Adam Makos wins a Christopher Award for book “Devotion”

Naples, Fla.-based author Adam Makos has been honored with a Christopher Award for his book, Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism and Friendship (Adapted for young adults, Delacorte Press/Penguin Random House). It is one of 12 books for adults and young people as the Christopher Awards program marks its 74th year.

A tug-at-the-heartstrings tale of bravery and selflessness, “Devotion” asks: How far would you go to save a friend? It’s the inspirational story of a famous Navy aviator duo and the Marines they fought to defend. They were Lieutenant Tom Hudner –from the New England country club set who passed on attending Harvard--and Ensign Jesse Brown, an African American sharecropper’s son from Mississippi. Brown became the navy’s first black carrier pilot to defend a nation that, at the time, wouldn’t serve him in a bar. While much of America remained divided by segregation, Jesse and Tom joined forces as wingmen in Fighter Squadron 32. Makos takes us into the cockpit as these bold young aviators cut their teeth at the world’s most dangerous job—landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier.

Deployed to the Mediterranean, Tom and Jesse meet the Fleet Marines, boys like PFC “Red” Parkinson, a farm kid from the Catskills. Between war games in the sun, the young men revel in the Riviera, partying with millionaires and even befriending Elizabeth Taylor. Then comes the Korean war. When one of the duo is shot down behind enemy lines and is pinned in his burning plane, the other faces a choice: watch his friend die or attempt history’s most audacious one-man rescue mission.

Hailed as "a masterful storyteller" by the Associated Press, Adam Makos is the author of the New York Times bestsellers “A Higher Call” and “Spearhead.” In the course of his research, Makos has flown a World War II bomber, accompanied a Special Forces raid in Iraq, and journeyed into North Korea in search of an MIA American airman.

Christopher Awards were also given to creators of 10 TV/Cable shows and feature films.

The Awards celebrate authors, and illustrators as well as writers, producers, and directors whose work “affirms the highest values of the human spirit” and reflects the Christopher motto, “It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness.” Christopher Awards were also given to the creators of 10 TV/Cable shows and feature films.

Tony Rossi, The Christophers’ Director of Communications, said, “The stories we’re honoring acknowledge that the struggles we endure in life coexist with beauty and hope when we work together, despite our differences, to add love and healing to our world.”

The Christophers, a nonprofit founded in 1945 by Maryknoll Father James Keller, is rooted in the Judeo-Christian tradition of service to God and humanity. The ancient Chinese proverb—“It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness”— guides its publishing, radio, and awards programs. More information about The Christophers is available at www.christophers.org.