American Wings
American Wings: Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators
and the Race for Equality in the Sky
Hardcover – January 16, 2024
by Sherri L. Smith (Author), Elizabeth Wein (Author)
From the acclaimed author of Flygirl and the bestselling author of Code Name Verity comes the thrilling and inspiring true story of the desegregation of the skies.
“This beautiful and brilliant history of not only what it means to be Black and dream of flying but to, against every odd, do so, completely blew me away.” —Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award Winner for Brown Girl Dreaming
In the years between World War I and World War II, aviation fever was everywhere, including among Black Americans. But what hope did a Black person have of learning to fly in a country constricted by prejudice and Jim Crow laws, where Black aviators like Bessie Coleman had to move to France to earn their wings?
American Wings follows a group of determined Black Americans: Cornelius Coffey and Johnny Robinson, skilled auto mechanics; Janet Harmon Bragg, a nurse; and Willa Brown, a teacher and social worker. Together, they created a flying club and built their own airfield south of Chicago. As the U.S. hurtled toward World War II, they established a school to train new pilots, teaching both Black and white students together and proving, in a time when the U.S. military was still segregated, that successful integration was possible.
Featuring rare historical photographs, American Wings brings to light a hidden history of pioneering Black men and women who, with grit and resilience, battled powerful odds for an equal share of the sky.
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers (January 16, 2024)
Language: English
Hardcover: 384 pages
ISBN-10: 059332398X
ISBN-13: 978-0593323984
Lexile Measure: 1210L
Grade Level: 7 - 9
Item Weight: 1.25 pounds
Dimensions: 6.19 x 1.21 x 9.25 inches
