New York Times Groupies discussion

Feel free to answer/discuss these points or bring up something about the book that you found compelling. Remember that spoilers are fine, just use the spoiler html in case a member isn't ready for the big reveal!

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?

2. Why were the Wright brothers dismissed in the United States but taken seriously in France? What was the difference in culture and/or politics that generated interest on the part of the French but not the Americans?

3. Wilbur and Orville displayed few emotions. Do you think this hampered the author in his attempt to characterize the two men, to portray them as rich, fully-developed human beings? How does McCullough bring them to life—does he, or doesn't he? Do the two men come across as heroic? Why or why not?

I couldn't wait so I began this book a day early!!

I'm really fascinated by the Wright family because the boys credited their upbringing with their success. It seems (so far) that they had a very close knit family and supportive parents who encouraged intellectual growth through reading and discussion. I was also really surprised that their father, who was a Bishop, didn't seem to push religion on the family. The book says he didn't mention it in letters or raise a fuss when the boys stopped attending church services. What an interesting family! I'm hooked.

"If I were giving a young man advice as to how he might succeed in life, I would say to him, pick out a good father and mother, and begin life in Ohio." - Wlbur