A couple years ago, as part of an education workshop, I was able to take a tour of the Long Beach Airport in CA. I remember hearing about the WASP and becoming so fascinated with these incredible, inspirational female pilots. When I saw this book featured on NetGalley, I just had to read more about these trailblazing women! There were many people in the book to keep straight, but they all deserved to have their stories told and made the book even more interesting. These women pilots were courageous and enthusiastic about their role in the war effort, despite having to endure discrimination, inequality, and sexism at every turn. The reader can’t help but cheer, cry, and curse (yes, it makes you angry at times) while reading this amazing historical work of art. The amount of research done by the author is impressive and exceptional. I look forward to sharing this book with our history teachers, my book clubs, and my friends. I wish everyone would read this book and learn about the incredible contributions these women made to our country’s history. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me. I can’t wait to purchase a print copy for my library!

This was a very educational book covering the lives of multiple women pilots during WWII and the creation of the WASP program. What a great bunch of very high achieving young ladies with hearts of gold and souls of steel. Wow, these women were daredevils and just high adrenaline junkies. They knew what they wanted out of life and they would risk it all to get there. Such a talented, smart group of women.
If you haven’t read anything about the WASP program, I would highly recommend this one. Unfortunately, I had read a previous book on this subject matter and I found this book covered a lot of the same information. It also reads a lot like a text book, it doesn’t dive into an individual story, but it gives an overview of the struggles and successes of several of the ladies. I did truly enjoy several of the chapters late in the book when she covered what happened to the lady pilots and how their lives turned out, those are always the best parts of these true stories.
Lots of information in here. Well worth the read, especially if this is your first dive into this subject.
I was allowed an ARC from Crown Publishing and NetGalley for my honest unbiased review. This one gets 4 stars.

When Japanese planes attacked Pearl Harbor in December 1941, Cornelia Fort was already in the air. At twenty-two, Fort was a failed debutante hoping for a fresh start as a flight instructor in Hawaii. She and her student had just taken off when the bombs began to fall, and they barely made it back to ground that morning. When the US Army put out a call for women pilots to aid the war effort, Fort was one of the first to respond. She became one of 1,900 women from across the nation to converge on Sweetwater, Texas, to train for the U.S. Army Air Force in the hope of earning their silver wings. In The Women with Silver Wings, historian Kate Landdeck introduces us to these young women as they meet even-tempered, methodical Nancy Love and formidable, demanding visionary Jacqueline Cochran, the women who first envisioned sending American women into the air, and whose rivalry would define the WASP. For women like Cornelia, it was a chance to serve her country--and to prove that women aviators are just as skilled and able as men. The WASP could not serve in combat, but did train male pilots for service abroad and risked their lives to ferry bombers across the Atlantic. Cornelia herself would not survive the war. But even taking into account these tragic losses, Love and Cochran's social experiment seemed to be a resounding success--until, in 1943, with the tides of the war turning and fewer male pilots needed in Europe, Congress pulled out the rug from under the WASP. The program was disbanded, the women sent home. But the bonds they'd made during their time together never failed, and over the next few decades, they banded together to fight for recognition as the military veterans they were--and for their place in history. Beautifully written and painstakingly researched for over two decades, The Women with Silver Wings is an unforgettable description of these fearless, groundbreaking women and their long fight for justice.

I was fortunate to get this as an ARC from NetGalley and thought it was an amazing story.

Thank you to Crown Publishing and Net Galley for the chance to read and review this fabulous book! The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
This is the story of the brave and enthusiastic women who were part of the Women's Airforce Service Pilots of WW II. These women faced so much adversity, but their love for flying would not allow them to give up. This book is so well-researched, and comprehensive. I felt like I really got to know these women and what was in their heart. I like the way the author added photographs at the beginning of each chapter. I also liked the ending because the author let the reader know what happened to these women and how hard they had to fight for recognition the rest of their lives. I loved this book, and I would rate it higher then 5 stars if I could. It is just a wonderful book!

Women in aviation are rare birds, but not as rare as we might think. This book is a stunning, comprehensive, in-depth look at dozens of young ladies who felt to the call to fly and acted on it, no matter what obstacles stood in their way. Bessie Colman had to go to France to earn her pilot's when American schools turned her down.

This is a long, detailed book, packed full of names and biographies, with never a dull moment. I've been reading this on and off for weeks now. Soon, I hope, I'll sift through the highlights and write a more thoughtful review. For now, I will say #loveit! This is a #mustread!

