Author's Purpose:
Author's Life: Because the book is an autobiography, the author and main character are the same. I think Sully wanted to set the record straight from his own personal perspective on what happened on the day that became "the miracle on the Hudson." The book is about more than that fateful day, it goes into detail about his growing up years and what happened right after the river landing. I think Sully also wanted to write this book because there was a lot of false things coming out in the media about the river landing, about him, his co-pilot and the plane. The was a book written called, "Fly By Wire" that Sully said "greatly overstates how it mattered" that the Airbus had an automated cockpit (https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/15/sullenberger-takes-issue-with-new-book/?_r=0). Sully was put under the microscope for the event, and was turned into a hero by everyone except himself. There were so many people that questioned his decision and whether he made the correct call landing in the river. Days after the river landing, Sully said that he "could sleep only a couple hours at a time. I kept questioning myself" (Sully, 273). He was grilled by the FAA, who at first said that all their flight SIM's said he could have made it back. In the end the SIMS were proven wrong and Sully's instinct was right. He was a hero.
Character Comparison: Sully is the main character and captain of the book. His co-pilot, Jeff Skiles is a secondary character, along with the rest of the crew and passengers.