Scan barcode
justabean_reads's review
1.5
Oh, boy. It's been a while since I've read a WWII biography written by a white dude historian of a certain age, and I'd forgotten how dreadful the prose tends to be. This one is an absolute standout when it comes to terrible writing! I'm glad it was on audiobook, so I could march forward with it as background noise. Though I didn't ixnay the final chapter, which was Iraq War apologia for some fucking reason, and I have regrets there.
However, I've read enough of these things that I'm resigned to putting up with the writing for the sake of the information presented, and that was pretty good. Handleman alternates historical context chapters with the life of a Black kid from New York who really wants to be a pilot at a time when that was largely a whites-only occupation, and joins the U.S. Army Air Force to get his chance. There's some nice detail around what the training was like, as well as a general history of the Tuskegee Airmen. It covers his war-time service, and his struggles post war (the U.S. Military racially integrating really seems to have ended up with separating a lot of the black servicemen), when the airlines were not hiring non-White pilots. There's also what I felt like was an excessive emphasis on acts of kindness from random white people.
I bought this on sale, and am not sorry to have read it, but I suspect there are better books on the topic.
However, I've read enough of these things that I'm resigned to putting up with the writing for the sake of the information presented, and that was pretty good. Handleman alternates historical context chapters with the life of a Black kid from New York who really wants to be a pilot at a time when that was largely a whites-only occupation, and joins the U.S. Army Air Force to get his chance. There's some nice detail around what the training was like, as well as a general history of the Tuskegee Airmen. It covers his war-time service, and his struggles post war (the U.S. Military racially integrating really seems to have ended up with separating a lot of the black servicemen), when the airlines were not hiring non-White pilots. There's also what I felt like was an excessive emphasis on acts of kindness from random white people.
I bought this on sale, and am not sorry to have read it, but I suspect there are better books on the topic.
mhansen721's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism and War
Minor: Racial slurs
ejpass's review against another edition
5.0
5/5 stars
Recommended for people who like: history, nonfiction, flying, WWII, WWII aviation, civil rights, Black History, biographies
This is a pretty quick read, but it's super informative about some of the big events that led to the Tuskegee Airmen units being formed and the subsequent desegregation of the Air Force in 1949. The book mainly focuses on Lt. Col. Harry Stewart Jr., but it also includes chapters about other notable flying figures of the time, such as Bessie Coleman, Chauncey Spencer, and Dale White, all of whom broke barriers for African Americans in the flying community. The book follows Stewart from childhood through 2019, and includes background on his family as well. The majority of the book focuses on aviation, the developments of the time, Stewart's training, and the war. Of course, even with the focus on those things, Handleman couldn't simply write about Stewart and the other Tuskegee Airmen flying without also having to address racism in America. I think it's especially telling that, though we like to think of that past as far behind us, the Tuskegee Airmen weren't honored with national recognition--and a Congressional Gold Medal--until 2008, over a half-century after the end of the war. Handleman discusses the racism Stewart and his fellow airmen found when applying to be pilots, at the airbase, off the airbase, with other regiments overseas during the war, and in many, many cases after the war.
Most of what I know about WWII Aviation comes from the European side of things, so it was nice to get an American view of what training and wartime flying was like. I wasn't aware that cadets who hadn't finished high school had to go through college classes to bring up to 'college speed' they could officially become cadets. I especially liked Stewart's flying stories, his exuberance and exhilaration really jumped off the page when his flying and training is discussed. Likewise, I could also feel his fear and anxiety when it came to some of the high-risk moments of the book, such as fighting Luftwaffe pilots or stalling and getting lost in a serious storm. On-the-ground moments were infused with the same kind of energy, and even with knowing how history turned out, I still felt myself tensing during key moments. When I read things like this, it just sort of hits me that this wasn't really that long ago. We're not even a century past it, not even 75 years for some of the later stuff that happens in the book.
The formatting of the book was enjoyable too. We're introduced to Stewart from the get-go, and then are given background on his family and the struggles and decisions they faced to get them to where they were when Harry was born. This trend continues throughout the book, with chapters about Stewart interspersed with chapters about his family or a notable figure who paved the way or with whom he came into contact with. I think this format allows for a much richer and deeper exploration of the history of the Tuskegee Airmen and black pilots in the US within the pages allotted for the book. I did know about Bessie Coleman, but all of the other pilots mentioned were names I didn't recognize, so I enjoyed getting an education, however brief, on these pilots. I was also delighted by the innocuous-at-the-time, but history-changing meetings that some of the figures had with one another. Chauncey and White, for instance, actually met and spoke Truman when he was a Congressman, leading to a conversation where he promised to end segregation...a promise he later followed through with when president. There are several occasions of meetings like this in the book, and I really am a sucker for surprise happenstance in history.
Despite the focus being on war-time flying, I did like the chapters on Stewart's life post-war. For the first four years after the war, the Tuskegee Airmen remained operational. During this time, they continued to fly training exercises, and even participated in the first Continental Air Gunnery Meet and won first place in the propeller division. Then, after desegregation of USAF and the subsequent disbanding of the Tuskegee units, we are showed the struggles of Stewart attempting to find a flying job and being turned down for being black, despite being a decorated war veteran. It was saddening to see Stewart set aside his flying dream for so long, but inspiring to see him bounce back from it in the early 21st century and begin flying once more, even offering joyrides to kids out of the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum outside Detroit.
