Devotion
An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice
by Adam Makos
Reading Profile
Should I read this?
Makos writes a scene-driven narrative that follows a Navy aviator duo and their squadron during the Korean War, focusing on a dramatic rescue attempt and the personal bonds that formed under fire. The strength is in close-up action: cockpit details, terse radio chatter, and small-unit dialogue that make events feel immediate. Limitations: the tone is largely sympathetic and celebratory, offering limited strategic or political context. Some readers will find repeated heroic set pieces start to blur into each other by midbook. Best approached as a human-scale wartime portrait rather than a broad military history.
Read this if...
- •a high-school history teacher preparing a Korean War unit who wants a vivid, human story to spark student discussion and ground abstract timelines in concrete lives.
- •a private pilot or aviation enthusiast researching firsthand-feeling accounts of aerial combat who values cockpit detail, procedural description, and the texture of squadron life over diplomatic background.
- •an adult reader looking for a gripping weekend read who prefers character-led wartime narratives that read like a long magazine feature or short cinematic biography.
Skip this if...
- •you'll likely put it down when the narrative keeps circling back to similar scenes of heroism and rescue, which can feel repetitive after a while.
- •annoying if you prefer critical distance or big-picture military strategy — this stays close to personalities and action rather than analyzing institutions.
- •annoying if you dislike reverent or celebratory tones; readers wanting a skeptical, investigative approach to wartime episodes will find the book one-sided.
THE NATIONAL BESTSELLER From America's "forgotten war" in Korea comes an unforgettable tale of courage by the author of A Higher Call. Devotion tells the inspirational story of the U.S. Navy's most famous aviator duo, Lieutenant Tom Hudner and Ensign Jesse Brown, and the Marines they fought to defend. A white New Englander from the countryclub s...
Before You Buy
Reading Specifications
Difficulty:hard
Audience Fit
- a high-school history teacher preparing a Korean War unit who wants a vivid, human story to spark student discussion and ground abstract timelines in concrete lives.
- a private pilot or aviation enthusiast researching firsthand-feeling accounts of aerial combat who values cockpit detail, procedural description, and the texture of squadron life over diplomatic background.
- an adult reader looking for a gripping weekend read who prefers character-led wartime narratives that read like a long magazine feature or short cinematic biography.
- you'll likely put it down when the narrative keeps circling back to similar scenes of heroism and rescue, which can feel repetitive after a while.
- annoying if you prefer critical distance or big-picture military strategy — this stays close to personalities and action rather than analyzing institutions.
- annoying if you dislike reverent or celebratory tones; readers wanting a skeptical, investigative approach to wartime episodes will find the book one-sided.
Check formats, pricing, and availability options for Kindle, physical print, or audiobooks directly.
View available editions on AmazonKey themes
Why recommended
Recommended by 1 source and appears in Aviation, History, and Nonfiction.
Recommended by notable people
People and public figures who have recommended this book.
Recommendation Signals
Recommendation proof is sourced from public posts, interviews, reading lists, and cited references.
Patrick Chovanec
“@AdamMakos @DevotionMovie The teaser made me order and read the book. Just finished it last night. Very interesting and inspiring.”
Appears In
Not sure if this is the right fit?
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“Accidental Presidents offers eight narrative portraits of men who succeeded to the U.S. presidency without election, using anecdote-rich scenes and readable context to show how personality and circumstance interact with office power. It’s strongest as a set of self-contained stories that make succession stakes concrete for non-specialist readers; it does not prioritize dense archival argument or exhaustive methodology, so expect some interpretive generalizations and repeated themes across cases. Use it for fast historical orientation rather than scholarly deep-dives.”
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How recommendation signals are reviewed
Each recommendation is collected from a public source — interviews, articles, or curated lists — and linked to its original URL. Books with many verifiable recommendations from respected people rank higher.