“A Pair of Wings” is a wonderful five star read - if I could give it ten stars, I would. It is a tremendous story of strength and determination, masterfully told by Ms. Carole Hopson who herself is one of today’s rare Black, women, commercial pilots, flying as a Captain for United Airlines.
It is the true story of Bessie Coleman’s travails to become a pilot in the early 20th century. Ms. Coleman was a young Black woman who was determined to learn to fly. She managed to overcome all the obstacles put in front of her - her race, her sex and her poverty, all of which made it hard for her to realize her dream. There was no one in the States that was willing to teach her, so she learned French and learned to fly in France, becoming the first American (of any race or sex) to receive a license to fly from the French authorities. Then she moved to Holland and Germany to learn aerobatics from World War I veterans. On her return to the United States she started barnstorming around the country to show fellow Blacks that anything, including flying, was possible.
Her tale is told in the first person, which brings a sense of immediacy to the story. It lets the reader experience more closely the difficulties, setbacks and triumphs that Bessie encountered. I also love the way the author wraps the story in the American society of the time, so segregation is ever present, and Bessie lives the South to North migration, leaving Waxahachie, Texas for Chicago, where jobs and money were easier to find. Black society of the time was evoked so effectively that I felt a part of it myself.
I was getting a little restless as Bessie spent her formative years in Chicago with no flying in sight, but one has to be patient and trust that the author knows her craft. During this time we come to understand what drives Bessie, the unique Black Chicago society of the time and also the enormous changes that occurred in her life when she left for France and flight school. I cannot over-state how much this book enveloped me so that I experienced all of Bessie’s ups and downs, fears and exhilarations for myself.
Thank you, Ms Hopson for the wonderful experience of flying along with Bessie. And thank you, also, for founding the Jet Black Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, aiming to send one hundred Black women to flight school by 2035.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Henry Holt Company for providing me with a free ARC in return for my unbiased review.

Many thanks to both Henry Holt & Co. and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an early copy of A Pair of Wings. The expected publication date is August 20, 2024.

3½ Stars

Bessie Coleman was a fearless woman who overcame an amazing number of cultural, racial, and economic obstacles in her quest to learn to fly. I would love to go back in time to meet her.

I feel the author did a great job describing Bessie's life on the pages of A Pair of Wings. What she went through to get anyone to give her a chance to learn how to fly, and then to finally LET her fly were riveting.

Unfortunately, I didn't feel the explicit sex scenes added anything to the book. There was so much about Bessie I wanted to learn about! I mean, becoming the first African American/Native American female aviator is huge and that was where my interest lay.

Most of the book was fascinating, however. What an inspiration Queen Bess was!

“A Pair of Wings” by Carole Hopson is an incredible story about the life of pioneer Aviation hero Bessie Coleman. I must admit before reading this book I never heard of Bessie Coleman who was born into slavery and spent her life figuring out how to become a pilot during a time in American history when no one would train an African American women to fly. Her breathtaking journey takes her from Chicago to Europe and describes in detail the challenges & hardships she faced living in the early 1900s in the US. This is a powerful story about another forgotten female hero, and the whole time I was reading this book I was thinking this needs to be a movie!

Thank you NetGalley and Henry Holt & Co. for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a very descriptive story of Bessie Coleman’s life. The more I read, the more I am learning that there are so many women in history we do not learn about and Bessie Coleman is one of them.

This story covered all the historical events in history from the Civil War through prohibition and how Bessie lived her life during all that turmoil. She was a strong woman who went after what she wanted, despite the limitations she was presented. Using her fame, she forged the way for others to follow their dreams. The descriptions were beautiful, and I could relate to Bessie as she followed her dream, at all costs.

This is definitely the perfect read for anyone who wants to be inspired. “Be brave. Never crawl. Fly.”

A wonderful, historical read that gives insight into a lesser known area of flying. While the Wright brothers are widely known, the story of Bessie Coleman is a quiet, yet powerful story that needs to be shared. Bessie paved the way for many women aviators in a time when women leaders were few. This is a great glimpse into the life of a woman who encouraged others to fulfill their dreams.

As a POC, I love the history behind this read and I love the double meaning of the title. This book was well-written, the character development was excellent, and this would make a solid read for anyone’s shelf.

Synopsis: Bessie Coleman is one of America's unsung Aviation heroes. Born to former slaves in Texas, Bessie knows what it feels like to toil in the fields picking cotton and suffering under the Klan and white supremacy. She, however, was a dream! When she was just a young girl, Bessie heard of the fantastic exploits of the Wright Brothers, and ever since then, she has dreamed of flying. She knows that if she stays in the deep South, that dream will never come true. So, she embarks on a lifelong journey to reach the sky. Starting with life up north in Chicago, Bessie quickly learns no one in America will teach an African American woman to fly, so she heads to France. Bessie is the first African American and American of any race to obtain an international aviation license from France. She continues learning barnstorming and aviation aerobatics in Holland and Germany.

Thoughts: Before I picked up this book, I had never heard of Bessie Coleman, which is a shame. Bessie was a brave and courageous soul whose story should be inspiring millions; instead, until now, she has been hiding away, forgotten in the history books. This book does not hold anything back, and I love it. It fully describes the challenges that an African American living in the early 1900s would have faced, from lynchings, beatings, and rape to the day to to day humiliation our African American brothers and sisters faced. But, through it all, Bessie held her head high and made her dreams come true! Carole Hopson has written an excellent historical fiction novel of Bessie's life. While some parts seemed to drag on, I could not put this book down. With each victory, I cheered for Bessie! Hopson, a pilot herself, keeps Bessie's dream of encouraging African American women to take to the skies! Hopson has founded a non-profit scholarship for African American pilots, hoping to send 100 women to flight school by the year 2035.
https://www.jetblackfoundation.org/

Elizabeth "Bessie" Coleman was born in a shotgun shack on January 26th, 1892 in Atlanta, TX, to her parents, Susan and George Coleman. Still under the oppressive heat that were Jim Crow laws in the south and racism and lynchings across the country, Bessie always knew she wanted more than what this part of life gave her.
On December 3rd, 1903 as she was cleaning the home of a white family, she overheard a conversation. One that would change her entire life as she knew it.
She would, from that moment, be on a life-long mission of proving herself, defying the odds, and setting records.
More importantly, she would fly.

A Pair of Wings is one for the ages.
Corporate executive-turned-first officer pilot, Carole Hopson, does a phenomenal job at bringing Bessie to life right in front of our eyes and in our minds.

If you want to be taken on a journey halfway around the world and see things from a perspective you probably weren't taught in school, this is the book for you.

Thank you so much to Henry Holt and Co along with NetGalley for sending me this book in exchange for a review. As soon as I finished this book, I went and watched videos, read, and listened to podcasts about Bessie. I will never forget her, or the author who gave so much of her heart and soul for this book.