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Double Ace: The Life of Robert Lee Scott Jr., Pilot, Hero, and Teller of Tall Tales Kindle Edition

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 79 ratings

In Double Ace, veteran biographer Robert Coram, himself a Georgia man, provides readers with an unprecedented look at the defining characteristics that made Robert Lee Scott a uniquely American hero.

Robert Lee Scott ("Scotty") was larger than life. A decorated Eagle Scout who barely graduated from high school, the young man from Macon, Georgia, with an oversize personality used dogged determination to achieve his childhood dream of becoming a famed fighter pilot.

First capturing national attention during World War II, Scott, a West Point graduate, flew missions in China alongside the legendary "Flying Tigers," where his reckless courage and victories against the enemy made headlines. Upon returning home, Scott's memoir, brashly titled
God is My Co-Pilot, became an instant bestseller, a successful film, and one of the most important books of its time. Later in life, as a retired military general, Scott continued to add to his list of accomplishments. He traveled the entire length of China's Great Wall and helped found Georgia's Museum of Aviation, which still welcomes 400,000 annual visitors.

Yet Scott's life was not without difficulty. His single-minded pursuit of greatness was offset by debilitating bouts of depression, and his brashness placed him at odds with superior officers, wreaking havoc on his career. What wealth he gained he squandered, and his numerous public affairs destroyed his relationships with his wife and child.

Backed by meticulous research,
Double Ace brings Scott's uniquely American character to life and captures his fascinating exploits as a national hero alongside his frustrating foibles.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A provocative, deftly written, and superbly documented biography that is highly recommended for military historians and aviation specialists, general readers, and all libraries." ---Library Journal Starred Review

About the Author

Barry Press, an active professional actor, director, and teacher for over thirty-five years, has performed Off-Broadway and at numerous regional theaters. The winner of an AudioFile Earphones Award, Barry has been an active voice talent for books in a variety of genres.

Robert Coram was twice nominated for the Pulitzer Prize for his work as a reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He is the author of several novels and nonfiction books, including American Patriot and Brute. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01BBXF02C
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas Dunne Books; Illustrated edition (August 23, 2016)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ August 23, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3.1 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 337 pages
  • Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 1250040183
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 79 ratings

About the author

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Robert Coram
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I was born and grew up in deep southwest Georgia. For many years I have lived and worked in Atlanta. But southwest Georgia remains a big part of who and what I am.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
79 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book readable, with good research and writing. They appreciate the entertaining story that puts everything into perspective. The author is described as talented and skilled.

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10 customers mention "Readability"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable. They praise the author's writing and research quality. The book provides an accurate account of Robert L. Scott's life and his participation in events.

"...books by Robert Coram, which I consider as favorites... he is a masterful author and his works never disappoint. Outstanding read!" Read more

"...In both quality of research and writing, it is clearly superior to the recent When Tigers Ruled the Sky." Read more

"I am really happy with the condition of the book, good job getting it to me expeditiously." Read more

"A good account of the life of Robert L. Scott and his participation in the early air war in China with the Flying Tigers." Read more

5 customers mention "Story quality"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the story. They find it entertaining, with a good account of Robert's life that puts everything into perspective.

"In Double Ace, Robert Coram does an incredible job spinning a fascinating tale about Brigadier General Robert L. Scott, Jr., one of America’s more..." Read more

"Puts everything into perspective...." Read more

"Entertaining story involving many of the military heroes of my youth, with amusing, if sometimes questionable, details about Robert L. Scott, Jr...." Read more

"...He tells the story but not with the love of the man, warts, and all...." Read more

3 customers mention "Talent"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the author's writing talent.

