This book soars as it details these often overlooked figures from history. Concluding chapters follow the fliers' lives after the race, explain why readers often remember Amelia Earhart above others, and impart the impact they had on future women in aviation and in space. While rivalry drove the women's ambition, the author also emphasizes how their determination in a male-dominated society drove their camaraderie.
Period photographs and illustrated scenes heighten the interest. Sheinkin's storylike narration puts readers right into the action, making them gasp and cheer along with the fliers. The race was punctuated with a fire aboard a wooden plane, "crack-up" accidents, unbelievable repairs, sabotage, and even death. Without modern GPS, autopilots, and control towers, fliers navigated with road maps, their own sight, and plenty of nerve and luck. In addition to the sexism surrounding the event, there was extreme risk. The heart of the book, however, is the tension-filled race. Award-winning author Sheinkin (Undefeated, 2017) sets the stage for this first female transcontinental air race, from Santa Monica, California, to Cleveland, Ohio, with brief stories of the fliers' formative years and profiles of Bessie Coleman and other pioneering aviators. That's what the 20 fliers, including Louise Thaden, Pancho Barnes, Ruth Elder, and Amelia Earhart, who entered the Women's Air Derby in 1929 had in common. Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2019 August #1 *Starred Review* Scrappy, determined, and fearless.
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