Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History - Paperback

by Keith O'Brien (Author)

From #1 New York Times best-selling author Keith O'Brien comes this thrilling young readers' edition of the untold story about pioneering women who fought to compete against men in the high-stakes national air races of the 1920s and 1930s--and won.

In the years between World War I and World War II, airplane racing was one of the most popular sports in America. Yet women who flew planes were often ridiculed by the press, and initially they weren't invited to race. Still, a group of women was determined to take to the sky--no matter what. With guts and grit, they overcame incredible odds both on the ground and in the air to pursue their dreams of flying and racing planes.

Fly Girls follows the stories of five remarkable women: Florence Klingensmith, Ruth Elder, Amelia Earhart, Ruth Nichols, and Louise Thaden. Together, they fought for the chance to race against the men--and in 1936 one of them would triumph in the toughest race of all.

Complete with photographs and a glossary, Fly Girls celebrates a little-known slice of history wherein tenacious, trail-blazing women braved all obstacles to achieve greatness.

Author Biography

Keith O'Brien is a journalist who has written for the New York Times and Politico and he's a longtimecontributor to National Public Radio. His work has appeared on shows such as All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and This American Life. A former staff writer for the Boston Globe, Keith lives in New Hampshire. www.keithob.com.