This is an inspiring and lovingly-written novel about real-life aviatrix Bessie Coleman. As a black woman living in early twentieth century America, her journey to become a plane pilot was a series of never-ending obstacles.

The author, Carole Hopson, is also a pilot. Her knowledge of the subject matter really shines through the narrative.

The audiobook is narrated by Alaska Jackson. Her performance was very immersive. I had no trouble believing that Bessie Coleman herself was telling the story of her life.

Note: This is a story of a black woman trying to succeed in a field dominated by white men during a time when that was not socially acceptable. It’s not all sunshine and roses. The book opens with a plane crash followed by a desperate surgery. Also, the actual Bessie Coleman’s life ended in an abrupt tragedy. The book reflects this. You may want to mentally prepare before jumping in.

A Pair of Wings was an excellent read. I loved the character study and the writing felt propulsive. I would read more from this author again.

This historical fiction novel follows the life of pioneer aviatrix, Bessie Coleman. It is told in first person by Bessie in four parts, covering her life after she moved from Waxahachie, Texas to Chicago in 1915, where she lived with family and found work in a barber shop as a manicurist to her time in France training to fly since no one in the US would agree to train a black woman to fly planes at that time. The last two parts cover her career flying as a barnstorming stunt flier and her comeback after the injurious crash that kicks off the prologue in 1923 Santa Monica.

I admit that I had never heard of Bessie Coleman before receiving the offer for this audiobook, but I thought it would make an educational read and I was right. I found the jobs available and treatment of a black woman during this time in both Chicago and Waxahachie to be informative. The audiobook was narrated by Alaska Jackson, and I really enjoyed her portrayal of this brave courageous woman who traveled the world to follow her passion despite those who would seek to hold her back due to her race and gender. Her story was truly inspiring.

The early parts of the book introduced her family and background, her determination to become an aviatrix and defy the traditional roles designated by others. Her family was both loving and supportive as well as complicated and antagonistic at times. I really enjoyed her time spent studying in France and the relationships she developed with her colleagues there as well as the time she spent in the Netherlands and Germany learning more about exhibition flying. I particularly enjoyed her return to Waxahachie for an air show.

Recommended to readers looking for an inspirational read about a strong female character, aviation, and/or interested in race relations and living situations during the early twentieth century.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for a copy provided for an honest review.

Carole Hopson is a total badass, both in the flight deck and on the page. She's impressive as a 737 United Airlines pilot and leader in the aviation industry, and she brings that same energy to her debut historical fiction novel, "A Pair of Wings," inspired by the legendary Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman pilot. Honestly, it’s perfect that Hopson wrote this book—she’s living proof of what it means to break barriers in a male-dominated industry, just like Bessie did.

Bessie Coleman’s story is straight-up remarkable. She knew exactly what she wanted—to fly airplanes—and nothing was going to stop her. Racism? Misogyny? Financial hurdles? She stared them all down and still found a way. Bessie even took off to France for flight training, beating Amelia Earhart to the skies by two years (and why don’t more people know that??). And let’s talk about dedication and perseverance—she walked 18 miles a day to get to her flying lessons. Every step of her journey shows just how determined and resilient she was.

As we learn, "Queen Bess" was a survivor from the get-go. She moved out of the Jim Crow South to find love in Chicago, sought out pilots who were willing to take a chance on her and train her, survived a terrifying plane crash, and still pushed forward to make history. Bessie Coleman’s story deserves to be known, and Hopson does an amazing job of bringing her spirit and grit to life. This novel isn’t just a tribute; it’s a call to remember the women who paved the way for future generations of aviators. Absolutely worth the read!

Many thanks to Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to the advance copy of the audiobook, narrated by Alaska Jackson. She did a fantastic job bringing Bessie's moxie to life!

Could NOT get past the narrator of this audiobook. The premise of the book sounds really good, but I just can't listen to it. I'll try again with the physical text later.

