What a lovely book! I had not really known much about Bessie Coleman's story but man what an inspiration. Even in this fictional interpretation of her story it was amazing.

I enjoyed learning more about Bessie Coleman and the world of aviation. The sections describing all of the training that Bessie did were among my favorites because the passion for flying (both from Bessie as a character ans from the author herself) was so apparent. I also liked the exhilarating, tense way that the book began. However, the beginning section (Bessie's life before beginning flight training) dragged and had several awkwardly placed sex scenes that felt more gratuitous than anything and introduced a relationship that seemed extraneous. I also felt like the ending began too abruptly--as soon as I started to read the last chapter, it had a feeling reminiscent of a movie narrator imparting one last, grand life lesson as the camera pans out of the final scene and the credits begin to roll. Interestingly, I enjoyed the afterword the most, and I am also intrigued by the author's story of how she decided to become a pilot and what her journey to achieve her goal looked like. I wonder how a book more reminiscent of a memoir, which also discusses Bessie Coleman's life and training in detail, would go over. I did appreciate this book's historical setting and the vivid portrayals of the many obstacles Bessie Coleman faced (and overcame). I would recommend this book to anyone interested in historical aviation.

The best historical fiction novel is the one that sends me down a dozen rabbit holes of research -- a double bonus of time well-spent in an at least somewhat fictionalized world and in the world of history. Carole Hopson's A Pair of Wings did just that.

I had a passing idea of who Bessie Coleman was in American history, specifically the story of women and African Americans between the two World Wars, but I didn't know a lot about her. This novel taught me about her, about her contribution to America, and about tangential parts of history and even about aviation history and how it changed the world.

I can't speak to all the details of what Hopson created and what she found when she was writing Bessie's story. I'm not knowledgeable enough about that. What I can speak to is the value of this novel as, at the very least, a starting point for learning more about someone and something who deserves more space in the annals of American history.

The narrative is compelling and strong (I was reading other books at the same time when I started this one & I put them aside to focus just on it) and the lessons and philosophy of following your dreams and fighting for them because that is how you live are powerful.

And there's no better 'teacher' than Bessie Coleman to tell a reader that you can read about something random and you can achieve it. At the very least, you've got to try.

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I received a copy of A Pair of Wings through NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. in exchange for an honest & original review. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you @netgalley and @HenryHoltandCompany for an advance copy in exchange for my review.

Such a captivating story! I was so enthralled with the writing, the story, and the lessons I learned through this book. For me, Bessie Coleman is the epitome of a female heroine. She has grit, passion, an open mind and a spirit that is willing to overcome any obstacle put in her way. Simultaneously, she is woman with a caring heart and who is simply determined to follow her passion. Bessie was way ahead of her time and helped pave the way for many other females to succeed in male-dominated fields. Her story gives us a beautiful, yet tragic example of what can be achieved when women put their minds to achieving their dreams. It is a shame that it has taken this long for her story to come to light and kudos to @CaroleHopson for making it happen.

This is a book not to be missed!
#APairofWings #NetGalley #historicalfiction #womenaviators #AmericanHistory #womeninhistory

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 A Pair of Wings, by Carole Hopson is destined to be one of the best books of 2024! This story... This is the kind of book you will read, and read again, because it's that good.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️From the publisher Henry Holt Co: An airline captain crafts a riveting, adventurous novel inspired by the remarkable true life of pioneer aviatrix Bessie Coleman, a Black woman who learned to fly at the dawn of aviation and found freedom in the air

A few years after the Wright brothers’ first flight, Bessie was working the Texas cotton fields with her family when an airplane flew over their heads. It buzzed so low she thought she could catch it in her hands. Bessie was fearless. She knew there was freedom in those wings.

But in 1920, no one in the United States will train a Black woman to fly. So, twenty-eight-year-old Bessie learns to speak French and sets off for Europe. Two years ahead of Amelia Earhart, Bessie earns her pilot's license, and later she learns death-defying stunts from French and German dogfighting combat pilots.

