.jpg)
by: Steve Sheinkin
Recommended Age: 10+ years and above
Lexile: 930L
Content Warning(s): Death, injury, etc.
"Born to Fly is the gripping story of the fearless women pilots who aimed for the skies—and beyond.
Just nine years after American women finally got the right to vote, a group of trailblazers soared to new heights in the 1929 Air Derby, the first women's air race across the U.S. Follow the incredible lives of legend Amelia Earhart, who has captivated generations; Marvel Crosson, who built a plane before she even learned how to fly; Louise Thaden, who shattered jaw-dropping altitude records; and Elinor Smith, who at age seventeen made headlines when she flew under the Brooklyn Bridge." (book summary)
My Thoughts:
I, actually, was very fortunate to meet Steve Sheinkin – albeit online – when he hosted the Author Fan Face-off (linked here) that he invited me to be apart of in January 2021. I was also looking for a lighter book to read at night to balance my bookshelf while I was reading Ruta Sepetys' "I Must Betray You".
This book was so inspiring to read – even though there were many, many problems and things going wrong, they persevered so they could be respected as pilots. And this was only nine years after women finally got the right to vote. Their plane's engine failures, fires in the cockpit, injuries, oil in the tank, crashes, no navigation and other problems didn't slow them down. If anything, it made them more determined to try and win the air derby.
Today, 26th August, 2022, marks the 93rd anniversary of the end of the First Women's Air Derby 1929.
Comments