I loved everything about this book except for the title. Could we please get beyond "[Related noun] Girls"?

More than 80 years after Amelia Earhart's mysterious disappearance, she continues to hold a place among the world's most famous women. What isn't as well known is that Earhart was part of a group of brave, high-achieving and largely forgotten female pilots--fly girls--who helped to set the course of aviation while setting records and shattering stereotypes.

A fly girl is "a term used in the 1920s to describe female pilots and, more broadly, young women who refused to live by the old rules, appearing bold and almost dangerous as a result." In addition to Earhart, these fearless women included Florence Klingensmith, Ruth Elder, Louise Thaden and Ruth Nichols. They came from vastly different backgrounds: Nichols was born into a wealthy Rye, N.Y., family; Elder was a divorcée from Alabama; Thaden sold coal in Wichita, Kan. Yet each saw flying as a chance to prove that women could compete equally in a high-stakes, life-or-death environment. "These women... wanted the right to be heard and the right to hold any job they wished. Most of all, they wanted respect...."

Journalist Keith O'Brien's (Outside Shot) compelling narrative soars as he explores the business of competitive air races in the 1920s and '30s, complete with publicity-savvy promoters and wealthy investors who recognized that women pilots would generate intense interest, especially in cross-county events. As they competed in the face of tragedy and discrimination, the female pilots learned the importance of keeping a united front and supporting each other (they formed the Ninety-Nines, a female pilots' association still in existence). The bravery, courage and determination of the fly girls provides inspiration for modern times. --Melissa Firman, writer, editor and blogger

The cover really caught my attention and I thought what a cool subject. I don't much at all about female aviators except Amelia Earhart (and not much about her). But I did feel like there was just as much about the "men behind the women" so to speak, than about the women themselves. OK but overall disappointment for me.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Even though I typically stick to Sci-Fi/Fantasy-type reads, I do have eclectic taste, and when I venture out into the wild west of historical nonfiction, I typically really enjoy stories of women defying the odds and making gains in society.

I really liked how this book followed many well-known (and some not-as-well-known) female aviators from the 1920s and 1930s. Yes, Amelia Earhart was included (and, to be honest, the only name that rung any sort of bell for me...), but she was not alone. There were so many surprising stories in this book, and I really liked learning about this important period of women's rights.

For similar, yet different, books about women's important roles in the shaping of our history, I would also recommend similar books such as Hidden Figures, The Radium Girls, The Woman who Smashed Codes, and The Woman's Hour, all of which were similarly fascinating and fantastic reads.

Thank you to LibraryThing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall not a bad read. For it being a book about women flyers there was a lot of focus on men and their impact on the women flyers' successes and failures. At times the book read much like a dissertation.

I'm wavering on how to rate this book, and think I'll decide on 3.5 stars. The story of the five women is fascinating and well researched. I just wish the author had focused on them and not given such detailed information about so many other people as well. It made the storyline hard to follow for me at times.

While I am inspired by the amazing women, both in this book and those not mentioned, who persevered and faced the challenge of aviation, the book itself was not very entertaining. There were lots of details shared, but I also felt like the author did not do a great job at presenting the stories of the "fly girls" as they should be shared.

Basically the writing style is what turned me off with this book. There were some interesting facts presented, but it just couldn't hold my attention.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As someone who flies a lot, I was struck by how far aviation has come in less than 100 years, and yet how few women pilots I've ever flown with. O'Brien captures the struggles these five women (and many more) endured as they pursued their dream of flying. Risking everything from death to societal scorn, women proved that they could and would fly. Fascinating history.

Loved this look at female aviators. Naturally Amelia Earhart comes to mind, but the others stories are just as, if not more compelling.

I am now a big fan! Great book and one that any age can pick up and enjoy! Fly Girls tell a story that has been overlook and so worth telling. There are so many set backs and accomplishments in this book that were just pushed to the side for so long. I hope everyone picks it up and I hope to see more like it in the future.

4 stars*

Fly Girls is the historical account of the most famous women in aeronautical history to date. Keith O'Brien beautifully tells the personal stories of the women who bucked conventional ideas of what their roles should be and fought to take to the skies.

I had never heard of any of the women save Amelia Earhart, but I was gripped by their tales and heartbroken by their struggles.

A wonderful book for the "Mighty Girl" bookshelf!

