Follett Content Book Detail: American Wings : Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky by Smith, Sherri L

Name: American Wings : Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky
Author: Smith, Sherri L
ISBN: [978-0-593-32399-1,0-593-32399-8]

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American Wings : Chicago's Pioneering Black Aviators and the Race for Equality in the Sky

Author: Smith, Sherri L

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Follett Number: 2418ZG8
Audience: Young Adult
Publisher: Putnam, G.P. Putnam's Sons, c2024, p2025
Format: 376 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm
ISBN-13: 978-0-593-32399-1
ISBN-10: 0-593-32399-8
Dewey: 629.13
Classifications: Collective Biography; Nonfiction

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Subjects:

Aeronautics History 20th Century

African American Air Pilots

African Americans Biography

Air Pilots

Autobiographies

Private Flying Illinois Chicago Societies, Etc. History 20th Century

Race Relations History 20th Century

United States Race Relations History 20th Century

Includes bibliographical references (pages 280-368) and index. "A nonfiction account of a group of determined Black Americans who created a flying club and built their own airfield on Chicago's South Side in the period between World Wars I and II"--Provided by publisher.

From the publisher:
From the acclaimed author of Flygirl andthe bestselling author of Code Name Verity comes the thrilling and inspiring true story of the desegregation of the skies. "This beautiful and brilliant history of not only what it means to be Black and dream of flying but to, against every odd, do so, completely blew me away." -Jacqueline Woodson, National Book Award Winner for Brown Girl Dreaming In the years between World War I and World War II, aviation fever was everywhere, including among Black Americans. But what hope did a Black person have of learning to fly in a country constricted by prejudice and Jim Crow laws, where Black aviators like Bessie Coleman had to move to France to earn their wings? American Wings follows a group of determined Black Americans- Cornelius Coffey and Johnny Robinson, skilled auto mechanics; Janet Harmon Bragg, a nurse; and Willa Brown, a teacher and social worker. Together, they created a flying club and built their own airfield south of Chicago. As the U.S. hurtled toward World War II, they established a school to train new pilots, teaching both Black and white students together and proving, in a time when the U.S. military was still segregated, that successful integration was possible. Featuring rare historical photographs, American Wings brings to light a hidden history of pioneering Black men and women who, with grit and resilience, battled powerful odds for an equal share of the sky.

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Audience: Young Adult

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