This historical fiction novel follows Bessie Coleman, the first black woman to earn her pilots license and her determination to reach her dreams. This book did show lots of the discrimination and issues for not only her race, but her gender in the flying world. She had to go to a different country to even learn to fly. As someone whose dad has his pilots license, it was interesting to listen to her background and journey.

"A Pair of Wings” by Carole Hopson is a captivating historical novel inspired by the life of Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman to earn a pilot’s license. Set in the early 20th century, the novel follows Bessie Coleman’s journey from the cotton fields of Texas to the skies over Europe. It is a story of determination, resilience, and the pursuit of dreams against all odds.

The story begins with Bessie’s childhood in Texas, where she first dreams of flying after seeing an airplane soar overhead. As the daughter of a woman born into slavery, Bessie’s path is fraught with challenges. She moves to Chicago during the Great Migration, where she works as a manicurist and gains the support of influential Black men like Robert Abbott and Jesse Binga. Unable to find flight training in the U.S. due to racial and gender barriers, Bessie learns French and travels to Europe. There, she trains with seasoned French and German combat pilots, mastering death-defying stunts and earning her pilot’s license two years before Amelia Earhart.

I enjoyed how the book took on historical references by vividly portraying the racial and gender discrimination of the era, highlighting Bessie’s struggle to break into the male-dominated field of aviation. It was an honor to read with Bessie’s character being so richly developed, showcasing her courage, tenacity, and passion for flying. I felt that her relationships with Abbott and Binga add depth to her personal story. For me, the detailed descriptions of Bessie’s flying experiences, including her signature stunts, are thrilling and immersive. It was amazing to me that the author's own background as a pilot added authenticity to these scenes. I also felt the narration of Alaska Johnson was an enjoyable addition to my enjoyment of the book.

This was my first Carole Hopson book and I felt her writing was both engaging and informative. She skillfully blends historical facts with fictional elements, creating a narrative that is both educational and entertaining. Her prose is descriptive, bringing to life the settings and characters with vivid detail.

This was a compelling read for ne that celebrates the indomitable spirit of Bessie Coleman. It is a testament to the power of dreams and the courage it takes to pursue them, making it a must-read for fans of historical fiction and aviation enthusiasts alike.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the complimentary audiobook. These opinions are my own.

This was such a fascinating historical fiction, detailing the life of Bessie Coleman. She was a Black female aviator and the first ever American (of any race or gender) to achieve the international aviation certification she earned. But the reason for such an international certification was that no one would train her in the United States, so she had to travel to Europe to learn to fly.

I found this incredibly powerful. It wove together her career and personal life beautifully. I would have enjoyed even more details at the conclusion about her life and which aspects were fictional.

Alaska Jackson was a fabulous narrator. She conveyed an incredible array of accents, as Bessie traveled to multiple countries and met many different aviators.

I didn't love this. It read more like a nonfiction/memoir than a historical fiction novel. I found it really heavy on details that I don't think mattered much to the overall story.

A Pair of Wings was a different pick for me because with historical fiction I usually go back to the times of kings and castles and courtly intrigue and tend to avoid American history, but something drew me to this book! Bessie Coleman was essentially a footnote in my history classes in school and was often overshadowed by Amelia Earhart, and I’m sure it’s because Amelia was white and Bessie was Black, despite Bessie being older and being granted an FAI license first.

Reading about Bessie’s life not only taught me about her experience becoming a female pioneer in aviation, but also painted such a clear picture of Black life in America in the early 1900s as the author, in Bessie’s voice, would give historical context, often going into exposition on other Black pioneers and activists, and I really appreciated that aspect of the storytelling! The book is mostly written in first person POV with Bessie stating she was given pages to write her story while she healed from a terrible crash, so I liked that it felt like a conversation with Bessie herself.

In her short life, Bessie worked so hard to achieve her dreams, never once accepting defeat or giving in to despair and what she accomplished was truly impressive! Her story was so inspiring, and not just for aviators, but honestly for anyone with dreams, goals, and the passion to succeed!

