What is a hero? What characteristics do you see in your heroes? Most would agree a hero is brave, confident, dependable and selfless. For most Americans Charles Lindbergh would be considered high on the list of national heroes who embody these traits. In the novel, The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin (a Ben Davis graduate) we found that Lindbergh was not all that he was thought to be. This historical fiction novel painted a much different picture of this man than the golden boy, Lucky Lindy, we have read about in our history books. Told through the voice of his wife, Anne Marrow Lindbergh, we saw that this famous man was indeed brave and determined and driven to claim his place in history as the greatest aviator of all time. But we also learned he was demanding and controlling and detached from his family and his wife to a maddening degree. The book was a heart rending account of his wife Anne's search for identity and contentment in the face of Lindgergh's relentless need for a subservient "crew" that would forever be at his beck and call, following his orders without question. In the end, Anne did find her voice and her own happiness. She was "Mom, wife and pilot." She came to understand that a woman's life was always "changing and accomodating...to finally emerge victorious and strong." This novel was fact based but the author did take liberties to reinforce the storyline. Overall, the narrative was strong and led us to want to know more about these real people and as the author said, "to leave the read wanting more is the best thing historical fiction can do."
