My Compass and Anchor to Windward

My Compass and Anchor to Windward details the great accomplishments and life of Admiral Richard E. Byrd, who received the highest honor for valor given by the United States and over one hundred medals before passing away in 1957. Growing up, Richard was a thrill-seeker with a big heart as he took on several daunting, daredevil challenges. His adventurous spirit led him to become the first person to fly over the north and south pole attaining several other notable achievements.

1896 saw the birth of a friendship that developed into a beautiful love story and a marriage that lasted until Richard’s demise. Richard from Winchester, VA first met Marie Ames from Boston, MA when they were both eight. Eventually, they got married and birthed and raised four children while facing unwelcome attention from the public and long days of Richard’s absence from home, who went on various missions in different parts of the world. Despite all these challenges, Richard endeavored to bring joy and camaraderie to his family, friends, and colleagues with pranks, jokes, and positive messages.

The world has Richard to thank for choosing the unconventional route and not caving into his father’s desire for him to be either a businessman or a politician. His story is a lesson for parents who try to force their personal dreams on their children to let them choose their own path and grow at their pace. I was deeply touched by Marie’s patience and support as she stayed with her husband despite his decision to embark on missions that took him away from home for as long as two years. The family’s efforts to be safe while experiencing attacks from fans and the press reveal how being famous looks better from afar than in reality.

A considerable part of the time I spent reading the book was allotted to bookmarking the protagonist’s profound words of advice as they clearly come from a deep-thinking, philosophical, and intelligent mind. Eleanor Byrd is such a great storyteller as she narrates a compelling tale that balances captivating events, important information about her grandfather and his activities, and mind-blowing insights about marriage, parenthood, earth’s preservation, fame, and more.

Eleanor Byrd presents grandiose storytelling that raises the bar for biographers and all nonfiction storytellers as the story’s positive energy is mightily contagious and assimilating the book’s information proves to be such an effortless task. Since My Compass and Anchor to Windward is one of the most original, outstanding, and deeply engaging memoirs I have come across, I recommend it to all history, philosophy, biography, and geography fans out there.