Highest Duty - by Chesley B Sullenberger & Jeffrey Zaslow (Paperback)

About the Book

In this inspirational autobiography, Captain "Sully" Sullenberger shares his life story, revealing the essential qualities that he feels have been so vital to his success as well as what he believes to be at the heart of America's "can do" spirit.

From the Back Cover

Now a major motion picture from Clint Eastwood, starring Tom Hanks--the inspirational autobiography by one of the most captivating American heroes of our time, Capt. 'Sully' Sullenberger--the pilot who miraculously landed a crippled US Airways Flight 1549 in New York's Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 passengers and crew.

On January 15, 2009, the world witnessed a remarkable emergency landing when Captain "Sully" Sullenberger skillfully glided US Airways Flight 1549 onto the Hudson River, saving the lives of all 155 passengers and crew. His cool actions not only averted tragedy but made him a hero and an inspiration worldwide. His story is now a major motion picture from director / producer Clint Eastwood and stars Tom Hanks, Laura Linney and Aaron Eckhart.

Sully's story is one of dedication, hope, and preparedness, revealing the important lessons he learned through his life, in his military service, and in his work as an airline pilot. It reminds us all that, even in these days of conflict, tragedy and uncertainty, there are values still worth fighting for--that life's challenges can be met if we're ready for them.

Review Quotes

"Interwoven with experiences in various places are many stories about the life lessons he learned along the way and his urge to make a difference when he had a chance to... I enjoyed his linkage of family and flying and how much a family can suffer from the wear and tear when a dad and husband are often gone. However, Sully relates many touching family incidents with his girls and wife Lorrie and how precious spending time with them has been... Don't miss reading this on--Sully's story is great. His humbleness is noteworthy." - Times Record News (Wichita Falls, Texas)
"This is exactly the kind of book you would expect the now-legendary Sully Sullenberger to write. In his memoir, the pilot of US Airways Flight 1549, which set down so memorably on the Hudson River in January, is earnest, controlled and exacting. Sullenberger is not prone to flights of fancy--in fact, he is the very pilot you'd choose for the job if you had any say in it. His book reflects the same qualities." - BookPage
"Sullenberger has emerged as an appealingly modest, straightforward guy, a demeanor maintained here in his easygoing, no-frills account of his Texas boyhood, his early infatuation with flying, his years at the Air Force Academy, his peacetime military career and his experiences as a commercial pilot, where safety procedures became somewhat of a specialty.... Valuable for anyone interested in how a life lived with integrity prepares a man for the ultimate challenge." - Kirkus Reviews
"One of the remarkable facets to emerge about Sullenberger was his prior professional activity to improve flight crew performance during emergencies, which echoes Winston Churchill's famous remark in The Gathering Storm (1948) about saving Britain in 1940, 'that all my past life had been but a preparation for this hour and for this trial.'...This memoir-drama imparts insights about the piloting professional as it enthralls readers with its exultant plotline of disaster averted." - Booklist
"Gripping and genuinely heartwarming....a Capra-esque ode to American competence and decency...compelling." - Daily News (New York)
"Rushed to print...books by unlikely heroes who hit the front page are always suspect. But as Sullenberger grows from a 5-year-old who wants to fly planes, to a fighter pilot, to a 57-year-old "gray-haired man with my hands on the controls of an Airbus A320 over Manhattan," it's clear there's a story here to tell.... Sullenberger speaks frankly of the toll the public spotlight has taken on his marriage, as well as the difficulties he and his family have endured throughout his commercial aviation career. Zaslow's contributions should not be overlooked; as with Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture, he invisibly assists Sullenberger in going beyond the moment that sparks readers' interest.... The result is as dramatic as it is inspirational." - Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"The reader waits until page 207 to strike those birds, but once there, I defy most to hold a resting pulse. Sullenberger's account of gliding his crippled jetliner down safely onto the Hudson River is a wingdinger.... The tone is gently folksy first-person.... Sullenberger comes across as an honorable, courageous man." - Cleveland Plain Dealer
"As demonstrated by the subtitle, [Sully has] been intent on using his newfound fame to promote his own code: Doing things well, doing them right, the way he did the day he used 'a lifetime of knowledge to find a way to safety, ' his written description of the feat of flying those 150 passengers to safety." - San Francisco Chronicle