Flygirl
Sherri L. SmithMainstream romance
Available from Penguin Putnam
ISBN: 978-0-399-24709-5
January 2009
| Ida Mae Jones has been turned down for her pilot's license for only one reason. The tester refuses to pass a black woman. Her dreams of flying seem impossible as World War II imposes rationing that ground her even from the crop dusting flights she has made with her grandfather. As the war escalates she decides to risk everything to join the Women's Airforce Service Pilots. As a light skinned black woman she's able to join by passing as white and altering her father¡s pilot¡s license.
Sherri L. Smith pens an excellent tale of the Jones family as well as the WASP contribution to the war effort. The family is so committed to this country that they do everything they can to support it. Brother Thomas enlists even though he could probably have stayed out of the war as a medical student. It's important that the author takes time to build the family values before Ida Mae decides to pass as white. She shows us that the woman wouldn't act for personal gain. She took the risk to support the country her brother is already fighting for. She has a skill she wants to use and is willing to risk everything to try to use it. I think the author does a great job showing Ida's struggle as she resists denying her heritage but decides it's for the greater good. In contrast she gives us her father's family who passes as white for personal gain to avoid the plight of their darker colored kin. The relationships the author builds among the women at the WASP training facility, especially Ida Mae, Lilly and Patsy are intense as well as fun. This is one of those books that make history come alive by personalizing it. I learned a lot while enjoying the fictionalized characters and lives Ms. Smith weaves into true American history.
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Reviewer: Dee Dailey |
