Thank you to Net Galley and Prometheus Books for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This book was incredible! The Wright Brothers seem to get all the credit for inventing the first airplane, but that doesn't seem to be true (according to this book). There were so many aviation pioneers before and during the lifetime of the brothers. I learned so much! It was very interesting to read the descriptions and see the pictures of the early flying machines. I also enjoyed learning about the early pilots and the people that supported them. It was so enlightening to read about Southern California's role in early aviation because I live there. I'm glad my area of the United States was involved in early flight. It was a long book, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I highly recommend for all readers with an interest in aviation history!

Crackpots, weirdos, and suicidal thrill-seekers. These are the men who started American aviation. Oh, and a Frenchman being very French.

Richard Goodrich tells the story of how the West Coast became the epicenter of aviation in his book, L.A. Birdmen. The first thing I loved about the book is how completely in the dark I was about almost all of it. The Wright brothers are the beginning of flying, but did you know they almost immediately became recluses and jerks? Jerks because they tried to sue everyone into oblivion instead of getting into the business of actual flying on a regular (and visible) basis.

The book isn't just about the birth and development of the airplane. Dirigibles (or blimp if you are an NFL fan) develop within the narrative and Goodrich does an exceptional job of making each person memorable. That is no small feat. By the time the narrative gets to the L.A. airshow, we have already been introduced to dozens of figures. The entire story leads up to the airshow and it does not disappoint. This book is a lot of fun and you don't need to be a science/aviation nerd to enjoy it.

(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Prometheus Books.)