Thoroughly enjoyable read! I love the people chosen for these portraits by David McCullough.

These are snippets of research that he has conducted through the years, on specific people and specific areas. Some snippets I found absolutely fascinating (Brooklyn Bridge, Kentucky strip mining, Panama Railroad, Miriam Rothschild), and several I found to be completely uninteresting.

The review on the cover accurately describes the book as "good stories well told about interesting people and places." It is easy to pick up and read any chapter, since they all stand alone.
For me, the book could have ended with chapter 13, since the subsequent chapters dealt more with McCullough's personal remembrances and observations.

Very interesting book featuring a number of historical figures I knew almost nothing about. I particularly appreciated the information of the Kentucky strip mining - oh, horrors, what we have done to our world. The information about Washington D.C. was fascinating and different from what one usually hears. The story of how the Brooklyn Bridge was built was both fascinating and horrifying. I’m glad my book club chose this one.

I liked it and like David McCullough for sure. It was a little roundabout, though. Some things about little known people from history, some previous texts from speeches or maybe papers about various people. It had some quiet times and other inspiring times for sure.

Pretty good stuff. Lots of vignettes - some of famous people or places, so more obscure. He’s a good writer, and I enjoyed it.

Charming, interesting, and relatively short, Brave Companions is a good addition to any American History library. The book is a collection of short spotlights on various Americans from the founding of the country to the 1970s. Some names such as von Humboldt, Stowe, Remington, Lindbergh, and Saint-Exupery will be familiar, but others such as Caudill, Plowden, and Sturgill will be new. The subjects come from a wide variety of contributions to American culture with only a shared fascination for humanity and changing society. The last two chapters are the author's personal musings on Washington D.C. and underappreciated members of Congress. He also laments the lack of interest in history by the younger generation (I sadly agree) The chapters are entertaining to read on their own and also work as a collective of unique personalities. As always, the writing is exciting and almost whimsical at times. David McCullough is a national treasure and one of America's best history writers because he adds a zest to his characters while maintaining a fair perspective of their achievements and flaws.

McCullough takes obscure stories and makes them interesting and enjoyable to read about.

A marvelous collection of historical essays, mostly biographical. Some were more about events in history and some were more about people McCullough knew but all of the essays were excellent. There were seventeen essays in total but the ones I liked best were: Journey to the Top of the World about Alexander Von Humboldt and his extraordinary explorations including reaching 19,000 ft in the Andes, The Unexpected Mrs. Stowe a marvelous biography of Harriet Beecher Stowe, Remington a great biography of Western artist Frederick Remington, Steam Road to El Dorado about the building of the Panama railroad before the construction of the Panama Canal and The Treasure from the Carpentry Shop about the discovery of all of the architectural drawings for the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge almost a hundred years after it was built. It's been quite a few years since I had read any of David McCullough books and had forgotten what a great writer he was. His writing was absolutely exceptional.

As a professional of history, there are times when I miss the simple pleasure of storytelling. Academic historians are no longer storytellers; they have become scientists, with all the burden of evidence and drive to reinforce a conclusion. May make for compelling reading, but it doesn't make reading enjoyable.

This collection of short, mostly biographical pieces from the late 1960s through the 1980s assembles some of McCullough's forays into biographical essay form--they are stories. No footnotes, lots of first-person, plenty of reverence and respect for the subjects. Nothing to prove or to document, just an unfolding tale well told. I am more interested in the subject for the obvious excitement he has found in the stories. I can recommend this one as bedtime or weekend or summertime reading.

McCullough's writing style and storytelling are a sheer pleasure to read and enjoy. His historical pieces flow smoothly, as if he were sharing them with you while sitting near a warm and cozy fire. The book comprises a collection of short narratives and biographical pieces that span from the late 1960s through the 1980s. As an author, McCullough always reveals his pride in being an American.

The inscription inside the front cover is from Po to me on my 23rd birthday, and Po says she wants to read it when I'm done. Well, apparently it took me 12 years, but I am finally done. And Po, you should most definitely read it! What I wouldn't give to pull up a stuffed chair next to a fireplace and listen to McCullough all night long. Each chapter is a profile of a person or event, and they are brilliant, every one; the more obscure or long forgotten the subject, the better. The handful of last chapters - essays and commencement addresses - are stunning and inspiring - history is important! that so many influential, pivotal, American lives lie completely forgotten is lamentable! the reading of good books is the marrow of life! seemingly ordinary lives may be more extraordinary, heroic even, than you ever imagined. My next life will devoted to trying to be David McCullough. As an aside, boards will be over in less than a month now, and I can start reading (for pleasure) again!