THE BISHOP'S BOYS: A Life of Wilbur and Orville Wright

by Tom D. Crouch ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 12, 1989

From Crouch (A Dream of Wings, 1981), a hefty, accomplished, and laudatory biography of the Wright brothers. Crouch paints a deep portrait here, devoting much space to the Wrights' roots, especially to daddy Bishop Milton Wright, the most controversial figure in the history of the Church of the United Brethren of Christ--and the man from whom the brothers, according to Crouch, inherited strength of character, firmness of purpose, absolute confidence in their own abilities, and a contentious and litigous nature (""I love to scrap with Orv,"" Wilbur once said). Crouch places heavy emphasis on the isolated nature of Wilbur and Orville's family life (neither ever married), showing how that very penchant for solitude suited perfectly their vocation as inventors. The author also spends considerable time--expanding his arguments in A Dream of Wings--debunking those who claim that others solved the problem of human flight prior to December 17, 1903, in Kitty Hawk. Told well and with much affection (""Orville's interest in technological problem solving was that of a small boy with insatiable curiosity and childlike enthusiasm for all things mechanical""), this eighth extant account of the Wright boys works as both history and biography.

Pub Date: June 12, 1989

ISBN: 039330695X

Page Count: -

Publisher: Norton

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 1989

Categories: NONFICTION