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Amazing Kirkus Review of Wright Brothers Wrong Story
KIRKUS REVIEW
A look at the true story behind the Wright brothers and their famous flights at Kitty Hawk.
For more than a century, Wilbur and Orville Wright have been touted as equal partners in the invention of the flying machine and of the concept of manned flight. Yet in this intriguing, well-researched treatise, Hazelgrove (Shots Fired in Terminal 2: A Witness to the Fort Lauderdale Airport Shooting Reflects on America’s Mass Shooting Epidemic, 2017, etc.) rejects that notion in favor of a more logical one: Wilbur was the genius behind the theory of putting a man in a machine that could soar like a bird, and Orville followed his brother’s instructions, assisting in the mechanical aspects of building the first airplane. The author also points out that it was just by chance that it was Orville’s turn to test the plane when the first photograph was taken. This coincidence made many assume that the brothers were operating on the same level, but as Hazelgrove demonstrates convincingly, they were far from it. Not only does he discuss the events at Kitty Hawk; the author delves into the Wright family dynamics: of the father who knew Wilbur was the brighter of the two boys; of how they remained at home their whole lives along with their sister, who only married late in life; and of the impact the death of their mother had on the children. Hazelgrove also ponders the sexualities of the three siblings and Wilbur’s grave illness, which may have given him the time in bed necessary to dream of flying. For anyone curious about the details behind the invention of the flying machine, this engaging book will inform and entertain as it turns an assumed piece of aviation history upside down.
Aviation history does a loop-the-loop as the author shares new and exciting insight into the history of the Wright brothers.
Kirkus Review of Wright Brothers Wrong Story
Pub Date: Dec. 4th, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-63388-458-8
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“I found the story to be utterly compelling…this one is great! William Hazelgrove looks at history with a novelists eye.”
Rick Kogan, Chicago Tribune, WGN
Amazing Early Reviews for Wright Brothers Wrong Story
“Well-researched and fascinating . . . a new portrayal of the Wright brothers’ legacy. . . . Combing through original archives and family letters, Hazelgrove reveals the differences in the brothers’ personalities and abilities, and how the myth of the Wright brothers was born. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in the early days of flight.”
—Henry M. Holden, author of 50-Years of Human Space Flight and aviation historian
“By far the best published work on the Wright brothers’ personal and professional lives. Thought-provoking and controversial in highlighting Wilbur’s brilliance in aeronautics and showing how he clearly overshadowed his brother’s contribution to manned flight. A must-read for academics and those interested in aviation history.”
—Alan C. Carey, author of We Flew Alone: Men and Missions of the United States Navy’s B-24 Liberator Squadrons
“This is an excellent retelling of an American myth. The author manages to turn Wilbur and Orville Wright, two legendary figures in American history, into living, breathing individuals. It is not only a first-rate dual biography but also a study of how myths and legends are created, and how facts can be turned inside out by different writers with different points of view. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.”
—David Alan Johnson, author of The Last Weeks of Abraham Lincoln
“Many of humankind’s greatest achievements are often fraught with perils and problems that get lost in the unfurling of history. This is no exception. The intriguing saga of man’s quest for powered flight—perhaps one of the most significant accomplishments of all time—tells an amazing tale of amazing men accomplishing truly amazing things. But be prepared to be surprised. The story of what the Wright brothers did on Kill Devil Hill at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina at the turn of the last century not only opened new chapters in the history of the human race but also is filled with drama and tension beyond your wildest imaginings. Impeccably researched and absorbingly written, William Hazelgrove’s book is a must-read. I could not put it down.”
—Lionel Friedberg, New York Times–bestselling author and Emmy Award–winning cinematographer
“Hazelgrove applies a novelist’s narrative flair to aviation’s greatest saga. As if ‘merely’ conquering the air were not enough, the story involves dreams, ambition, technology, tragedy, suspicion, and deceit. Wright Brothers, Wrong Story challenges the traditional view—that Wilbur and Orville were equal partners—in a provocative and colorful dramatized history.”
