The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar
Inspired by the team of women pilots who trained soldiers in the second World War, Noelle Salazar’s The Flight Girls (MIRA) innovatively weaves the struggles of misogyny, trauma and platonic relationships with the paradoxical truth of war’s powerful capacity to both fracture relationships and bring individuals together. Seldom are readers able to experience a story that unravels the hidden history of the invaluable role women played in World War II, and Salazar’s absolutely captivating and enthralling prose only adds to the genuine portrayal of friendship, heartbreak and the undeniable strength of character seen during a time of war.
“We truly were a family. Sisters through the common love of flying. And no matter where we went… we would always have this place and these experiences, so different from any other, to reflect back on and cherish.”
From the moment Audrey Coltrane learned to fly a plane, she knew it was the only thing she ever wanted to do. The sky, the air, the freedom: flying was her muse, an escape from the constricting responsibilities that came with being born into a privileged family. So when Audrey is given the chance to travel to Oahu in the fall of 1941 to instruct American airmen recruits for the war efforts, she eagerly accepts the position, not wanting to be fettered by the confines of a conventionally subordinate life. She devotes her life strictly to flying, and nothing, not even the charmingly romantic Lieutenant James Hart—who quickly becomes an endearing friend—will get in the way of her ambitions.
“Flying was flying—and I was meant to be among the clouds, the early morning sun rising, and the blue-green water winking up at me as though, in all its vastness, it understood me just as well as the sky.”
But the bombs start falling when Audrey and the rest of the crew stationed in Hawaii least expect it. Suddenly, the possibility of a war that ravished Europe invading American soil becomes a reality. Pearl Harbor, an idyllic place that had brought sanctuary and camaraderie, quickly turns to rubble, and Audrey is thrust into the heart of a war that had previously seemed so distant. The physical and psychological destruction of war that Noelle Salazar depicts following the events at Pearl Harbor in The Flight Girls is the raw, evocative story that brings a new perspective to the harrowing yet inspirational stories of World War II.
Despite the trauma she endured, Audrey remains ferociously independent and secure in her identity, acting as a model feminist character and an exemplary personification of the bravery and strength of the women who served in the shadows of World War II. Determined to continue to aid in the war effort, she joins the Women Airforce Service Pilots—more commonly known as WASP—which allows her to kindle new, unbreakable bonds with her fellow women pilots who exude their own individualism and strength of character. Amidst it all, though, is Audrey’s tether she shares with James Hart. In a time of war, is it possible to keep friendship alive separated by miles of ocean and countries, surrounded by death, destruction and uncertainty? These characters make it seem more than possible.
The Flight Girls will be available for purchase July 2nd.
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Love WWII stories!
Thanks for the intro to this book!
My dad was an Army AirCorps mechanic during WWII, stationed in the Pacific! I was the son he never had so he passed along his love of all things “airplane” and the how of mechanical stuff. BTW Emily: your dad and I went to the same HS in MD!