I really enjoyed the way Handleman presented the information in this book, combining the story of Stewart's past with the intersection of other, notable figures who made a difference either in Stewart's life or within the Black community, as well as the straightforward method of handling the racism of the time and after. I think this book is an excellent read if you're looking to get an inside view of the Tuskegee Airmen as well as some of the obstacles and minds behind the units. The formatting of interspersing Stewart's chapters with those of other notable figures crossing his history allows for a deep view into the black flying community, the struggle to rise, and the struggles and success that come after.
Recommended for people who like: history, nonfiction, flying, WWII, WWII aviation, civil rights, Black History, biographies
This is a pretty quick read, but it's super informative about some of the big events that led to the Tuskegee Airmen units being formed and the subsequent desegregation of the Air Force in 1949. The book mainly focuses on Lt. Col. Harry Stewart Jr., but it also includes chapters about other notable flying figures of the time, such as Bessie Coleman, Chauncey Spencer, and Dale White, all of whom broke barriers for African Americans in the flying community. The book follows Stewart from childhood through 2019, and includes background on his family as well. The majority of the book focuses on aviation, the developments of the time, Stewart's training, and the war. Of course, even with the focus on those things, Handleman couldn't simply write about Stewart and the other Tuskegee Airmen flying without also having to address racism in America. I think it's especially telling that, though we like to think of that past as far behind us, the Tuskegee Airmen weren't honored with national recognition--and a Congressional Gold Medal--until 2008, over a half-century after the end of the war. Handleman discusses the racism Stewart and his fellow airmen found when applying to be pilots, at the airbase, off the airbase, with other regiments overseas during the war, and in many, many cases after the war.
Most of what I know about WWII Aviation comes from the European side of things, so it was nice to get an American view of what training and wartime flying was like. I wasn't aware that cadets who hadn't finished high school had to go through college classes to bring up to 'college speed' they could officially become cadets. I especially liked Stewart's flying stories, his exuberance and exhilaration really jumped off the page when his flying and training is discussed. Likewise, I could also feel his fear and anxiety when it came to some of the high-risk moments of the book, such as fighting Luftwaffe pilots or stalling and getting lost in a serious storm. On-the-ground moments were infused with the same kind of energy, and even with knowing how history turned out, I still felt myself tensing during key moments. When I read things like this, it just sort of hits me that this wasn't really that long ago. We're not even a century past it, not even 75 years for some of the later stuff that happens in the book.
The formatting of the book was enjoyable too. We're introduced to Stewart from the get-go, and then are given background on his family and the struggles and decisions they faced to get them to where they were when Harry was born. This trend continues throughout the book, with chapters about Stewart interspersed with chapters about his family or a notable figure who paved the way or with whom he came into contact with. I think this format allows for a much richer and deeper exploration of the history of the Tuskegee Airmen and black pilots in the US within the pages allotted for the book. I did know about Bessie Coleman, but all of the other pilots mentioned were names I didn't recognize, so I enjoyed getting an education, however brief, on these pilots. I was also delighted by the innocuous-at-the-time, but history-changing meetings that some of the figures had with one another. Chauncey and White, for instance, actually met and spoke Truman when he was a Congressman, leading to a conversation where he promised to end segregation...a promise he later followed through with when president. There are several occasions of meetings like this in the book, and I really am a sucker for surprise happenstance in history.
Despite the focus being on war-time flying, I did like the chapters on Stewart's life post-war. For the first four years after the war, the Tuskegee Airmen remained operational. During this time, they continued to fly training exercises, and even participated in the first Continental Air Gunnery Meet and won first place in the propeller division. Then, after desegregation of USAF and the subsequent disbanding of the Tuskegee units, we are showed the struggles of Stewart attempting to find a flying job and being turned down for being black, despite being a decorated war veteran. It was saddening to see Stewart set aside his flying dream for so long, but inspiring to see him bounce back from it in the early 21st century and begin flying once more, even offering joyrides to kids out of the Tuskegee Airmen National Museum outside Detroit.
I really enjoyed the way Handleman presented the information in this book, combining the story of Stewart's past with the intersection of other, notable figures who made a difference either in Stewart's life or within the Black community, as well as the straightforward method of handling the racism of the time and after. I think this book is an excellent read if you're looking to get an inside view of the Tuskegee Airmen as well as some of the obstacles and minds behind the units. The formatting of interspersing Stewart's chapters with those of other notable figures crossing his history allows for a deep view into the black flying community, the struggle to rise, and the struggles and success that come after.
floatsomejetsome's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
fast-paced
3.5
A really interesting first hand account (though told second hand, which reads a little stilted) of the Tuskegee Airmen experience. A key piece of American and USAF history that I'm glad was preserved! A little too "and now everything's better!" from my perspective, though I understand the drive to see things that way.
More...