—Michael Oakey, managing editor of the Aviation Historian
“I have, in general, not been a fan of the Wright brothers, mainly because their actions after the December 17, 1903, flights did a lot to suppress American aircraft development rather than expand it. However, Wright Brothers, Wrong Story is a brilliant work of research that tells their story much better than other books I have read about the Wrights. It is a valuable reference for those seeking the detailed truth of their historic work. Hazelgrove’s description of the Flyer’s flight tests clearly note that it was only the fourth flight, which lasted 59 seconds, that allowed them to claim ‘sustained, controlled flight.’ Nearly all other references mention only their first hop, which ended in a crash.”
—Burt Rutan, founder of two aircraft research companies and developer of the only nongovernment manned space-flight system
Incredible Early Reviews of Wright Brothers Wrong Story
“By far the best published work on the Wright brothers’ personal and professional lives. Thought-provoking and controversial in highlighting Wilbur’s brilliance in aeronautics and showing how he clearly overshadowed his brother’s contribution to manned flight. A must-read for academics and those interested in aviation history.”
—Alan C. Carey, author of We Flew Alone: Men and Missions of the United States Navy’s B-24 Liberator Squadrons
“William Hazelgrove’s well-researched and fascinating Wright Brothers, Wrong Story delivers a new portrayal of the Wright brothers’ legacy. The title provides a strong clue that there is more to the Wright brothers than history notes. For example, it was Wilbur, not Orville, who discovered the secret of controlled flight.
There was only one official biography, and its author did not have access to family letters and papers, or the correspondence between Wilbur and engineer Octave Chanute that goes to the very heart of the invention of the airplane. That biography has until now has been the standard for all information on the Wright brothers. It was written in 1943, thirty years after Wilbur had died, and it was heavily edited by Orville, who was allowed to shape the events in any way he wanted.
Combing through original archives and family letters, Hazelgrove reveals the differences in the brothers’ personalities and abilities, and how the myth of the Wright brothers was born. It’s a must-read for anyone interested in the early days of flight.”
—Henry M. Holden, author of 50-Years of Human Space Flight and aviation historian
“This is an excellent retelling of an American myth. The author manages to turn Wilbur and Orville Wright, two legendary figures in American history, into living, breathing individuals. It is not only a first-rate dual biography but also a study of how myths and legends are created, and how facts can be turned inside out by different writers with different points of view. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book.”
—David Alan Johnson, author of The Last Weeks of Abraham Lincoln
Fantastic Review in on Wright Brothers Wrong Story
“Many of humankind’s greatest achievements are often fraught with perils and problems that get lost in the unfurling of history. This is no exception. The intriguing saga of man’s quest for powered flight—perhaps one of the most significant accomplishments of all time—tells an amazing tale of amazing men accomplishing truly amazing things. But be prepared to be surprised. The story of what the Wright brothers did on Kill Devil Hill at Kitty Hawk in North Carolina at the turn of the last century not only opened new chapters in the history of the human race but also is filled with drama and tension beyond your wildest imaginings. Impeccably researched and absorbingly written, William Hazelgrove’s book is a must-read. I could not put it down.”
—Lionel Friedberg, New York Times–bestselling author and Emmy Award–winning cinematographer
William Hazelgrove is the National Bestselling author of ten novels and three nonfiction titles. Ripples, Tobacco Sticks Mica Highways Rocket Man, The Pitcher, Real Santa, Jackpine, The Bad Author, My Best Year, The Pitcher 2, and Madam President The Secret Presidency of Edith Wilson, Forging A President How the Wild West Created Teddy Roosevelt and Al Capone and the Worlds Fair of 1933. His books have received starred reviews in Publisher Weekly and Booklist, Book of the Month Selections, ALA Editors Choice Awards Junior Library Guild Selections Literary Guild Selections, and sold to the movies. He was the Ernest Hemingway Writer in Residence where he wrote in the attic of Ernest Hemingway’s birthplace. He has written articles and reviews for USA Today and other publications and has been featured on NPR All Things Considered. The New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today have all covered his books with features. He runs a cultural blog, The View From Hemingway’s Attic. He lives in Chicago.
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