While she finds no prejudice in the air, Bessie wrestles with other challenges on the ground. A plane crash nearly kills her, her brothers seem to be crumbling under the weight of Jim Crow, and, while grappling with tough truths about Binga, Bessie begins to wonder if the freedom she finds in the sky means she must otherwise fly solo.
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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: Historical fiction with a known figure is one of my favorite genres. Books like The Paris Wife, Circling the Sun, The Lost Daughter, The Secret Wife, The Personal Librarian and In the Time of Butterflies really bring history alive and always make me research more. Research = learning.
I knew a little about Bessie Colman from teaching elementary school and reading about her when we studied the history of Chicago. But her life, fictionalized or not, was remarkable.
While Bessie worked hard and took her education and training very seriously, she also had the added weight of being "the first". She was well aware of this and it made her even more determined.
In our era of instant everything, Bessie had to plan for years to reach her goal of flight school. Her drive and persistence were clear. I also learned about early flight and planes...literally putting one's life on the line. I did some research about Jesse Binga and Robert Abbot--both real and both helped Bessie. No information on Jesse and Bessie and their private life. That's the great thing about historical fiction--an author can make you believe and make more come alive.
Amazing story about an amazing woman with ties to Chicago. :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt Publishing for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

This book was absolutely amazing. I grew up hearing the story of Bessie Coleman but reading this made her personable. Carole Hopson did a wonderful job of pulling us into the story and making Bessie a family member or family friend.

The story moved along at a good pace, each scene was written in such a way, that you were able to see what was being read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Slow to start with very long chapters, but generally an interesting read about Bessie Coleman, the first black aviatrix!

“A Pair of Wings” by Carole Hopson is a historical fiction book about Bessie “Queen Bess” Coleman, a Black aviatrix. I’ve read a number of books about Ms. Coleman so I was very interested to see how this one compared. This one has a lot of information about Ms. Coleman’s background I didn’t know (other books mostly focus on her flying career). The fact that Ms. Hopson is, herself, a pilot gave the sections about airplanes a bit of depth lacking from some of the other books I’ve read. What I really wish this book did, however, was have a reference section - what information did Ms. Hopson find, what sources did she use, opposed to what was inferred or even made up (Ms. Hopson touches on this but I would’ve preferred more information. Additionally, some of the explicit scenes I felt were unnecessary. There’s a fine line between being informative and being complete - in some instances Ms. Hopson’s writing was both, at other times it came across a bit dry, which was disappointing. Overall, if you desire to know more about the life of Ms. Coleman -who is fascinating - this is a book to pick up. Basically I think if you desire to know more about the “early days” of aviation, this is a book to pick up. Overall, for me a 3.5 read, but rounded up to 4 because I think everyone should know more about Ms. Coleman.

I absolutely love books with historical backdrops. This book is very well written and I would recommend it to anyone! It was a great read and I felt it was very easy to be immersed into Bessie's story. Great detail in the book and I love a book where I am absorbed from beginning to end! Would definitely read more by this author in the future!

Bessie Coleman wanted nothing more than to fly aeroplanes. But nobody will allow a woman, especially a black woman to even take lessons. Bessie has moved north to Chicago from Texas. She makes some valuable connections among some influential black men and finally goes to France to take flying lessons. She becomes the first black aviatrix. In order to support herself though, she must do more. And more she does. As a driven, goal oriented woman (she wants to buy her own plane and give lessons to other black people), she starts doing stunt flying and puts on barnstormer shows. Bessie was single minded and works hard to get everything she wants.

The author does a masterful job in telling Bessie's story. The writing was wonderful and drew me into Bessie's story and life from the very first page. I would recommend this book to everyone. It's historical but it's engaging and you will be able to identify with Bessie.

I was given this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I received a copy for review purposes; all opinions are honest and mine alone.


Adventure, aeronautic history, The Great Migration and heart - these are the hallmarks of A PAIR OF WINGS, by Carole Hopson. Because Hopson is a pilot herself, the prose dealing with flying, planes and maintenance are detailed, sometimes to the point of being manual like. I found myself skimming, at times. This propensity for being highly organized comes thru in the overall format of the story which reads more like a textbook than a biography. Those issues aside, this is an inspiring story that should be part of popular history: aeronautics, women, (black or not), Great Migration, 20th century milestones; SO. MANY. OPPORTUNITIES. MISSED. by our history books…

Bessie Coleman lived 34 short years but achieved a gargantuan amount of success in that time. She earned the FAI certification, the first American, female or male, to do so, on 15 June 1921. It was a few years before another American was able to accomplish it. Bessie had to learn French and earn enough to live in France for almost a year to make this happen; nothing short of a miracle as a black woman in the early 20th century.

The story of her tenacity and ability to rally folks to support her life’s purpose for flying and freeing black people from the insidious tentacles clinging from slavery, had me cheering out loud. She was visionary and recognized that reading, education and rising from generations of poverty was the real answer to freedom for her family, community and her people. Coleman devoted her life and death to this pursuit. Her story should be read and shared by all. I’d love to see a YA, middle reader and picture book version of this book📚

Read and reviewed from a NetGalley eARC, with thanks

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. There is a small spoiler after the dotted line below.
A remarkable account of Bessie Coleman, the first documented black Aviatrix. Her story from Texas to Chicago to her training in Europe is remarkable, and her demise incredibly sad. How far would she have gone if fates were different? I loved that this book was written by a pilot, as the desciptions of the engines, the training, and the flying of the planes rang true.
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Her story fascinated me as did the authors notes, I just found the book to be long and too detailed on some things. I know she had to have met some fascinating and famous people, but sometimes the interactions didn't do much for the story and could have been thinned. I was completely turned off by the graphic sex scene fairly early on. It was unnecessary and frankly I don't really want to imagine the real people in my historical fiction novels this way. It made the book cheaper and it will be hard for me to recommend it to my patrons who are historical fiction fans. The age group for this reader in my library explicitly say they don't want this. It really nearly ruined the book for me and I have a pretty high threshold - but I do also read for my book club and my patrons, so this will always factor into my reviews.
So while I really enjoyed the book, I will give it a 3*

Thank you to Net Galley and Henry Holt & Company for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.
This is the story of Bessie Coleman, the first American to earn an international pilot's license and the first African American woman to own a pilot's license. What an accomplishment, especially during the time in which she lived! I really liked this book. I think it was so well-written because the author is a pilot. She knows a lot about what she is writing. Like someone else mentioned, it would have been interesting to know what happened to some of the other main characters after Bessie's death. Maybe a little more details in the epilogue. Other than that, it was just perfect. I especially enjoyed the chapter where Bessie took her first flight-the description seemed so real. I admire Bessie-I think it took tremendous courage to do what she did!

I think many people will love this title (they seem to already have on Goodreads) and I really liked the beginning. I enjoyed hearing Bessie's thoughts before, during, and after the crash and through her healing journey in the hospital. But it made it difficult to keep the engagement when she started writing in her journals - it comes across more as a history lesson than wrapping me up in her story.

On 15 June 1921, the Federation Aeronautique Internationale in France granted a black female aviator named Bessie Coleman her pilot’s license. Coleman - the tenth of thirteen children born in Waxahachie, Texas to a family with African American and Native American heritage - became the very first person of color to obtain an official FAI pilot’s license. Inspired by the courage of European female aviators (and having been denied admission by flight schools in the US), this fearless young woman learned to speak and understand French (and later German), and made a journey from Chicago to France to pursue her dream. A Pair of Wings is a fictionalized account of her life, thoroughly researched and written in an engaging first-person style that draws the reader into Coleman's life and time, a period of American history when women remained relegated to a status as second-class citizens, and opportunities for women of color were especially limited.

