Flygirl

In the young adult novel Flygirl, author Sherri L. Smith chronicles the adventures of Ida Mae Jones, a poor, black, Louisiana farm girl living in a time of war, who has a dream to fly.  Inspired by trailblazers like Jackie Cochran, Nancy Love and Bessie Coleman, Ida Mae dreams of enlisting to aide her country during WWII.  But this is not simply a story about a young girl with lofty dreams.  Like other African Americans at that time, Ida Mae faces challenges that force her to make decisions that could mean life or death for her and her family.  This book is written to educate young adults in the culture of the United States during the 1940s, but it speaks loudest to black girls.  You see, Ida Mae faced not only ethnic discrimination (she was so light-skinned she posed and passed as a white girl), but was exposed to a gender gap the likes she'd never witnessed before.  A woman's life held less value than a man's...especially in the US Army.  And if anyone were to find out that Ida Mae was passing as a white woman!?  Whew!  Off the farm and thrust into the "real" world, Ida Mae learns difficult life lessons and eventually decides how to balance her desire to fly and the reality of being a black woman.  I'd like to say the end of the book provides a conclusion to Ida Mae's story, but it ends realistically.  Ida Mae makes a choice and we're left to wonder if it was a wise one.  How does it turn out for Ida Mae?  We need only to look at history to know what happened to black people during the 50s and 60s here in the US to understand that Ida Mae faced many more challenges and tough decisions.  Immediately after finishing, I was disappointed that Smith didn't provide some closure for the reader...tweens will hate the ending.  However, looking back at the story with a mature mind, I understand why she leaves it open.  I just hope my students understand and if not, that they'll ask questions. 

Shown below are some of the real people mentioned in the novel.

This is Bessie Coleman, the first black female pilot. 

This is Jackie Cochran, the first woman to break the sound barrier. 
She was a director of WASP, among many other distinctions. 

General Hap Arnold is included in this novel.  He was the General of the Army Air Corp and when the United States Air Force was founded, he became General of the Air Force.  An interesting fact:  General Arnold learned to fly with The Wright Brothers.  At his death in 1950, he was General of the largest air fleet in history.  

This photo of Nancy Love, also in the novel, is what I imagine the characters Lily (Nancy) and Patsy (Betty) looked like.  Lily being more demure and Patsy cracking a joke and appearing more confident.  

I am going to leave this book on the Fall Book Frenzy list if it can hold it's own against the other historical fiction I have chosen...Copper Sun, Chains, etc...It's a book that speaks to all girls and teaches them something about how far women's rights have come in less than 100 years.  That alone makes it a worthy choice.  I may have problems with girls liking the ending, so we'll see. 


I am ashamed (of someone out there who neglected to teach me this!) to say that I knew nothing about the WASP until reading this book.  I thought WASP stood for White Anglo-Saxon Protestant.  Who knew the acronym also stands for a group of women who test piloted and provided the US Army with planes, such as the B-29 Bomber, that helped end the war?  The book explains WASP much better than I can, but I can at least tell you what it stands for...Women Airforce Service Pilots.  For more information, visit these sites on the web: Official WASP website and National WASP WWII Museum

And don't hesitate to read the book.  It's fairly short (275 pages) and a quick read.  For those who need the Lexile, it's 680L.  

To read about my favorite scene from the book, scroll down.  If you plan to read the book yourself, I'll sign off now so you can enjoy the scene yourself.  

Isn't it fascinating to learn something new?
Happy Reading!
RC















*Spoiler Alert*


Okay, here's my favorite scene from the book.  It gave me cold chills and then I whooped and hollered like an old country girl!  


(paraphrased)  While in aviator training camp, Ida Mae goes into town to purchase her family Christmas presents.  She braves a hardware store, terrified that at any minute the dogs will be called on her and she'll be thrown out. (Because she's passing for white.)  She goes in, head high, acting as white as she can.  She gets in line behind an elderly black man who reminds her of her grandfather.  She tries hard not to let her "colored" self shine through because the store owner treats the old man so horribly.  Even calls him "boy"!  (I hate that!)  The older man wants to sell back some chain, but the store owner refuses to bargain with him.  After many insults, the store owner dismisses him and motions for Ida Mae to move forward.  She sure is between a rock and a hard place here!  She wants nothing more than to take that chain and wrap it around the store owner's neck, but she'll give up everything she's worked for if she does.  So instead, she takes the high road and asks for chain (exactly like what the older man is holding).  She finagles the store owner into buying back the chain and selling it to her!  I could see the look on that ole store owner's face!  I love it!  However, the elderly gentleman whispers something to her as he leaves that rocks her world.  You'll have to read the book to find out what it was.  Enjoy!