It's obvious from the very first chapter that this book was a labour of love. With a relentless attention to detail and an understanding gained through hours of work including tracking down news item, letters, photos, documents and interviews with many of the WASP, Katherine Sharp Landdeck captures the passion, the dedication and the disappointments and heartache of a group of women pilots who were all bout forgotten by the country they loved and served.
As an aviation enthusiast who has always admired the pioneering women in the aviation industry, I was excited to find this book that tells the story of this iconic group of American aviation pioneers. As I read, I fell in love with the WASP and their determination to serve their country while pursuing their passion for flying and I loved discovering the "famous names" from aviation history who peopled their story - aviation and wartime heroes like Amelia Earhardt, Hap Arnold, Paul Tibbets and Chuck Yeager all of whom, in addition to the accomplishments that made each of them bright stars in the skies of American aviation, also played their roles in the founding an brief life of the WASP.
The story of these outstanding women is one that desperately needed to be told so that their lives and sacrifice become a part of the American war story and their courage and determination can inspire many future generations of women, not only in the air and space industry, but in every walk of American life. The Women with Silver Wings should be required reading for every 20th Century American History, Women's Studies and Aviation History courses but, far beyond that, it's a book that everyone with even a passing interest in the last century should add to their "to be read" list, because in addition to being a well written history book, it's just a darned good read.

Historian Katherine Sharp Landdeck introduces us to Nancy Love and Jackie Cochran, who made it their mission to persuade the powers-that-be to allow female pilots to help with the war effort. Despite considerable opposition, not only from their families, from military brass and politicians, but also from male pilots, these two women began programs that would send American women into the air. While ferrying planes from production lines to bases where the male pilots would take them into combat, the women also learned how to fly the new planes, trained male pilots on those planes, the women wanted to prove that female aviators were just as skilled and able as the men.

Our entire family has always been drawn to the history of aviation, even before our son took flight lessons and eventually became a pilot for the US Air Force. Add to that my efforts to learn more about the women behind the scenes, the women who don't get the attention – and credit, in many cases – that men do who performed the same jobs, and this book sounded right up my alley. It was a fascinating read, although the back-and-forth between the wartime events and the women's backstories, coupled with the alternating sections about Nancy and Jackie, felt a little disjointed. Once I was able to put myself into the right perspective and storyline, though, I was amazed at these ladies' perseverance and determination, not to mention the sacrifices made by so many of them. I have already recommended this book to several other readers who enjoy non-fiction historical accounts like this, and will continue to do so.

This book is a must read. Well written and captivating - I could not put it down. I had just recently seen a special on the search for the plane of the one WASP whose plane was never found. This woke me up to the WASP and the women who did so much for our country in WWII. This is a story that needed to be told and should be included in all teaching about the history of WWII, especially the air war. We heard about "Rosie the Riveter" but not about the WASP who did so much to make the air war a success - flying all and test piloting many of the military aircraft of the time. Many of them served as pilot instructors to the men who later flew the aircraft in the war. This contribution cannot be diminished and must be shared so all can learn about the women who pioneered military flying and are the grandmothers of the women who now fly for the military on equal footing with men. Read this book! Recommend it to others! I do....

This was much, much more than a story about women pilots. These women gave everything they had to give of themselves for the war. They were bold, fearless, full of spirit and adventure. These women put themselves in danger all the time. And, they were treated horribly by the military brass and politicians of the day. It wasn't until most had passed away... that someone finally decided that they should get a taste of what they should have received then. I cannot fathom that the military didn't even pay their tickets home. I'm so glad that we were able to stop in Sweetwater, TX and take a tour of their barracks. The little museum is SO worth the time. It is in the middle of nowhere. I wish that all of the women who gave so much knew that they were actually appreciated and that they truly helped the US and our Allies win WWII.

The inspiring True Story of the Women Airforce Service Pilots of World War 11

Ms. Landdeck is an associate professor and teaches courses on the twentieth century United States and global war. What an interesting read her book is.

“The Women with Silver Wings” is the culmination of her 20 years of research on the Women Airforce Service Pilots. The WASP were the first women in history to fly for the U.S. military, serving between 1942 and 1944 at the height of World WAR 11. These daring female aviators who helped the United States win WW 11 only to be forgotten by the country they served.

It has been a privilege for Ms. Landdeck get to know these women over years and to tell the stories of these amazing women in action. At the height of WW 11 more than 1000 women volunteered as civilian pilots to relieve men for overseas duty. They ferried planes across the country from factories to points of embarkation, towed targets behind planes to train ground and air gunners, test flew planes after repairs and other domestic flying duty that the Air Forces needed done. The author describes in details their day to day life: the months of training, were they were stationed, the types of aircraft they flew and their down time.

