Lindbergh (1998)

clear, unbiased (but not overly critical) biography; not always clear on his relations with his wife, or his children

A book I could not put down. What most interested me about Lindberg was his interest in always moving on, from flying to pure science, to rockets. Read his wartime diaries and judge for yourself if he was unpatriotic. The American Ambassador to England sent him to Nazi Germany before war was declared so he could report formally as an expert on Nazi air power. He obviously took a long time to really realize the threat Hitler posed, and then fought without official position in the US Air Force in the far east.

It is amazing how I kept coming across Lindberg references in a fall trip across the country. There was the site in Arkansas (or was it Mississippi) where he had his first inadvertant night landing at a country club, or lodge. For a night's lodging the gave the proprieter a flight.

Then at the Will Rogers home there is a brandy sniffer once filled with rose petals. The Rogers invited him to their California home to escape the pressures of the murder trial and his sister-in-law Elizabeth collected the petals. ( )

Some people seem able to cram two or three lifetimes worth of accomplishments into one lifespan. Charles Lindbergh managed four or five. Aviation pioneer, medical researcher, author, lecturer, philanthropist, military hero, humanitarian, naturalist... you name a cause in the 20th century and he seemed to be at the forefront of it. ( )

A scrupulously researched biography of Charles Lindbergh by A. Scott Berg who was granted unlimited access by Charles' widow, Anne Morrow Lindbergh, to some 2,000 boxes of papers. He was also able to spend many hours interviewing the friends and family of the Lindberghs. And yet, some 30 years after his death, the final story of this remarkable man is yet to be told. Recently discovered letters in the attic of a German woman, has led to the revelation of at least two more families in Germany and Switzerland that Lindbergh kept hidden. As Mr. Berg's biography describes the years of his many absences due to travel in the 50s and 60s, psychiatrists were formulating theories of his "running away from old age" and "intimacy." His wife conjectured that he kept on the move to avoid discussing feelings, but no one at any time suspected the double life he was leading in Europe. From this book and the diaries and books of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, it is still not entirely possible to understand this man of genius who moved from one venue to another throughout his life applying a passion, energy and intelligence to each new project. He was a man of little formal education, yet one who very quickly after his famous flight at the age of 25 was able to move and converse with the leading figures and intellectuals of the day. No matter what the setting, he was the center of attention. Even with her back turned, his wife was able to discern his entrance by the reaction in the room. Given the monumental task of going through so much material, Mr. Berg has done an outstanding job of choosing that which best reveals the formulating influences on Lindbergh's life from early childhood until his death. It will be interesting to read the next chapter in his life, perhaps written by his European children. ( )

3179. Lindbergh, by A. Scott Berg (read 30 Mar 1999) This is a fascinating bio of a man who led a fantastic life, at least up to Pearl Harbor. A very good book. ( )