Daring American Heroes of Flight: 9 Brave Fliers (Great Scientists and Famous Inventors)

There was a time when people were in a race to be first in the skies with a reliable and controllable way to fly. Once in the air, more frontiers were left to conquer. From crossing the oceans and landing on the moon, to overcoming gender and racial bias, there have been pilots who rose to these challenges, no matter the odds. Learn the life stories and amazing deeds of nine daring heroes.

Editorial Reviews

What a refreshing look at brave flyers—women and African-Americans are featured more than white males, which, while it is not really representative of the field, offers inspiration for all. The story starts with the Wright brothers, and their story is pretty familiar. Next, Bessie Coleman is featured. Coleman was an African-American woman who had to go to France to learn to fly and who eventually had her own air show in 1922. She became know as Queen Bess or Brave Bessie. Charles Lindberg and Amelia Earhart endured considerable hardship as they strove and succeeded in flying solo across the Atlantic. The story of Benjamin O. Davis, Jr., was not as familiar to this reviewer, but in addition to being a brave and courageous flyer, he also faced discrimination with even greater courage and fortitude. The picture of him getting his fourth star in 1998 is memorable. No book about heroic flyers would be complete without mention of Neil Armstrong, who was the first man to set foot on the moon. For women, Sally Ride is a true model—she has a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford, was the first woman in space, and was followed by another great role model, Eileen Collins, who became the first woman to pilot a space shuttle. Their stories are inspirational. The timeline that run across the opening pages of each chapter marks major milestones in each of their careers. The text is laid out with inset boxes from www.myreportlinks.com as well as other photographs and drawings. It is a bit busy, but today's kids seem to deal with these layouts more easily than adults. One spread recaps the many internet links associated with the information in the book. There is a glossary, chapter notes, and anindex. This book is part of the "Great Scientists and Famous Inventors" series. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot