{Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for my gifted e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.}

'In the sky, she wasn't Chinese or American, man or woman, visible or invisible...she was just herself. In the sky, she felt limitless'.

Wow, what a story! Prior to this book I'm sad to say that I did not know who Hazel Ling Yee was. Hazel Ling Yee was the first Chinese American woman in the United States to earn her pilot's license. Hazel served during WW2 as a WASP.

I'm so grateful that Hazel's story of resilience and bravery are now recorded in this book. Hazel had to overcome so much to accomplish all that she did in her time, and her story deserves to be known, her accomplishments and sacrifices remembered.

I learned a lot from this book!

2.5/5
I was really excited to see a story about Hazel Ying Lee, the first Chinese-American woman to have a pilot’s license, to be published. She is a fascinating woman, working for both the WASPs during WW2 and the Chinese Air Force during the Second Sino-Japanese War. However, this book failed to figure out if it wanted to be written as a straight historical non-fiction book or a historical fiction book. It felt that the author wanted this to be a straight history book, but a lot of the prose used made it read too fictional. That being said, this would’ve still been an amazing book if the author decided to go the historical fiction route, but because the prose felt in between fiction and nonfiction, it made the reading a bit annoying.

This is a MUST buy and purchase for any librarian, individual, teacher, and student interested in learning more about AAPI characters and their contributions to the WWII efforts. This subject is something that has been glossed over/ignored for too long and it is time that we celebrate and bring visibility to the efforts made by several members of the AAPI community during this time. This is something I plan to purchase for our library and myself, as I want to highlight contributions made by members from all diverse communities.

Solid biography about Hazel Ling Yee, "the first Asian American woman to earn a pilot’s license, join the WASPs, and fly for the United States military amid widespread anti-Asian sentiment and policies." You really can imagine what life was like and what she was going through. I enjoyed the descriptions of the locations and the people of that era a lot - not just Hazel but other fliers and important people who changed the aviation industry.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC. #sponsored

"American Flygirl" is one of those books that makes me so angry, because it is SUCH a travesty that stories like Hazel Ying Lee's have been kept under wraps for so many years. This unbelievable woman should be a household name for her daring, her dedication, and her heroism, and yet, this is the first time I - and I'm sure, most people - have ever heard of her. As a woman - and an Asian-American woman, no less - she was faced with so much prejudice despite her clear qualifications and desire to serve her country, and the fact that she just kept pushing against those barriers is an inspiration. I loved this book so much, and I'm so grateful that her story is being told. (I do, however, hope that the numerous grammatical and spelling errors that were present in the ARC were fixed before final printing.)

A very interesting book.Never thought about the ethnic issues in America before.A gutsy woman and her persistence to achieve her goals.Glad I read the book

While this was interesting to read, I feel this may have worked a little bit better as a historical fiction so the author could use her creativity to fill in some gaps.

Thank you to Kensington and NetGalley for the eGalley to review!

Despite being a United States Air Force brat, I don't think I've ever heard of Hazel Ying Lee and this biography makes the case for why I should have. Hazel was a remarkable person and pilot, helping to break stereotypes and bring about major change. She deserves a spot next to other famous female pilots when aviation and military history is being discussed, that's for sure! Hers is a story wrought with racism, misogyny, and tragedy, much like that of Bessie Coleman. Many people's lives were touched by her.

I like that it's not just Hazel's story being told, it's also of those who helped her story unfold, giving us important context for major events and incidents. I appreciate that. However, sometimes this book tries too hard to be a novelization, which means some scenes are written as though they are exactly that--scenes from a novel. It was a little jarring, making me wonder if they were extracted from personal accounts or were just dramatizations/artistic liberties. There is also some conjecture near the end about her tragic death in the form of the author asking leading questions. Other than that, it's a great recounting of the life of a person who should be in more history books! I highly recommend it for AAPI Heritage Month displays and book lists.

Going back to the beginnings of aviation in the United States, American Flygirl tells the story of Hazel King Lee, the first Asian American woman to earn her pilot's license in the United States. Born to Chinese immigrants, Lee was raised in Portland where opportunities for Asians were limited. With the assistance of the Chinese Benevolent Society, Hazel is selected to earn her pilot license, with the hopes of one day flying for the Chinese Air Force in the war against Japan, then for the WASPs in the United States.

American Flygirl is a short biography of Lee, along with the history of Chinese American male aviators and other female WASP members. Ankeny shares much about several mostly unknown pioneers, not just Lee. She does an admirable job showing the prejudice faced by early pilots who were not white males, and sheds light on the programs the US shared with China during WW2. It's an enjoyable, informative read for those interested in this part of history.

In World War II, the United States had a big problem. They were growing the Army Air Corp, churning out planes by the thousands, but they needed pilots to get planes from the factories to the air units. Male pilots were needed overseas, so was born the Women Airforce Service Pilots program which trained women to fly the military aircraft across the country. In American Flygirl, Susan Ankeny tells the story of Hazel Ying Lee, the first female Chinese-American to obtain her pilot's license and train as a member of W.A.S.P.

Hazel Ying Lee grew up in Portland's (OR) Chinatown facing all the "normal" racism of the time, but she had a dream of flying. In 1932, she managed to get a job running an elevator to pay for flying lessons and obtained her private pilot's license. She later joined the Chinese Flying School to train for lying in China against the Japanese. But when she arrived in China in 1933, she was not accepted in the Chinese Air Force. She did manage to fly commercial aircraft and served a a security guard at a Chinese air force base. Then in 1934, she moved back to the United States to work with the Universal Trading Corporation getting war supplies for China.

In December 1942, Hazel heard about an opportunity to fly. Jackie Cochran had made a deal with General "Hap" Arnold to allow women to be trained to fly military planes in noncombat roles, specifically from factories to exit points or permanent units. Hazel joined the fourth training class in 1943 - the first class that trained at Avenger Field in Sweetwater, Texas. After learning to fly the Army way, Hazel and the other member of her class joined the Ferry Command to fly military aircraft all over the country. They flew B-17s, B-29s, P-51, P-47s, and P-40s along with A-24s. Hazel was flying a P-63 Kingcobra from New York to Seattle in November 1944 when her plane was struck by another plane while landing in Great Falls (MT). Both planes burst in flames and crashed. Hazel died two days later due to her injuries.

In American Flygirl, Susan Ankeny provides a life history of Hazel Ying Lee in historical context while also providing an interesting look at the training that Hazel and other members of W.A.S.P. received. If you are interested flying, female aviation or the WWII home front, this is a book for you!

I, like other lucky reviewers who got this ARC from Kinsington Books, had never heard of Hazel Ying Lee, but most definitely understand how remarkable she was after reading this book. I always enjoy reading about how women help during the toughest times and often lack the recognition to boot. Hazel wasn’t just a woman but an Asian American woman, truly a first!
I’m quoting another reviewer in saying, “This is not just Hazel’s story, but many other women pilots and the WASPs (Women's Airforce Service Pilots). It was amazing what the women accomplished and heartbreaking to read how they were treated”.
-Jeanne S
It was not just Hazel’s story that we learned but countless other women who continued to grind and claw and fight for their chance to help our country. But they weren’t just fighting the “enemy” but fighting inside our own country to be able to battle the enemy. It’s wild! There was some drama that seemed kind of irrelevant but it wasn’t distracting. Just oddly interwoven, in my opinion.

I want to thank Kensington Books for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review. And the author for allowing us to learn another story none of us had heard before!

First off a big thank you to Kensington for sending me a copy of America Flygirl ,to read and have on my shelf , as well as to the author and NetGalley. Now on to my thoughts, the one thing I love about nonfiction is that I get to learn about Events,as well as about places and people who or what I knew nothing about , and that what America Flygirl did ,it not only brought a pice of history to life but also an amazing person whose story need to be told so we never forget them or what they did.

I found this book incredibly interesting. The WASPs and Hazel did so much in the WWII effort, constantly facing criticism and in the end received little recognition. Hazel story is worth reading.