*with thanks to netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What an insightful read into the beginnings of our aviation industry and through the perspective of women! We have heard of Amelia Earhart which this book covers. It also tells of other women who set aviation records and were inspired by each other including Florence Klingensmith, Louise Thaden, Blanche Noyes, Ruth Elder and others.
They followed their dreams, some resulting in their deaths. Not only did they fly, the author tells us how they overcame all odds of learning to fly, raising money to buy planes or to acquire sponsors, this book covers it all. As part of the history, Keith tells us how Beechcraft and other airplane manufacturers started in this new industry.
Written in an easy to read manner, I thank the author for documenting this time in aviation and for telling us about these strong aviation pioneers.

We all know of Amelia Earhart, but what of the four other brave, dedicated, groundbreaking women spotlighted in this book? Theirs, along with Amelia’s, is a story to tell of courageous women who wouldn’t give up the fight for what they believed in and thereby changed the history of aviation and opened doors for women of all generations to come. “Fly Girls” is an expertly written, educational, entertaining, historical account that captured my attention and thoughts even when I had to put the book down for the activities of daily life. It is easy to understand, pleasantly written, and yet full of facts and history that has long been forgotten. I highly recommend this book, and this author, and I wish to thank NetGalley for this advance copy to review.

#FlyGirls #NetGalley

An awesome collection of the untold stories of the greatest American female fliers of the 20th Century. Keith did an amazing research work to bring these fabulous stories into the light.

I was immediately attracted by the subject of Fly Girls. For the most part I think the book is well researched and interesting. I definitely learned quite a bit and I could see using Fly Girls as a book discussion selection. My difficulty stemmed from the author's writing style. There were so many women introduced so quickly that I needed a scorecard to keep track of them. It didnt help that their stories were intermingled throughout the chapters. I would have preferred chapters or sections dedicated to each, or dedicated vignettes for each among the general history sections. 3.5

Imagine for a moment, flying at 100 mph high above the earth in an airplane constructed out of wood with linen, coated with lacquer, stretched over a frame for wings. This was typical in the early days of aviation, circa 1920’s, and beyond belief by today’s standards. This image, planted by the introduction , stuck with me throughout the remaining chapters of Fly Girls: how five daring women defied all odds and made aviation history..

Even though I seldom read much from the nonfiction side of the world of books, this one intrigued me into giving it a try. Like many others, Amelia Earhardt was the only figure I was even remotely familiar with from this era of aviation, and more broadly, U.S. history. This book brought to life not only five female pioneers plus a number of other personalities and events but the culture of the post- WWI in a very readable style. It is a tribute to the heroines (and heroes) who devoted, and too often gave, their lives in pursuit of their passion for flying.

FYI - I received a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book! It is the accounts of how these amazing women defied challenges and discrimination, yet persevered to become legendary aviators in the Golden Age of Flying dominated by men. Their stories are heartbreaking and inspirational. As a librarian, I also appreciated the "Acknowledgements" at the end where the author explained the many different sources of his research. Fascinating! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me the opportunity to read this exceptional book in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in women's or aviation history.

I love history books and Keith did an amazing job writing the history of these women in aviation. I learned so much but more importantly, it read like a novel. I think this is one of those books which is going to be around a long time. I would not be surprised if this becomes an instant best seller!!

I really enjoyed this book about the world of flying during the 1920’s and 30’s in America and how women pilots were at such a disadvantage compared to the men. Flying really grew during that period, with so many more pilots being licensed and planes being built than before. Mostly male pilots, but certainly more females too. The book took a look mostly at 5 women pilots, such as Amelia Earhart and others you aren’t as likely to know but are just as interesting once you get to know them. Flying back then was quite dangerous for both sexes with lots of mishaps being common, even for the most careful pilots. It made for an exciting read, for sure.

These brave ladies set many records and I really loved learning about them. The book focuses mainly on these five ladies though it tells about others: Ruth Elder, Florence Klingensmith, Amelia Earhart, Ruth Nichols, and Louise Thaden. I had a friend here in Georgia who flew his own planes but sadly was killed in a crash a few years back. My aunt also flew for quite a few years and just loved it. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in the subject. My thanks for the advance digital copy that was provided by Netgalley, authors Keith O’Brien & Eamon Dolan, and the publisher for my fair review.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pub: Aug 7th, 2018

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy of Fly Girls. I usually enjoy non-fiction but this book didn't capture or keep my attention. I felt it was kind of dry reading it
Even the parts that should've seemed to be exciting, we're not. I had high hopes for this title and was disappointed.