Bessie's dream of flying through the air was sparked by an incident in her childhood when a plane flew close overhead while she was working in the field with her family picking cotton. Bessie spontaneously raised her own arms and pretended to fly, recognizing the freedom flight could bring. As a young adult, she joined many other Black people from the South in the Great Migration to the North, traveling to Chicago, where her two older brothers had already settled. Working as a manicurist and obtaining sponsorships from Prominent and wealthy Black entrepreneurs, she accumulated the funds she needed to travel to France and enroll in flight school. Besides basic pilot training, she also traveled to other parts of Europe to learn from other famous aviators the techniques and tricks that allowed her to become a barnstormer, entertaining large crowds with daredevil feats once she returned to the stats. Her lifelong goal, though, was to capture the imaginations of others like herself, and open her own flight school for students of color, to enable others of her race and gender to avail themselves of opportunities that had once been denied to her.

Thank you to the publisher, Henry Holt & Co,, and to #NetGalley for providing a free ARC in exchange for an objective review. I thoroughly enjoyed this fascinating novel, and appreciate the opportunity to learn about this brave young woman. 4-1/2 enthusiastic stars.

This was a very cool, meticulously researched work of historical fiction about Bessie Coleman (who sadly, I'd never heard of before reading this book.)

Coleman's story is amazing in every way, shape, and form as she follows her dream to become a pilot in a time when both her race and her gender ensured zero access to such opportunities.

From studying French so she could learn to fly at a school in France, to moving to post WWI Germany and studying there with little knowledge of German, to finding planes to borrow for her new career in the US, with faith and grit, Bessie keeps moving forward and overcomes countless obstacles.

Bessie did have some close calls with emotional trauma (like when she lands in a small town airport to find threatening men), but for the most part this book leaned heavily on her successes.

In other words, other than the safety of her acts in the sky, I wasn't that worried about her safety on the GROUND. And that felt like a (perhaps intentional?) gap in the writing. It didn't make the story feel less believable, but glossier than I'm guessing things were in reality. (There is no way no man ever tried to grope her.)

Some readers were put off by the sex scene. I was more put off on the amount of the book that focused on this dude, who then disappears entirely from the narrative. I was more interested in the cool people she met and things she did while they were dating.

Overall, a really solid (though longish read.) The writing doesn't always soar, the story itself deserves to be told. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for granting me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wow, what a story Ms. Hopson has told. I had known nothing about Bessie Coleman and feel blessed to have read this book. The writing is stellar. The story kept me engaged and anxious to start reading each day. It was riveting, exciting, educational and she truly gave respect to Bessie.

I think Ms. Hopson’s dream to become a pilot also helped describe and show us the desire and determination she and Bessie had. This is a wonderful book, I loved it, high 5 stars. If you love true stories and want to see how true grit will get you where you want to be, read this, Bessie had true grit.

I thank Henry Holt & Company along with NetGalley for providing this Galley edition for no requirement other than my offer to provide an unbiased review.

"A Pair of Wings" offers a captivating portrayal of Bessie Coleman, the first black aviatrix, providing a fascinating glimpse into her life and achievements. This historical fiction masterpiece is a must-read for fans of aviation, diverse literature, and captivating storytelling.

"A Pair of Wings" by Carole Hopson tells the incredible story of Bessie Coleman, a pioneering black female aviator who overcame tremendous odds to pursue her passion for flying in the early 20th century. The book captures Bessie's determination and resilience as she faces discrimination and challenges in her quest to become a pilot. I can see a lot of my students relating to some of the trials and tribulations that this heroine faced.

I found the book to be a bit slow to start, but as the story unfolded, I couldn't help but be captivated by Bessie's journey. Her decision to learn French and travel to Europe to pursue her dreams, at a time when no one in the United States would train a black woman to fly, is truly inspiring.

One of the aspects of the book that I particularly enjoyed was its setting in Chicago. As someone who appreciates stories set in this city, I found that it added an extra layer of depth to Bessie's story.

Overall, "A Pair of Wings" is a compelling and important read. It sheds light on a lesser-known figure in history and highlights the importance of perseverance and courage in the face of adversity. Despite its slow start, I believe that this is a story that needed to be told and is definitely worth reading.