I did think the book could be shorter. There were a lot of sentences that I swore I already read word for word in another chapter. Also, the author covers a lot more people than just Hazel, so with a lot of different names on top of details in history, I did find myself lost at times.

Thank you Net Galley and Kensington books for this Advanced Reader Copy!

Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the digital copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

While I appreciate the desire to tell the tale of Hazel Ying Lee and other women pilots, this book should be classified as historical fiction. There is so much docu-drama going on. Scenes involving people taking a drag on a cigarette and adjusting their hats, stuff that's completely made up in order to tell the story. I enjoy both biography and historical fiction, so for this book to be labeled as non-fiction irked me because of this storytelling writing style.

That being said, the story was interesting, although there were whole chunks about the WASPs that didn't involve Hazel at all and felt more like padding. I'm glad more stories about women involved in male-dominated cultures are being uncovered and examined.

3.5! Reading about Hazel Ying's short life was such a journey. Susan Ankeny is very knowledgeable and this nonfic was well researched. I especially enjoyed the parts about her early life before she became a WASP because we share a hometown. I commend Ankeny for writing a book about a local legend that more people need to know about.

American Flygirl
by Susan Tate Ankeny
An amazing look at a little known historical figure. The WASP's is another attempt like Tuskegee Airmen to show that airflight should not be limited by misconceptions and prejudice. The Wasp's showed that women can fly, they had better flight recorders and were a benefit to the World War 2 effort. The strength of this book is that although it ends with the Wasp's and their eventual deactivation in December 1944, the book shows the full and event filled life of Hazel Ying Lee. Yes, she was an outstanding pilot. Yes, she and her friends that were pilots for the WASP were able to fly over seventy different types of aircraft in her job of transporting new aircraft from factories to domestic airfields for debarkation points. Yes, she was an Asian American woman who over came prejudice and social injustice. There is always more to the story.
This book should be included in the libraries, and reading material of schools students nation wide. One so they know this little known history, but secondarily so that they can see themselves doing their own dreams despite social, and political limitations. She led an exemplary life because she fought hard for her beliefs, and worked through her problems, nothing was given to her, nothing was taken for granted.

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC copy in exchange for an honest review. Hazel Ying Lee was be first Asian American women to earn a pilot’s license, join the WASPs and fly for the United States military. In 1931, while sitting in on a friend’s flying lesson, Hazel got to go up in an airplane for the first time and she was hooked. Less than a year later, she earned her pilot’s license and her life was never the same again. While in America, Hazel felt the antisemitism and discrimination of the Chinese Exclusion Act. But despite that, Hazel refused to let it slow her down, defying limits set for her gender, race, and her own dreams.

I hadn’t heard of Hazel prior to picking up this book. Hazel should be part of every history lesson as I learned so much of her life and the expectations she defied. Highly recommend this book if you’re looking for a kick ass woman who has an absolute remarkable story to tell.

Story of the first Asian American woman to earn a pilot's license, the obstacles she face and overcame.
Being Chinese limited the types of jobs she could get to help finance her flying lessons. When her
hopes of flying for China in the fight against the Japanese were dashed, she returned to the US and signed
for a program which became known as WASPs. The women did not receive the benefits and recognition
given to the male pilots, but were determined to do whatever they could to aid the war effort.
#AmericanFlygirl #Kensington #CitadelPress #NetGalley

I had never heard of Hazel Ying Lee, but I like reading about women in history. It was amazing what she was able to accomplish not only being a women, but being an Asian American woman. This is not just Hazel’s story, but many other women pilots and the WASPs (Women's Airforce Service Pilots). It was amazing what the women accomplished and heartbreaking to read how they were treated.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Her story needed to be told....

I'm so glad Hazel Ying Lee finally has her story told in American Flygirl.
I've known about Hazel Ying Lee for a while now, through other books and presentations about the women who flew planes during wartime. They primarily delivered planes and were shot at with live ammo for training flights. As a reader from Portland, where Hazel was born and is buried at River View Cemetery, it is a quintessential history lesson while getting to know the unique person that was Hazel, the first Chinese-American female pilot.
Highly recommend.
We should all read about the women who flew in this time period.