Daughter of the Air

Praised by the Daily Oklahoman as "touching and entertaining," Rob Simbeck's biography of Cornelia Fort is wonderfully evocative and moving. Like Beryl Markham's and Amelia Earhart's, Cornelia Fort's daring life as a pilot was both inspiring and groundbreaking. Raised on her parents' Nashville estate and educated at a prestigious finishing school, Fort rejected the role expected of her in society to become a pilot. A member of the first women's flight squadron and one of the few to witness the bombing of Pearl Harbor from the air, she persevered in her courageous career, as one of the war's first female pilots, despite rampant prejudice toward women. Selling out just six weeks after its first printing, Daughter of the Air interweaves Cornelia Fort's own eloquent letters and diaries, historical documents, and the interviews of those who knew and flew with her, to create a vivid portrait of an infinitely courageous woman. It both tells Cornelia's remarkable story -- a life shaped by bravery, intelligence, and charm -- and describes the era's political and social atmosphere.