Character is Destiny

John McCain and co-author Mark Salter organized this collection around seven virtues — courage, honesty, wisdom, and others — and filled each section with biographical portraits spanning centuries and continents. Winston Churchill, George Washington, a Catholic priest who gave his life for a condemned man at Auschwitz, a Beverly Hills housewife turned prison nun in Mexico: the range is genuinely wide. The Washington Post called it "an eclectic collection of heroes"; the Minneapolis Star Tribune praised it as "uplifting" and relevant for adults as much as teens. Faith, patriotism, and sacrifice are treated with evident respect throughout. The honest caveat is that the sketches are necessarily brief, and some critics noted the hero selections reflect McCain's particular political worldview. Still, as character education for twelve and up, it is accessible, substantive, and worth the read.