Thoroughly enjoyed Kieth O’Brien’s nonfiction work Fly Girls. It’s interesting to me to learn about new technology and in the 1920s and 1930s, flying was one of the new technologies. I’m also interested in the progress of women and find it interesting how the women were treating during the emergence of this technology. For some reason, it was viewed as heroic and generally acceptable that a man might/did die while flying, and yet women were held to a very different standard.

I learned a lot reading this book: new names, new women who made the world different, and some men who did, too. And, thinking about the early years of aviation and what the industry is like today, it’s hard to imagine the empowerment of flyers truly embracing something new and willing to risk their lives to do so. Highly recommend this book if you’re interested in flying, planes, aviation, women’s journeys, or just a good nonfiction read.