John McCain is one of the most admired leaders in the United States government, but his deeply felt memoir of family and war is not a political one and ends before his election to Congress. With candor and ennobling power, McCain tells a story that, in the words of Newsweek, "makes the other presidential candidates look like pygmies."

John McCain learned about life and honor from his grandfather and father, both four-star admirals in the U.S. Navy. This is a memoir about their lives, their heroism, and the ways that sons are shaped and enriched by their fathers.

John McCain's grandfather was a gaunt, hawk-faced man known as Slew by his fellow officers and, affectionately, as Popeye by the sailors who served under him. McCain Sr. played the horses, drank bourbon and water, and rolled his own cigarettes with one hand. More significant, he was one of the navy's greatest commanders, and led the strongest aircraft carrier force of the Third Fleet in key battles during World War II.

John McCain's father followed a similar path, equally distinguished by heroic service in the navy, as a submarine commander during World War II. McCain Jr. was a slightly built man, but like his father, he earned the respect and affection of his men. He, too, rose to the rank of four-star admiral, making the McCains the first family in American history to achieve that distinction. McCain Jr.'s final assignment was as commander of all U.S. forces in the Pacific during the Vietnam War.

It was in the Vietnam War that John McCain III faced the most difficult challenge of his life. A naval aviator, he was shot down over Hanoi in 1967 and seriously injured. When Vietnamese military officers realized he was the son of a top commander, they offered McCain early release in an effort to embarrass the United States. Acting from a sense of honor taught him by his father and the U.S. Naval Academy, McCain refused the offer. He was tortured, held in solitary confinement, and imprisoned for five and a half years.

Faith of My Fathers is about what McCain learned from his grandfather and father, and how their example enabled him to survive those hard years. It is a story of three imperfect men who faced adversity and emerged with their honor intact. Ultimately, Faith of My Fathers shows us, with great feeling and appreciation, what fathers give to their sons, and what endures.

From the Hardcover edition.

约翰·麦凯恩（John Sidney McCain Ⅲ）美国著名的政治家、共和党人，现为亚利桑那州国会参议员。

麦凯恩一九三六年出生于美国控制的巴拿马运河区域，父亲小约翰·西德尼·麦凯恩和祖父老约翰·西德尼·麦凯恩皆曾任美国海军上将二麦凯恩在弗吉尼亚州亚历山德里亚的圣公会中学和安那波利斯海军学院接受教育。其后他担任海军飞行员，在越南执行战斗任务，被浮后被拘禁长达五年半之久，由此成为全国知名人物。

获释回国后，麦凯恩在一九八二年当选亚利桑那州第一选区的众议员，并在一九八六年当选参议员目前是他作为参议员的第四个任期。

麦凯恩曾在二○○○年美国总统选举中角逐共和党的提名，但被乔治·沃克·布什击败；二○○八年他成为美国总统大选的共和党候选人，最终在与民主党候选人奥巴马参议员的对决中落败。