The end of this five star book absolutely wrecked me because that was not something I remembered from the little I knew about her, and I appreciate that the author gave an Afterward about her own life and experiences—Hopson hadn’t even heard of Bessie Coleman until she had begun pilot school and a friend gave her a book about Coleman! Hopson founded an organization dedicated to sending one hundred Black women to flight school by the year 2035!

P.S. I really enjoyed the narrator’s ability to do various accents!

This historical fiction book is about the pioneer Black woman aviatrix, Bessie Coleman, who was a certified flier years before Amelia Earhart. Her mother was born a slave and Bessie went from picking cotton, to working in a barbershop, to learning French and heading to France to become a pilot (because no where in America would teach a Black woman).

I loved the uniqueness of the story, her perseverance, insights on racism and sexism, grit, and that it was based on such an incredible real woman from history!

🌶️ There is a pretty steamy closed door scene, that is quite uncommon for HisFic books, so I want to warn those of you who want to skip it.

The audiobook 🎧 narrated by Alaska was fantastic!! Not only is her southern drawl perfect for the story, but she did an amazing job with the French and German accents!

I'm not a huge historical fiction or history or biography reader typically, but I'm SO glad I requested this audiobook from my MacMillan Audio pals because I fell completely in love with Bessie Coleman! I was worried at first because I didn't vibe with the very start — likely because I wasn't 100% focused while listening. But within an hour or two of starting, I was invested. Hearing Bessie's story in this first-person narrative format was the perfect way to learn about her incredible life. Narrator Alaska Jackson did a beautiful job with this novel — shoutouts to her accent work! The epilogue/afterword hit me like a truck, and hearing Hopson's own story brought the novel full-circle.

I really enjoyed both the story and the narration of this audiobook! I adore historical biographies, especially about women I've never heard of, and this one delivered! I will probably be selecting it for my historical fiction book club within the next few months!

From the very first page I knew I would love this one. The way CH vividly told the story of aviatrix Bessie Coleman made me feel as though I was there watching Bessie fly the airplane. Seeing the cockpit, the sky, and having the rush of doing something she loved! I was able to feel her love of airplanes and flying through the words on the page! While I did have some background on Bessie Coleman being an African American aviatrix flying an airplane, it was interesting following her story of how she got there.

This story told as well as showed how Bessie Coleman did not let anything or anyone stop or get in the way of her dream of flying. She also wanted to show other Black people that they can, too, fly planes. This showed her determination and drive. So much so, it talked about a time where she walked 9km (5.6m) to get to flight school on a badly sprained ankle. We also get a glimpse of her romantic stories along the way.

This historical fiction was amazing to say the least. I would highly recommend the audiobook to get the vivid pictures of Bessie’s story told by Carole Hopson just as I did!

What a fascinating story about Bessie Coleman. All Bessie has wanted to do is fly but being a black woman in the 1920’s finding someone to train her is the most difficult. Bessie finds a program in France and heads there to learn how to fly. I loved how many obstacles Bessie had to overcome. Learning about Bessie Coleman was the best part of the book. I love when books silently or not so silently encourage me to research further. I listened to the audiobook version of this story and the narrator was absolutely fantastic! What a wonderful choice of narrator. I love historical fiction and this one I recommend.

This story takes the reader along the journey of Bessie Coleman from her first glance of an airplane in Texas to the crash that almost ended her life. I was fascinated by the determination she had to make her way, especially since 1920 U.S. was not friendly to women pilots, much less a Black woman. Her journey to France and the willingness of an instructor there was quite interesting to me. This also tells of Bessie's sacrifices to pursue this dream above all others.