The WASP were deactivated in December 1944 up to 1977 they continued their battle to be officially recognised as part of the Military. In 1984 each pilot was awarded the WW 11 Victory medal and others the American Theater Ribbon and Campaign Medal. In 2009, after decades-long battle, the women contributions finally honored and were granted the Congressional Gold Medal and officially recognized as military veterans. The status fully recognised in 2017.

This book is superbly researched and consists of numerous vignettes of the remarkable pilots. It is smoothly written with relatively short chapters to keep us interested. In whole an easy read and a great educating tool.

On the down side: I found too much was said for a regular size book, information seemed cramped in. I was deeply into this book for most part but ¾ in, things started to turn in circle, became repetitive and dragged somewhat. I was anxious to see the ending by then. Having said this, I still would recommend this book to those who love this time in history.

This was fascinating. The careful research by the author led to a very beautifully pieced work of art. I am always baffled at what women were and were not allowed to do during times in history that I did not endure. While shocking, I'm always still surprised that women carried on and could complete tasks such as this.

If you are looking for an amazing insight into aviation, specifically led by women, during a difficult time in the world, then look no further. This book has it all! Thank you #netgalley #crownpublishing and Katherin Landdeck for the early advanced read. I am so glad I had the opportunity.

I figured the odds were good when I picked this one up that I would find this to be an interesting read. I've read quite a few books about female aviators and also the roles women played during World War 2 but this is actually the first time I've had the opportunity to read a nonfiction book devoted to the two subjects. It truly was an honor to learn more about these women and this book was definitely a worthwhile read.

After the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, the United States needed pilots to go fight in the war. The WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots) was a group formed during World War 2 that trained pilots, tested aircraft, and also ferried aircraft. Essentially by having female pilots take on these responsibilities this freed up more male pilots to go fight in combat. Sounds like a great thing, right? Unfortunately given society norms and gender roles at the time, these women faced a battle of their own in order to be taken seriously. And what's worse is even decades after the war, these female aviators barely got a smidge of recognition for helping win the war.

One of the reasons I wanted to read this book is about 20 years ago when my grandmother was in her 80s, she randomly told me how during WW2 she was going to get her pilot's license to help with the war effort but ended up not being able to take the exam because her mother thought it was too dangerous. This was the first time anyone in our family had heard this story, and now that she has passed away, it remains one of my favorite moments with her. One of the things that boggled my mind is all she needed was 7 lessons in the air and that's something that was basically confirmed in this book. Nowadays I think most of us know you need a lot of hours to get your pilot's license but back then you didn't need much at all. One of the women featured in this book I believe was deemed qualified to fly, after less than 5 hours in the air.

Even though I knew this fact from reading previous books about female aviators, it still is crazy to me that there were serious discussions back then about whether or not a woman should be able to fly during her menstrual cycle. I do love how there was really no way a ban could be enforced because most men weren't going to want to ask the female pilots if they were on their period before every flight. And also these women would most likely have lied if questioned anyway because they had common sense and realized they were more than fully capable and qualified even if it was a certain time of the month.

This book provides a good history of how the WASPs got their start as well as what led to it coming to an end in 1944 before the war was even over. The book features quite a few of the women associated with the WASPs and a decent amount of info is given about their backgrounds as well as their lives after the war. One thing I found fascinating is so many of the women pilots went on to start families and didn't really discuss their experiences during the war with them. They basically figured it was all about the kids and nobody really cared about mom's life prior to becoming a mother. It really wasn't until decades later when the government was attempting to give these women some recognition, that many family members got to actually learn more about the WASPs.

I'm glad the author mentioned how the vast majority of the women pilots were white. It does break your heart there were women of color wanting to help the nation and yet many were turned away. In general the author did a pretty decent job showing the good things about the women and the program as well as the bad.

This is a good read particularly if you enjoy nonfiction books about World War 2 and/or anything related to women doing extraordinary things.

Thank you to Crown and Netgalley for providing me with an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.....I would give this a solid 4-1/4 stars. One reason I reached for this book was that I had not read anything previously about WASP and was curious how woman played a part during World War II. The book was well researched, but I did have problems keeping track who was who, and who did what...and, unfortunately, it did drag towards the end of the book. It felt like the author was trying to cram in as much information as possible. That being said, I have so much admiration for those who participated. These women were some of the gutsiest individuals I have had the pleasure to read about. If I wasn’t pissed off enough about how woman were treated in the 40’s, I was more so during the 80’s and 90’s. These woman, in my humble opinion, did not get enough of the recognition they truly deserved! I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys history and World War II.

I would like to thank the author and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in return for an honest and unbiased review of this novel.

I'm not normally a big nonfiction reader, but I absolutely loved this book. I was drawn in instantly to the story of American women pilots during WWII. I loved learning about the adventurous spirit of the women and was rooting for them in the same way I root for characters in novels. Katherine Sharp Landdeck does an amazing job bringing these women's story out of the shadows of historical obscurity and making the reader fall in love with their spirit and pluck. The only thing that drops it down to 4 stars for me is that it started to feel a little draggy at the end, when Landdeck was talking about the women's fight in their later years for recognition. I guess it's just not as exciting to read about women giving testimony in Congress as it is to lose yourself in their airborne exploits! Note: I received a pre-publication copy of this book from the publisher. However, the opinions expressed in this review are wholly my own.

“The Women with Silver Wings" is another story in the growing genre of books describing the often little known or little recognized contributions women have made in times of war or as a part of major initiatives, like the space program. Debut author, Katherine Sharp Landdeck, has spent over 20 years, involved with and researching the important role played by over 1100 women who were part of the WASPs (Women Airforce Service Pilots) during WWII. The book is really two stories woven into one. The first is the stories of the women themselves, their backgrounds, love for flying and the variety of the work they did with 77 different types of aircraft flying over 60 million miles. But, it was not without danger, as 38 of the female pilots did not survive the war. The second part describes the issues they had to overcome, the prejudices against them for being women in what was considered a "male-only" profession and the politics, both internal and by the Army and the US government. I found that the book grew more interesting to me as it progressed. While I had heard of the WASP program, the women fliers that were included in the book put real people to the WASP acronym and the over 30-year effort they endured after the war to finally gain the recognition and military status that was deserved. While there have been other books written about the WASPs, what sets this one apart has been the exhaustive effort by the author to meet and interview these women and become a trusted part of their WASP community. Highly recommended. Would also suggest readers visit the online WASP archives on the Texas Woman's University website. It is a treasure trove of information.

aviation, military, World War ll, women, historical-figures, historical-places-events, historical-research,

Has anyone ever figured out why most men are afraid of capable women? This interesting chronicle of the American women who paved the way for those coming after to be able to fly as military pilots first and later as commercial pilots (so long as they weren't having their menstrual!). Although demonstrably capable and skilled, they were fobbed off as lowest class pilots during the second World War and neglected by the military and the government afterward. It is both fascinating and frustrating to read all the details of these women. Excellently researched and crafted.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Crown Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

This is a wonderful book. I was aware of the WASP but had barely any understanding of when their status in the armed services and the roles they played during WWII. Landdeck's book gave me an in-depth understanding of who the women were who started the WASPs, how they became interested in flying and learned to fly and perhaps most importantly the struggles they went through to become a recognized part of the armed services. And, she did all this and made the women (girls) feel alive to me. A well researched and written book.

The Women with Silver Wings is a fascinating study of the women pilots who against all odds and a good portion of the men they interacted, with made a significant contribution to the WWII war efforts. Meticulously researched using among other things oral histories and diaries, the flow of the story is smooth, easy to follow, and filled with lots of gossipy tidbits that make this a wonderful read. Readers are introduced to the major players, Nancy Love, Teresa James, Jacqueline Cochran and a host of others who persevered in a world and a profession controlled by men reluctant to allow them to participate. The story also details the rivalry between Love and Cochran who had very different visions of the role women pilots should play in the war effort. Both wanted the women to be fully integrated into the Army Air Force, but Jackie Cochran wanted to keep them segregated to protect their morals and reputations. Nancy Love wanted a full integration. The author writes of the discrimination leveled by color and ethnicity against women and men during this period and the discrimination against women pilots that continued after the group was disbanded and the war was over. When “the experiment” began the women pilots were attached to the AAF but were classified as civilians, hence no benefits were given to them. The widow of a male pilot received $10,000. The family of a female pilot only received the $250 Civil Service Commission death benefit; nor were the women eligible for the GI Bill in the aftermath. The struggle for recognition of the contribution made by the WASP pilots continued long past the end of the program in December 1944. This book is history at its best...reminding old timers how far women have come in the past 80 years, and giving a lesson to younger readers of what society was like for their great-grandmothers. I voluntarily reviewed an advance copy of this book from NetGalley. Most highly recommend.