This is an excellent work of non-fiction highlighting a little known, or at least rarely discussed, part of workplace and feminist history. The mix of historical events and the individuals profiled in this book were fascinating. I didn’t previously know about any of the women at the center of the events described, but the author was able to bring them to life throughout the text. The interspersed pictures personalized the stories even more. I found so much connection between the workplace today and the history outlined in this book about airline stewardesses fighting for their workplace rights. As an HR professional, I wish I had been able to read this book YEARS ago. It illuminated so much I didn’t know about flight attendant unions and the workplace they dealt with in the 60s and 70s especially. It was also eye opening to learn about the EEOC and Title VII enforcement during this period. Reading about the women that fought for their rights and the rights of their co-workers was inspiring.

It took me a few chapters to get into the book and adjust to the topic. At first, I felt like I was reading a basic textbook, but once I finished several chapters, I became highly invested. After I got halfway through, I could barely put it down and the ending snuck up on me! I could have continued reading about these women and their shared history. Occasionally I became confused by the timeline of events and felt like we were skipping around to different points in history, but overall, I followed the trajectory of what happened and who was involved.

There is so much of interest in this book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in workplace history, unions, airline history, feminism and unsung heroes of the past. I will have a new appreciation for the flight attendants on the plane of my next flight!

Great book. It reads quickly and gives valuable, first hand information on the Women's Rights Movement within the airline industry.

This is a very well researched and well written story about gender inequality and the fight for equal rights in the 1960s and 1970s. The author uses 4-5 women's stories to give a picture of the struggles at the time and how sexist and elitist the airline industry especially operated. The author doesn't just cover women but also focuses on racism and even the problems men encountered trying to be flight attendants. What makes the book so successful is the tone and pace: the book never bogs down and the author does an excellent job of making the facts entertaining and informative.

The book is chronological and focuses on the women who made the changes in the airline industry in the 1960s and 1970s. Nearly all started out as stewardesses but some would move on to union jobs and try to affect change there. At its heart, the story is about the huge gender inequality issues: from pay differences to gender-specific job requirements. It is inconceivable today that a flight attendant would have to quit or be fired if she: was over 30, was over 125 lbs, got married, had a child, did not wear a girdle or false eyelashes, or did not style her her in a certain way. All for 3/4 less pay than a male counterpart who had no restrictions at all.

Although the women were to be admired, the author had a great way of making each one extremely likable (despite the unlikelihood of them being very unlikeable in real life). The women had very strong personalities, were driven, and even had differing ideals at some points (e.g., whether to use the power of existing unions or to create a new one for flight attendants only). I found every single woman's story engrossing and appreciated that we got more than just their job info but also stories about their personal life.

A good writer can really elevate the subject and Wulfhart does that here. This is a highly entertaining read that brings great insight into how bad things were at the airline industry (and for women) at the time. The women were candid about their mistakes and about their successes and the era of the 1960s and 1970s is well realized throughout. I honestly could not come up with any criticisms of the presentation, research, or subject matter. Especially for those who recently watched the TV series Mrs. America, you will recognize a lot of the names in here when the book reaches the 1970s.

In all, highly recommended. And a great testament to the women who managed a lasting change against so much resistance. Reviewed from an advance reader copy provided by the publisher.

Though the post of flight attendant was long touted as a glamorous and enviable one, it was also incredibly tough during the Jet Set age. Called stewardesses then, the women had to put up with low pay, sexualized stereotyping, and age and weight restrictions that had nothing to do with their suitability for the job and everything to do with being eye candy.

In this book, the reader is taken through how flight attendants fought for workers' rights, often going to war over things that depressingly should never have existed, such as restrictions stating women had to be unmarried and under the age of 35 to keep working. I liked that the author told this story through the efforts of specific women but made sure to demonstrate how it was a group effort still. It was interesting to contrast this with Fly Girl, as Hood enjoyed many of the rights won by flight attendants of the generation discussed here.

In the first half of the book, Wulfhart goes over how the passage of Title VII changed many of the regulations around flight attendants, though battling sex discrimination cases was still an uphill battle when prosecutors did not find such cases worthy of attention. I was interested to learn that flight attendants were on the forefront of the implementation of  this act, setting precedents in sex discrimination cases for generations to come.

In the second half of the book, the author focuses on unions and the organization Stewardesses for Womens' Rights, battling sexist messaging about flight attendants and trying to gain the privileges that their male counterparts, in this role and otherwise, held.. The book ends with the story of how flight attendants broke away from the Transport Worker's Union to form their own union, advancing the tale into the present day.

I found this a really informative read about a subject I knew little about, and appreciated how information was relayed in an easily digestible way. However, I wished that we could have learned more about how women of color fit into 'the Great Stewardess Rebellion,' which was touched upon but not really elaborated.

I well remember those times: NOW, Betty Friedan, airline ads and uniforms, Gloria and MS Magazine. However, I never knew the names of these women featured in this book. Many thanks to the author for bringing the stories of the women's movement to this generation of women. Most have no idea what life was like for women in the workplace in the 60s and 70s.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Doubleday Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Fascinating tale of the women who were the trailblazers. The ones who set the stage for the future. The rebels. The ones who stood up for their rights and won.

I enjoyed reading and learning about the rebellion. I loved the different point of views and really learning about what happened during that time. I loved learning about Patti . Tommie and the many others that helped give them rights. I enjoyed seeing the ads about flying and learning about flight/charm school. Loved learning this book .

This is a phenomenal book, extremely fun to read, and full of fascinating information on every page. A MUST READ for anyone interested in labor unions, aviation, women's history, or airlines.

enjoyed learning about how a croup of women were able to make a difference and make changes to the airline industry. So that they could do the job they loved. Without man telling them they had to be a certain weight and retire at 32.