A Pair of Wings is an adventurous novel inspired by the true life of pioneer aviatrix Bessie Coleman, the first Black woman pilot. The story begins when Bessie spots an airplane flying over her head as she is working the Texas cotton fields. She knew it was freedom in those wings.

Bessie moves to Chicago then to Europe, where she learns French and earns her pilot's license. She learns death-defying stunts from French and German combat pilots. While there is no prejudice in the air, there are challenges on the ground that Bessie grapples with all while planning a show in the sky that will awe the world.

A Pair of Wings is inspiring, insightful and beautifully written. It celebrates the life of an aviation icon. The author is an airline captain that draws upon her personal experience for the finer details of this new novel based on true events. I can appreciate her storytelling without using jargon and details that would confuse a regular reader. She could have easily went nerd girl but kept it relatable and interesting. Hopson also does a great job of capturing life in the 1920s. Worth the read!

Happy Early Pub Day, Carole Hopson! A Pair of Wings will be available Tuesday, August 20.

Disclaimer: An advance copy was received directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are my own and would be the same if I spent my hard-earned coins. ~LiteraryMarie

Why aren’t more people talking about Bessie Coleman?

“A Pair of Wings” is a captivating historical fiction that brings to life the extraordinary journey of Bessie Coleman, the first African American and Native American woman to earn a pilot's license. The author skillfully intertwines factual history with imaginative narrative, painting a vivid portrait of Coleman's struggles and triumphs in a society that often sought to limit her potential.

I definitely learned a thing or two while enjoying this book!

This book hits a specific niche of mine, and that is stories of trailblazing women. This book was absolutely beautiful and I am not going to forget it anytime soon. Hopson did a wonderful job of bringing this story to life for me

What a wonderful story! A great historical fiction novel that highlights the life of Bessie Coleman, a little-known figure in aviation history.
Great for historical fiction fans and anyone interested in aviation.

aviation, historical-places-events, historical-novel, Black-African-American-history, barnstorming, daredevil, 1920s, bravery, memories, women-in-history, women-of-color, historical-figures, historical-research, history-of-flight, trailblazing*****

I've read a few books including praise and more for aviatrix Bessie Coleman but never one as detailed in relating her life and the lives of the "Negroes" in the US in the 20th century. This book is based in fact but wrapped up in prose. Factual details do not, after all, record conversations or emotions. This book is more than an excellent read, but a sneaky device to teach those readers who only read specific genres that history and well researched fiction are what they are missing in their lives. Do not miss this read! But you have to get a print copy to see the photographs.
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected digital e-galley from Henry Holt and Co. via NetGalley. Thank you!
#APairofWings #Aviatrix #HistoricalFiction #WomenAviators #BlackAmericanHistory #WomenInHistory

A Pair of Wings is a wonderful and compelling read. Recounting the life of an important but little known historical figure, Bessie Coleman. I had no previous knowledge of this aviation pioneer. I am grateful that Carole shared this inspiring woman’s story. This book will definitely be on the top of my book club recommendation list! I can’t wait to share this book!

This book is why I love historical fiction. I knew nothing about the aviatrix Bessie Coleman but now my brain and heart are filled with her challenges, desires, and courage exhibited to become a trailblazer. She is the first black female aviatrix in the early days of flying. In order to get her pilot's license she had to go to France, learn the language, and pass the tests there since no one would teach her in the U.S. She earned her license before Amelia Earhart. Bessie overcame racism, sexism, language barriers, broken bones, money issues, and more to fulfill her destiny. Back in the U.S., she performed barnstorming stunts around the country to share her love of flying in hopes that it would inspire other Black girls and boys to want to fly. Her life ended way too soon and in such a surprising way, I gasped as I was reading the book.
Kudos to the author for sharing this amazing woman with the world. Bessie was unstoppable. She was blessed with a wonderful family and some very smart sponsors who supported her throughout her flying years.
I highly recommend this book if you are looking for an inspiring story of another woman that has been forgotten in history. It is a little long, but the time to read this was so worth it. I will be thinking of Bessie Coleman for quite a while.
#APairofWings #NetGalley
Thank you to Henry Holt & Company and Net Galley for a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own.

What a lovely book! I had not really known much about Bessie Coleman's story but man what an inspiration. Even in this fictional interpretation of her story it was amazing.

