American Wings: Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators by Sherri L. Smith - OPTIONAL

American Wings: Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators by Sherri L. Smith, 384 pages. NON-FICTION. Penguin, 2024. $20

Language: G (1 swears, 0  “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence: PG (mobs and beating mentioned)

BUYING ADVISORY: HS - OPTIONAL

APPEALS TO: SOME

In the time between the wars, it felt like everyone wanted to learn to fly - and Blacks were no exception.  Except that the barriers for them were built from prejudices of the past centuries.  They weren't allowed access to airfields, they weren’t hired by aviation companies, they weren’t allowed to train as pilots for the military.  So they took matters in their own hands and some few of them built their own planes and taught themselves to fly anyways. Male or female it didn’t matter. 

I love that Smith shows us the Black aviation pioneers beyond the Tuskegee airmen, who were the only Black aviators I knew about.  Unfortunately, at almost 400 pages, this is a tome - too much information for most readers. Purchase only if it is a topic that is discussed in your schools - otherwise, I would get this as an audiobook for a shared collection. 

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS