Sky Girls by Gene Nora Jessen | Book Review (add info and choose date)

Title: Sky Girls
Author: Gene Nora Jessen
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published Date: August 18th, 2018
Genre: Nonfiction, Aviation, Women
Page Count: 416
Format: Kindle

My Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Goodreads Summary: 
"A beautiful and inspiring book...fascinatingly told." --Donna Shirley, former head of the U.S. Mars program, NASA

The exhilarating true story of the unsung pioneers who blazed a pathway towards a new era of female aviation...

The year is 1929, and on the eve of America's Great Depression, nineteen gutsy and passionate pilots soared above the glass ceiling in the very first female cross-country air race. Armed with grit and determination, they crossed thousands of miles in propeller-driven airplanes to defy the naysayers who would say it cannot - not should not - be done.

From the indomitable Pancho Barnes to the infamous Amelia Earhart, Sky Girls chronicles a defining and previously forgotten moment when some of the first women pilots took their rightful place in the open skies. For a country on the brink of defining change, they would become symbols of hope, daring, and the unstoppable American spirit. And for generations to come, their actions would pave the way for others to step into the brave unknown and learn to fly . . .

Written by female pilot and member of the original Mercury 13 Gene Nora Jessen, Sky Girls celebrates the strength and smarts of these trailblazing women, and sits perfectly on the shelf next to The Radium Girls, Hidden Figures, or Code Girls.

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 My Review:
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for a free e-copy!

Going into this book the only women pilot I could tell you was Amelia Earhart and mainly just the last few years of her flying career before she tragically went missing.

Now I know about so many other amazing women and how America's aviation revolution really started and what helped fuel it.  



In 1929 A Cross-Country air race happened that showed both men and women competing in different areas. The race eventually became known as the powder-puff derby but that didn't take away any of the amazing achievements that the women completed during the race or how so many of them ended up rising to some level of fame. 

Some of the women mentioned in this book. 
Pancho Barnes (Florence Lowe)
Louise Thaden
Evelyn "Bobbi" Trout
Neva Finlay
Thea Rasche
Phoebe Fairgrave
Edith Magalis Foltz (Stearns)

Overall I really loved this non-fiction book.  Getting to learn about the cross-country air race that so many women competed in was amazing. I loved seeing so many women empowered especially during this time in history. They were able to get sponsorships and had their family's supporters. I also found it fascinating how many of them were married to pilots who had helped them learn how to fly. The women also had to know how to repair there own planes and how to take care of them, which is something not typically talked about or allowed during this time period as well. I loved seeing so many rebellious women kicking butt and showing that anything was possible. 

I now really want to find books about each of these women to learn more about them, especially Thea Rasche, Edith Magalis Foltz and Pancho Barnes because they absolutely fascinate me and I want to know more about there careers outside of this race. 

The map in this book is really great! I loved how it showed each race stop and how far they had already flown and how far they still needed to go. (I think this could work great for teachers to plan lessons around possibly?)

We also get to see little snippets of what Will Roger's said about the race and his support for the women's race in general. That was really fascinating to me and something I loved being able to tell other family members about who remember hearing Rogers on programs in their childhood.