This is rich in historical and airplane detail, making it a great read for fans of specifics. I will admit that it got a bit much for me, but I was able to listen to the audio from @macmillan.audio via @netgalley which made those sections go by quickly. Alaska Jackson narrated this well, incorporating all the angst Bessie must have felt. I was definitely rooting for her throughout and was glad to have heard her story.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Thank you Henry Holt for the #gifted ARC and thank you Macmillan Audio for the #gifted listening copy of A Pair of Wings! #MacAudio2024 #henryholt #henryholtbooks #APairOfWings #CaroleHopson

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: 𝐀 𝐏𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐎𝐟 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬
𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫: 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐨𝐧
𝐍𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫: 𝐀𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐚 𝐉𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐬𝐨𝐧
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐀𝐮𝐠𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝟐𝟎, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

This was such an interesting historical fiction novel and I’m so glad I read it and learned more about such an important historical figure. A Pair of Wings provides such an insightful look at the life of Bessie Coleman, and while this is a historical fiction novel, you know you are still getting such great biographical content and I loved learning more about Bessie’s life. This book is a must read for anyone who loves history and aviation and I am so disappointed that I am just now learning about Bessie Coleman. I thought the book was very well done, but my only criticism is that at times it felt a little drawn out.

🎧I listened to the audiobook, which was narrated by Alaska Jackson. I absolutely LOVED listening to Jackson narrate this audiobook. I found her to be truly remarkable and I just could not get enough! I highly recommend this one on audio! The physical book does contain some photographs so it was nice to pair the physical and the audio together.

I have not heard of Bessie Coleman before listening to this story and its sad because her accomplishment is significant in so many ways. A Pair of Wings is based on Bessie's life so it is not a biography but it captures some significant points in her life and career. Overall, this was a wonderful story. If you are interested in aviation and following the story of a woman who was determined to achieve her dream regardless of the racism and prejudice that was in her path this is the perfect read.

The audio narration was wonderful. I think the narrator did a great job of bringing the story to life.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the ALC.

This audiobook was made available for me to listen to and review by Carole Hopson, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley.

The narrator of this audiobook is Alaska Jackson. Alaska did an exceptional job as this book took place in France, Germany, the North and the South with each resulting accent. This had the function of placing the narration in the background to the story being told. It was a very successful choice for this novel.

This was really, really good. Significantly better than I was expecting and I had fairly high expectations. I was an adult when I found out about Bessie Coleman. I grew up learning about Ms. Earhart but not a peep about Ms. Coleman. So as an adult I was amazed that she managed to go all of the way to Paris for flight training. I honestly assumed she was from an at least moderately wealthy and well connected Black family. I was shocked to discover she was raised as a share cropper and her mom was single head of household at least part of her growing up life. I've been hungry for a quality historical fiction novel about her life ever since.
I have to say this novel was well worth the wait.
The novel starts with Bessie in the air and then flashes back to her move to Chicago from Texas before her flight training in France. This covers her meeting with the men who helped her to arrange her training in France as well as helped fund her travels. This covers her training in Europe and her struggles to establish herself back in the US after her successful training.
Bessie emerges from this story as a breathing, laughing, flesh and blood woman. The skills of this author are superb. I know nothing about aviation nor am I particularly interested in it but I was riveted to the details in this story.
In a way it reminded me of when I read Pillars of the Earth because I equally don't care about church building. However in both novels the information is offered in such interesting ways and tied to such beloved characters, I know it'll live in my memory a surprising amount of time.
I hope this author writes more historical fiction. This was phenomenal.

Thank you to Carole Hopson, Macmillan Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an ARC of this audiobook.

I knew about Bessie Coleman before listening to this audiobook, but did not know the details of her life. I loved learning about her life and career and like any great historical fiction book, it made me research her and learn more about this fascinating character. The book did a great job of not only relaying the facts of her life, but also of giving the reader a feeling for her as a person and all that she went through being a black women, trying to breakthrough the white male dominated world of aviation. The narrator did a wonderful job conveying the character of Bessie and helping me to relate to all that she was going through. At times, I felt that the history of the time and details of aviation bogged the story down a bit, but I would still highly recommend the book to lovers of historical fiction and strong female characters.