I enjoyed learning more about Bessie Coleman and the world of aviation. The sections describing all of the training that Bessie did were among my favorites because the passion for flying (both from Bessie as a character ans from the author herself) was so apparent. I also liked the exhilarating, tense way that the book began. However, the beginning section (Bessie's life before beginning flight training) dragged and had several awkwardly placed sex scenes that felt more gratuitous than anything and introduced a relationship that seemed extraneous. I also felt like the ending began too abruptly--as soon as I started to read the last chapter, it had a feeling reminiscent of a movie narrator imparting one last, grand life lesson as the camera pans out of the final scene and the credits begin to roll. Interestingly, I enjoyed the afterword the most, and I am also intrigued by the author's story of how she decided to become a pilot and what her journey to achieve her goal looked like. I wonder how a book more reminiscent of a memoir, which also discusses Bessie Coleman's life and training in detail, would go over. I did appreciate this book's historical setting and the vivid portrayals of the many obstacles Bessie Coleman faced (and overcame). I would recommend this book to anyone interested in historical aviation.

The best historical fiction novel is the one that sends me down a dozen rabbit holes of research -- a double bonus of time well-spent in an at least somewhat fictionalized world and in the world of history. Carole Hopson's A Pair of Wings did just that.

I had a passing idea of who Bessie Coleman was in American history, specifically the story of women and African Americans between the two World Wars, but I didn't know a lot about her. This novel taught me about her, about her contribution to America, and about tangential parts of history and even about aviation history and how it changed the world.

I can't speak to all the details of what Hopson created and what she found when she was writing Bessie's story. I'm not knowledgeable enough about that. What I can speak to is the value of this novel as, at the very least, a starting point for learning more about someone and something who deserves more space in the annals of American history.

The narrative is compelling and strong (I was reading other books at the same time when I started this one & I put them aside to focus just on it) and the lessons and philosophy of following your dreams and fighting for them because that is how you live are powerful.

And there's no better 'teacher' than Bessie Coleman to tell a reader that you can read about something random and you can achieve it. At the very least, you've got to try.

--------

I received a copy of A Pair of Wings through NetGalley and Henry Holt and Co. in exchange for an honest & original review. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you @netgalley and @HenryHoltandCompany for an advance copy in exchange for my review.

Such a captivating story! I was so enthralled with the writing, the story, and the lessons I learned through this book. For me, Bessie Coleman is the epitome of a female heroine. She has grit, passion, an open mind and a spirit that is willing to overcome any obstacle put in her way. Simultaneously, she is woman with a caring heart and who is simply determined to follow her passion. Bessie was way ahead of her time and helped pave the way for many other females to succeed in male-dominated fields. Her story gives us a beautiful, yet tragic example of what can be achieved when women put their minds to achieving their dreams. It is a shame that it has taken this long for her story to come to light and kudos to @CaroleHopson for making it happen.

This is a book not to be missed!
#APairofWings #NetGalley #historicalfiction #womenaviators #AmericanHistory #womeninhistory

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 A Pair of Wings, by Carole Hopson is destined to be one of the best books of 2024! This story... This is the kind of book you will read, and read again, because it's that good.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️From the publisher Henry Holt Co: An airline captain crafts a riveting, adventurous novel inspired by the remarkable true life of pioneer aviatrix Bessie Coleman, a Black woman who learned to fly at the dawn of aviation and found freedom in the air

A few years after the Wright brothers’ first flight, Bessie was working the Texas cotton fields with her family when an airplane flew over their heads. It buzzed so low she thought she could catch it in her hands. Bessie was fearless. She knew there was freedom in those wings.

But in 1920, no one in the United States will train a Black woman to fly. So, twenty-eight-year-old Bessie learns to speak French and sets off for Europe. Two years ahead of Amelia Earhart, Bessie earns her pilot's license, and later she learns death-defying stunts from French and German dogfighting combat pilots.

While she finds no prejudice in the air, Bessie wrestles with other challenges on the ground. A plane crash nearly kills her, her brothers seem to be crumbling under the weight of Jim Crow, and, while grappling with tough truths about Binga, Bessie begins to wonder if the freedom she finds in the sky means she must otherwise fly solo.
****************
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️My review: Historical fiction with a known figure is one of my favorite genres. Books like The Paris Wife, Circling the Sun, The Lost Daughter, The Secret Wife, The Personal Librarian and In the Time of Butterflies really bring history alive and always make me research more. Research = learning.
I knew a little about Bessie Colman from teaching elementary school and reading about her when we studied the history of Chicago. But her life, fictionalized or not, was remarkable.
While Bessie worked hard and took her education and training very seriously, she also had the added weight of being "the first". She was well aware of this and it made her even more determined.
In our era of instant everything, Bessie had to plan for years to reach her goal of flight school. Her drive and persistence were clear. I also learned about early flight and planes...literally putting one's life on the line. I did some research about Jesse Binga and Robert Abbot--both real and both helped Bessie. No information on Jesse and Bessie and their private life. That's the great thing about historical fiction--an author can make you believe and make more come alive.
Amazing story about an amazing woman with ties to Chicago. :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Henry Holt Publishing for an advance digital copy in exchange for my review.

This book was absolutely amazing. I grew up hearing the story of Bessie Coleman but reading this made her personable. Carole Hopson did a wonderful job of pulling us into the story and making Bessie a family member or family friend.

