Celebrated Author

Martha McSally has repeatedly faced adversity and won. Now, this boundary breaker shares inspiring stories and timeless principles for how to overcome the obstacles in your own life and soar.

DARE TO FLY
Simple Lessons in Never Giving Up

Martha McSally has repeatedly faced adversity and won. Now, this boundary breaker shared inspiring stories and timeless principles for how to overcome the obstacles in your own life and soar.

Devastated at age twelve by her father’s death, she made his dying words–“make me proud”–her life’s motto. A standout cadet at the Air Force Academy, rejected from pilot training for being too short, she refused to give up. Instead, she became America’s first woman to fly a fighter jet in combat and the first to command a fighter squadron. A decorated aviator, she took on the Pentagon on behalf of women–and won. A rape and sexual assault survivor, she fought for the victims in and out of uniform. And though she was a shy pudgy child, she became a top triathlete and mountain climber.

 

With candor, attitude, and fresh insights, McSally shares the lessons she learned throughout her journey–some the hard way. She believes that none of us it born either courageous or afraid. Instead, each of us can succeed when we are expected to fail, learn to embrace fear in order to overcome our limits, and find the inner resilience to thrive through even crippling darkness. Dare to Fly will inspire you to turn your challenges into opportunities, to break barriers, to endure turbulence, and to find your personal pathway to fulfillment, purpose, and joy.

"Like the A-10 aircraft she flew in combat, retired colonel and fighter pilot Martha McSally is a gritty individual who loves our Air Force and personified its core values of excellence, integrity, and service before self, while standing up to make it a better institution for everyone who serve. How to be resolute, do the right thing, persevere, find gratitude, and learn compassion are just some of the lessons in her inspirational life story."
Ron Fogleman
General (ret.), U.S. Air Force,
former Air force Chief of Staff
"A well-written, highly-readable personal narrative of overcoming a battery of obstacles to become a genuine American hero. [McSally’s] accomplishments are legendary."
"This is a must read for anyone who had challenges in their life. Martha McSally shows how to survive hardships, overcome barriers, survive the darkest moments, and make someone proud. She is a straight-talker who sees a problem and confronts it head on."
“I was honored to be in the very first group of U.S. women military pilots as a World War II WASP [Women Airforce Service Pilots]. I have known Martha McSally for decades, and am proud of how she has preserved and carried on our legacy. She is a fighter and leader who still serves our country. A woman who is as good as her word and gets things done. Congratulations, Martha, on your book and your life.”
Nell Bright, WWII veteran, Woman Airforce Service Pilot (WASP)
“An inspirational must read. I just did something I have not done in quite a while—started a book and finished it in the same day. “Dare to Fly” is a magnificent book—I couldn’t put it down until I read it all. The writing style is concise with key messages and learning points in each chapter. Too often books drag on with too much detail and the messages get lost in the length. This book is crisp, insightful, genuine, heartfelt, and as a result, delivers significant meaning that many will find valuable.”
Lt. Gen. David A. Deptula, U.S. Air Force
“Martha McSally paved the way for others, endured hardship, and exuded courage. The lessons she learned and the stories she shares are inspiring for anyone – in and out of the cockpit.”
Hon. Heather Wilson, former Secretary of the Air Force
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