Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot by James B. Stockdale

An interesting memoir of sorts, not what most would consider a typical autobiography or biography. Instead this is a series of speech and writing of Stockdale’s at various events after he returned from Vietnam. What is interesting is how he reflected on his time as a prison of war and how the reflections became more insightful of different aspects of what got him and the other prisoners of war held captive within the same prison through this difficult time in life. His studies of philosophy prior to his capture was helpful in getting him through the horrible years of torture and isolation. However, it is in his speeches, writings, and interviews that you see that Stockdale reflected on how the application of the Stoic philosophies helped him and that the application is something you can only learn in the hard times. Interestingly, Stockdale saw and commented on many of the problems that the USA is facing today when he was reflecting on society in the 1980s and 1990s and saying how if people in the government did not change things were going to get worse and it might take a few decades but the problems would not go away. It was also interesting to see his shift of self-analysis to being able to analyze the larger picture of the country. Some might say his reflections sound skeptical of government and his experiences left him with a skewed analysis, but by admitting his experiences it allowed Stockdale to move beyond that and look at the situation as it is and not what people think it is. This book was not an easy read and while it may look like a short book it is heavy with material that can make the reader think and reflect. 

https://bookshop.org/widgets.js