alias Reader wrote: "Epilogue

So sad Wilbur died so young.

Why was Orville so upset that his sister was marrying ? To not attend the wedding and then almost not seeing her on her deathbed? Seems..."

I agree Alias. I think Orville felt abandoned. He really didn't have anyone else that he was close with.

Petra wrote: "I finished this last night and am so glad that I read it. It probably wouldn't have hit my radar except for this group. Thank you.

I really liked the Wright family, especially Wilbur. His first ti..."

Glad you enjoyed it, Petra !

Bobbie57 wrote: I agree Alias. I think Orville felt abandoned. He really didn't have anyone else that he was close with."

Did you finish it, Barbara ? If so did you enjoy it?

Pauline wrote: "One other thing I LOVED, the red canoe in case the plane went down in water."

I forgot to note that in my notes, Pauline. Like you, i thought that was wonderfully clever.

As noted by others, the Paris portion of their lives allowed us to see a less focused angle of them, most especially Wilbur. I was happy to know that they appreciated art so much and even shared with others about it.

Petra, i'm glad you enjoyed it, too. This was on my list but the way i've been this year, only a group reading such as this would have moved it to the front anytime soon. I thank the group, too.

I wonder if Orville would have felt as abandoned if Katharine & her husband stayed in Dayton? I was happy that she was getting her own adventure, so to speak. But the loneliness must have been horrid.

Knowing that WWI was just around the corner flavored the way i looked at what they were experiencing, too. And the way flight would be used! Sad.

Alias Reader wrote: "Bobbie57 wrote: I agree Alias. I think Orville felt abandoned. He really didn't have anyone else that he was close with."

Did you finish it, Barbara ? If so did you enjoy it?"

Yes, I did finish it. I wouldn't have read it or thought about it if it weren't for this group. It filled in a lot of information that I hadn't had before. The first flight was something that I think many of us took for granted and just slid past. You know an invention that "of course" was American, so learning about what was going on around the world was also eye-opening -- as well as the poor choices made by the Smithsonian. I think when we teach American History (not that there is much of that these days as it is) we neglect integrating it with what is going on in other parts of the world at the same time. Even more necessary now when it is so easy to get from one place to another. Not like the travel in the days of the Wright Brothers. I couldn't even imagine packing up the airplane and having to reassemble it.

Bobbie57 wrote: we neglect integrating it with what is going on in other parts of the world at the same time.."

Good point, Barbara.

Interestingly this very point was made in the book I am currently reading, The Path: What Chinese Philosophers Can Teach Us About the Good Life--Michael Puett The author is a professor of Chinese history at Harvard University.

He wrote, "Enter any major museum of art, and you face a wealth of galleries: Mesopotamia, Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, Roman Empire,, Medieval Europe, Modern Europe. Each gallery is filled with beautiful artifacts, and as you walk through them in succession, you can trace the rise of civilization. You can then wander to another wing if you like, and go into rooms focused on lands such as India, and China, and Japan.

This is how we tend to learn about world history: as discrete civilizations that developed on their own over time.

Now imagine a different kind of museum, one organizes solely by era. You could stroll though a gallery, for example, and see a Roman silver coin, a bronze coin from China's Han dynasty, and a punch marked coin from India's Mauryan Empire. You would see right away that three major civilizations were going through remarkably similar changes at roughly the same time, despite the vast distance between them: each had become an empire, and each was running an economy based upon coin currency. Or you could enter a gallery about he early medieval period, several centuries later, and see Christian, Muslim, and Buddhist sacred objects and architectural remnants. They would vividly bring to life that fact that at the same time in history, all the major world religions spread, establishing themselves along the trade networks that linked China, India, and the Mediterranean region. This would present a more accurate portrayal of how this history unfolded, for Europe and Asian have always been interconnected."

I like what you wrote, Bobbie, and agree. I'm 65 and that's the way i was presented with history. When we first began traveling internationally, i was often surprised to learn that inventions and history, even, happened elsewhere. :-) This is when i really began to appreciate reading history, to be honest with you, because i wanted to know what facts i have missed.

