Fly Girls

December 11, 2017
Pearson’s accessible and immediate portrait of the women aviators whose organization became known as the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) highlights the courage and tenacity that bound them together during WWII. Quotations from the pilots illuminate their personalities and commitment to their country and careers in the face of gender discrimination, aircraft deemed unfit for flight, and Congress’s refusal to militarize them, denying them benefits that were awarded to other women’s auxiliaries (until some 30 years later). An early lobbyist for allowing women to fly noncombat missions on American military bases, pilot Jacqueline Cochran eventually became the lead pilot in command of an all-male crew, despite the fact that “red tape and sexist insinuations stood mountainously in my way.” In one especially intense passage, future WASP Cornelia Fort recounts being forced to alter her plane’s course to avoid the Japanese bomber headed to Pearl Harbor: “My heart turned over convulsively when the bomb exploded in the middle of the Harbor.” Archival photos and sidebars supplement this often thrilling tribute to these aviation heroes. Ages 10–up.

January 15, 2018
Pearson zooms in on the leaders, pioneers, and supporters of the Women Air Force Service Pilots, or WASPs--a group of over 1,000 young women who contributed to the war effort by ferrying bombers, pursuit planes, and trainer planes where they needed to go, freeing up male pilots to head across the Atlantic. Jacqueline Cochran and Nancy Love, both white women, led recruitment efforts, searching for and training the best flygirls despite opposition. Many of the young women were able to financially back themselves, as the military wouldn't pay for clothing, food, or housing; the precise number of poorer pilots is not shared. There is scant mention of ethnically diverse women, though the text highlights Cochran's resistance to accepting black women. Depending on where the women were stationed, they endured sabotage, sexism, and harassment from their male counterparts. During the program and after it was deactivated, the WASPs continued challenging laws that would not accept them as veterans, thus slighting the pilots' veterans' recognition, benefits, and burial honors--38 died in service. Pearson offers the stark statistics in the book's epilogue: the WASPs had flown 60 million miles in 78 different types of aircraft and then waited 74 years for full recognition. Black-and-white photographs and archival images are interspersed throughout, and information from journal entries, letters, memoirs, oral interviews, and more rounds out an adventurous and tumultuous account.A solid account of women's contributions as aviators during World War II. (bibliography, notes, index) (Nonfiction. 10-16)

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February 1, 2018

Gr 6-8-From 1941 until 1944, more than 1,000 women, many of them already highly experienced aviators, took to the air as part of the Women Airforce Service Pilots. Though quite small in number compared to other airborne units, the WASPs undertook many vital yet dangerous missions with the utmost skill and often very little recognition. From ferrying newly manufactured aircraft to awaiting military bases, assisting in target and searchlight trainings, towing supply gliders behind enemy lines, and acting as flight instructors and air taxis, these remarkable women risked their lives as civilians time and again in service of their country. But despite their bravery and perseverance in the face of danger, harassment, sexism, and discrimination, they would be denied military status, honors, and benefits for another 35 years. Pearson excels at clarifying this complicated war for young readers in a style that is riveting, informative, and never watered down. While bridging world events to American life in the 1940s, she tells the WASPs' story with dignity, offering a touching, moving tribute to their extremely risky, behind-the-scenes tasks that proved vital to the war effort and an Allied victory. The author also provides a fascinating look at what sadly remained a forgotten history for far too long, creating an inspirational example for young readers to follow their paths despite the obstacles. VERDICT A fine purchase that provides a more balanced and empowered perspective of U.S. history.-Rebecca Gueorguiev, New York Public Library

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