The story moved along at a good pace, each scene was written in such a way, that you were able to see what was being read.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Slow to start with very long chapters, but generally an interesting read about Bessie Coleman, the first black aviatrix!

“A Pair of Wings” by Carole Hopson is a historical fiction book about Bessie “Queen Bess” Coleman, a Black aviatrix. I’ve read a number of books about Ms. Coleman so I was very interested to see how this one compared. This one has a lot of information about Ms. Coleman’s background I didn’t know (other books mostly focus on her flying career). The fact that Ms. Hopson is, herself, a pilot gave the sections about airplanes a bit of depth lacking from some of the other books I’ve read. What I really wish this book did, however, was have a reference section - what information did Ms. Hopson find, what sources did she use, opposed to what was inferred or even made up (Ms. Hopson touches on this but I would’ve preferred more information. Additionally, some of the explicit scenes I felt were unnecessary. There’s a fine line between being informative and being complete - in some instances Ms. Hopson’s writing was both, at other times it came across a bit dry, which was disappointing. Overall, if you desire to know more about the life of Ms. Coleman -who is fascinating - this is a book to pick up. Basically I think if you desire to know more about the “early days” of aviation, this is a book to pick up. Overall, for me a 3.5 read, but rounded up to 4 because I think everyone should know more about Ms. Coleman.

I absolutely love books with historical backdrops. This book is very well written and I would recommend it to anyone! It was a great read and I felt it was very easy to be immersed into Bessie's story. Great detail in the book and I love a book where I am absorbed from beginning to end! Would definitely read more by this author in the future!

Bessie Coleman wanted nothing more than to fly aeroplanes. But nobody will allow a woman, especially a black woman to even take lessons. Bessie has moved north to Chicago from Texas. She makes some valuable connections among some influential black men and finally goes to France to take flying lessons. She becomes the first black aviatrix. In order to support herself though, she must do more. And more she does. As a driven, goal oriented woman (she wants to buy her own plane and give lessons to other black people), she starts doing stunt flying and puts on barnstormer shows. Bessie was single minded and works hard to get everything she wants.

The author does a masterful job in telling Bessie's story. The writing was wonderful and drew me into Bessie's story and life from the very first page. I would recommend this book to everyone. It's historical but it's engaging and you will be able to identify with Bessie.

I was given this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.

I received a copy for review purposes; all opinions are honest and mine alone.


Adventure, aeronautic history, The Great Migration and heart - these are the hallmarks of A PAIR OF WINGS, by Carole Hopson. Because Hopson is a pilot herself, the prose dealing with flying, planes and maintenance are detailed, sometimes to the point of being manual like. I found myself skimming, at times. This propensity for being highly organized comes thru in the overall format of the story which reads more like a textbook than a biography. Those issues aside, this is an inspiring story that should be part of popular history: aeronautics, women, (black or not), Great Migration, 20th century milestones; SO. MANY. OPPORTUNITIES. MISSED. by our history books…

Bessie Coleman lived 34 short years but achieved a gargantuan amount of success in that time. She earned the FAI certification, the first American, female or male, to do so, on 15 June 1921. It was a few years before another American was able to accomplish it. Bessie had to learn French and earn enough to live in France for almost a year to make this happen; nothing short of a miracle as a black woman in the early 20th century.

The story of her tenacity and ability to rally folks to support her life’s purpose for flying and freeing black people from the insidious tentacles clinging from slavery, had me cheering out loud. She was visionary and recognized that reading, education and rising from generations of poverty was the real answer to freedom for her family, community and her people. Coleman devoted her life and death to this pursuit. Her story should be read and shared by all. I’d love to see a YA, middle reader and picture book version of this book📚

Read and reviewed from a NetGalley eARC, with thanks

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this advance reader copy in exchange for a fair review. There is a small spoiler after the dotted line below.
A remarkable account of Bessie Coleman, the first documented black Aviatrix. Her story from Texas to Chicago to her training in Europe is remarkable, and her demise incredibly sad. How far would she have gone if fates were different? I loved that this book was written by a pilot, as the desciptions of the engines, the training, and the flying of the planes rang true.
--------spoiler-------
Her story fascinated me as did the authors notes, I just found the book to be long and too detailed on some things. I know she had to have met some fascinating and famous people, but sometimes the interactions didn't do much for the story and could have been thinned. I was completely turned off by the graphic sex scene fairly early on. It was unnecessary and frankly I don't really want to imagine the real people in my historical fiction novels this way. It made the book cheaper and it will be hard for me to recommend it to my patrons who are historical fiction fans. The age group for this reader in my library explicitly say they don't want this. It really nearly ruined the book for me and I have a pretty high threshold - but I do also read for my book club and my patrons, so this will always factor into my reviews.
So while I really enjoyed the book, I will give it a 3*