"amazing man. can't wait to visit the museum. as a former usaf flier I really identified with a lot of his story." Read more

"...about Robert L. Scott, Jr. The author is obviously a talented and skilled writer, but I was put off by his sometimes casual, even outright incorrect..." Read more

"Not the hero , good guy , as he portrayed himself in " god is my co-pilot" which I read over 45 years ago ...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on November 8, 2016
    Coram has several outstanding biographies of military figures who made significant marks ... generals and non-generals. He has reached back to update attention on a very unique character. And what a character! The book starts a little slowly, but keeps getting more-and-more exciting. It is highly recommended.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2017
    This is ine many books by Robert Coram, which I consider as favorites... he is a masterful author and his works never disappoint. Outstanding read!
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 17, 2016
    In Double Ace, Robert Coram does an incredible job spinning a fascinating tale about Brigadier General Robert L. Scott, Jr., one of America’s more controversial heroes of World War II. To his credit, Coram paints the picture of a complicated man whose tall tales stretched (or sometimes completely ignored) the truth. The warmth of Scott’s personality in “bugling” his way through stories contrasts with his selfishness in ignoring his wife and child and his multiple extramarital affairs. Coram went to great lengths to plumb the depths of Scott’s own multiple narratives of his life to find some strand of truth. He even dug to find the original accident reports or other documentary evidence to find an objective touchstone for many of Scott’s stories. I found myself surprised, however, that in a book that seeks to put tall tales to rest, the author perpetuated some some tall tales and stereotypes of his own. For example, he passes on the story of Wendell Willkie and Madame Chiang having an affair – a rumor now known to have little validity. He also ignores much of the complexity of World War II China and is instead satisfied to paint a simplistic caricature of Chennault, Stilwell, and particularly Chiang. To simply paint the Nationalist regime as one held together by the force of Song Meiling’s personality and to paint Chiang as a corrupt petty-tyrant, is to make the same mistakes that led to American disaster in China in the first place. The problem seems to stem from Coram’s overreliance on anecdotal histories of the theater – other biographies and autobiographies make up most of his source material for characterizing the war in China. That being said, Double Ace is the best CBI-related biography to hit the shelves in some time. In both quality of research and writing, it is clearly superior to the recent When Tigers Ruled the Sky.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2016
    I am conflicted by this book. I was drawn to it by the fact that I had read Scott’s own book “God is my Co-Pilot” when I was in middle school in the 50s. Robert L Scott has been one of my heroes since I read the book as a boy. While this book does flesh out the rest of Scott’s life, after his adventures flying a fighter in combat in China in 1942, the author never misses an opportunity to take a swipe at Scott or people raised in the South. He repeatedly accuses Scott of bragging and inflating his own deeds. What he can’t take from him is the fact that Scott shot down 13 Japanese warplanes (confirmed) and another 10 probables. He accomplished this While flying the Curtis P-40 aircraft against heavy odds. The Japanese fighters he flew against were faster, could climb at a higher rate and turn inside the P-40. The P-40 could dive at speeds which would have torn the wings off their fighters. The P-40 had armor to protect the pilot’s rear, self-sealing fuel tanks, and superior fire power, i. e. 50 cal. vs 35 cal. While the exploits of the squadron Scott flew with were not much more that an irritation to the Japanese juggernaut that was rolling across China, their exploits were a much-needed morale boost to the American public that had seen nothing but embarrassing setbacks since Pearl Harbor.
    If you have a high opinion of Robert L Scott, or if you don’t consider persons who speak with a southern dialect some version of a subhuman, prepare yourself to deal with Robert Coram’s prejudices before attempting to read this book. I don’t doubt that Scott is an officer who is much more skilled at flying a fighter than almost any other duty, but he doesn’t deserve a hit piece like this.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2021
    Very early in World War II Japan invaded china. China turn to professional fighter pilots to help them with stand the Japanese. Hence, the flying tigers pilots were paid to shoot down Japanese Zeros. In prior wars in early history they would have been called mercenaries.Here, the flying tigers were heroes. JRU
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2017
    amazing man. can't wait to visit the museum. as a former usaf flier I really identified with a lot of his story.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2021
    I am really happy with the condition of the book, good job getting it to me expeditiously.
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 30, 2016
    Puts everything into perspective. I have been reading God is My Co-Pilot over the last 56 years many times (worn out the original paperback) and feel like I understand more now who Colonel Robert Scott was as a whole person.
    4 people found this helpful
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