Say what?

For my book club, we are supposed to read a book next month authored by the political candidate who we will not be voting for in November's election. Thus, I'm reading a book by John McCain. For a moment, I'll set aside my belief that neither John McCain nor Barack Obama has authored any of the books floating around out there under their names. No, for now, I'll just focus on the UTTER INCOMPREHENSIBILITY of this book (Why Courage Matters).

A choice excerpt:

"For that, we should learn what we can of the whole experience of the subject, the hero's life, as it was before and after, and believe that trying to emulate the character it reveals is one tried way to prepare for the tests that might await us and gain hope that our courage will not be wanting in the moment."

I'm sorry; WHAT? Yeah, okay, I can figure out the meaning, but I have to read it three times in order to understand what the hell he's trying to say.

And another:

"I don't think, however extraordinary the courage, that it will attain the grandeur of the inspirational to a sound mind were it motivated by selfish or malevolent purposes, or exercised by someone whose life, on the whole, was contemptible."

HUH?!

Lastly, my personal incomprehensible favorite:

"But the accomplishment could very well have made it harder to help build in a child the kind of courage that made it all possible when the occasions for proving such courage are ever decreasing, when courage doesn't really seem necessary very often."

Maybe I've just been reading too many children's books lately... but seriously, WTF. Next time I check out a book, I'm going to make sure it's in English.