Alias, i like the excerpt you shared from the book. This reminds me that much i learned about history began in museums. The coin collections is a good example. Stamps and other trade goods are others. Learning what is/was valuable to one nation, which another nation didn't value, puts the past of nations into context.

Good posts.

Alias Reader wrote: "Bobbie57 wrote: we neglect integrating it with what is going on in other parts of the world at the same time.."

Good point, Barbara.

Interestingly this very point was made in the book I am curre..."

I don't think I am being serious but it is just this kind of thought that even though these various cultures were geographically miles apart and definitely not communicating, how is it that they came up with similar ideas -- that it must be that we were visited by ETs. Clearly I have been watching too much History TV.

The World History courses that I took in college long ago were very Eurocentric. We had like 3 days about Africa. Geez - a whole continent. And as far as the Middle East is concerned I just had the Ancient History part. Needless to say it's a good thing that those of us on the board like to read. At least we keep learning.

Bobbie57 wrote: Needless to say it's a good thing that those of us on the board like to read. At least we keep learning.
."

Amen

LOL, re. History Channel & their alien theories. When i was a teen, i ate that stuff up!

I don't recall learning anything about Afirca or the Middle East in school. What i learned of Asia & South America was in relation to US government decisions. Reading--Yes!

madrano wrote: "LOL, re. History Channel & their alien theories. When i was a teen, i ate that stuff up!

I don't recall learning anything about Afirca or the Middle East in school. What i learned of Asia & South ..."

You didn't learn anything about Africa or the Middle East because your teachers hadn't been taught anything about it before you. And as to South America, some of us learned something only because we took Spanish and there was some culture included.

It was about 250 years ago since I was in school and my memory is Swiss cheese. However, I do know I learned about Africa because I had to memorize the capitals for a test. So I do know I had World History.

Capitals of the world is something else i can't often name because we weren't taught them. Stamp collecting helped my husband on that front. And who collects those anymore?

Bobbie, what you wrote makes sense--my teachers couldn't teach me what they didn't know.

And there's Alias at least a decade younger than me having been taught African capitals. I remember my son's 5th grade teacher covering each continent, countries there & their capitals. I learned more from his homework than mine, years earlier.

We considered going through Dayton yesterday on our way home from other places. Apparently Carillon Historical Park has a Wright Flyer and other stuff and a replica of one of their bicycle shops. https://www.daytonhistory.org/visit/t...
It sounds like there are some other interesting historical things to see there as well.
But unfortunately we were tired and slept in and didn't think we'd have the time and energy. Some other time. It is only a few hours from where we live. And I haven't read the book yet anyway. :-)

I appreciate the tip, Julie. We hope to be there in the upcoming month or two or three. I like the bike shop replica idea.

There's currently a GiveAway for a book about Katharine's decision to "leave" Orville and marry:
Maiden Flight: A Novel

It finished today and the chances are pretty good at the moment (67:1).

Petra wrote: "There's currently a GiveAway for a book about Katharine's decision to "leave" Orville and marry:
Maiden Flight: A Novel

It finished today and the chances are pretty good at the mom..."

Thanks for the info, Petra !

I meant "it finishes" today; not that it's already over. Duh!!!!

Good luck to all who enter!

Hope you win, Petra. Then you can tell us what you think & if it's worth the time spent.

LOL! I haven't entered the GiveAway. I browse them every few days, though, so noticed it.
I do hope that someone here wins a copy.

I don't often remember to check on the giveaway page, so welcome the info. I like that they tell you how many people have entered.

I love this book. It's one of my favorites of this year.

Samanta, i suspect it will be on my Top 10 Books for 2016, too. David McCullough writes biographies well, i believe.

madrano wrote: "Samanta, i suspect it will be on my Top 10 Books for 2016, too. David McCullough writes biographies well, i believe."

Thank you, deb, for reminding me to put up our Best/Worst list of 2016 !

LOL! Glad i could be of service!

madrano wrote: "Samanta, i suspect it will be on my Top 10 Books for 2016, too. David McCullough writes biographies well, i believe."

According to some of my friends here, he writes everything well. :)

Probably so. I've only read his bios but my husband read the book on The Johnstown Flood and liked it. His John Adams is the standard by which i judge biographies.

Loved his John Adams.

Yes!