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In the 1930’s, pioneering New Zealand pilot Jean Batten set multiple aviation records, including a speed record from London to Sydney, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic from East to West in 1935 (which, before reading this I routinely accredited to Beryl Markham), and first person to fly solo from London to New Zealand to prove how aviation could connect her homeland to the rest of the world. “Alone in the Sky” is an apt summation of this pilot’s jaw dropping accomplishments. If you love flying and aviation history, you’ll love this book and our conversation.

That’s just the half of it. Have I mentioned how awesome my co-hosts Dr. Jacque Boyd and Capt. Jenny Beatty are? It is an honor and privilege to talk about our pioneers with these two incredibly accomplished and insightful women, both self-proclaimed aviation and book nerds, whose general aviation flying, aviation education, and airline careers, along with their long history of advocacy for women in aviation, complement my own military experiences, giving us the opportunity to approach our collective history from a variety of perspectives to help us all understand it better.

As we honor the anniversary of Amy Johnson’s passing today, the first woman to fly solo from England to Australia, we celebrate the many adventurers who came after her. Later this year, the Aviatrix Book Club will discuss the memoirs of two women who celebrate this legacy of adventure: Solo 2 Darwin by Amanda Harrison, and Bird by Tracey Curtis-Taylor.

Special shout out to author Maggie Shipstead, whose novel Great Circle was inspired by Jean Batten, and is a story that honors the spirit of our women pioneers.

You don’t want to miss the Aviatrix Classics Series. More to come in 2025 . . .

Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/

Thanks so much for listening!

• Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
• Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
• Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
• Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.

Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker

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Before the U.S. entered WWII, the British Royal Air Force sent prospective pilots to the U.S. for training because they didn’t have the capacity to train the numbers they needed for the fight, and America’s women pilots helped train them. New York Times and USA Today Best-Selling author Lorraine Heath explores this fascinating niche of our history in her novel The Girls of Flight City, the December 2024 Aviatrix Book Club discussion book. Lorraine was inspired by a story she read in 1991 about a woman in Terrell, Texas who tended the British Cemetery, and filed the idea away as she pursued an award-winning writing career spanning the past 30 years, publishing over 60 Romance novels and books for young adults, before returning to this story that not only piqued her curiosity, but tugged at her emotional connections to her British mother who lived through WWII in the UK, and her Texan father who graduated from high school in Terrel. Over 2,000 RAF cadets trained at the Terrell Aviation School, just one of seven British Flying Training Schools in the U.S. at the time.

Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/

Thanks so much for listening!

• Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
• Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
• Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
• Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.

Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker

Send us a text

In this interview with co-author Samantha Arrington Sliney, a USAF Judge Advocate General (JAG) and Women's Initiative Team (DAF WIT) member, we talk about the new picture book she co-authored with fellow DAF WIT member, USAF pilot Megan Biles, All the Things Our Mommy Can Do, and we dive deep into military aviation pregnancy policies. While the focus of our conversation is centered around military aviation, the questions of law and policy impacting women's careers, and the book itself, have much broader relevance and appeal. Special shout out to Jessica Ruttenber who continues to advocate for women's rights, including military aviation policies, and who introduced us. The conversation is a great one for anyone in a leadership position where women's physical status might affect their job performance, for any woman considering navigating her own aviation and/or military career while balancing the decision to carry her own children, and the book is perfect for any expecting mother, especially one with older siblings.

Buy the Book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/all-the-things-our-mommy-can-do/

The blurb:

“All The Things Our Mommy Can Do" is told from the perspective of an older sibling watching their mother excel in her career while expecting their younger sibling. It was created to challenge the idea that pregnancy is a limiting condition and to encourage children to believe in their ability to achieve anything, regardless of gender. The book celebrates the dual roles of parenthood and professional success, aiming to inspire children and break down barriers impacting their ability to achieve their dreams.

Samantha Arrington Sliney is a mother of three and military spouse. She is a lawyer and serves in the military. She is a champion for gender equality and equity with a focus on enhancing support and resources for women during all phases of womanhood.

Megan Biles is a PhD candidate in Philosophy with a background that includes military service, as well as academic and professional expertise in public policy and national security. She is an advocate for empowering all to reach their full potential.

Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/

Thanks so much for listening!

• Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
• Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
• Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
• Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.

Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker

Send us a text

Mary Jennings Hegar is the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor, the Purple Heart, and five Air Medals for her service as an Air National Guard HH-60 Pave Hawk Combat Search and Rescue Pilot on three deployments in Afghanistan and many domestic civil humanitarian missions. When her aircraft was shot down in Afghanistan, she sustained back injuries that prevented her continued service as a pilot. The existing Ground Combat Exclusion Policy that prohibited women from serving in ground combat roles meant she could not apply for re-designation as a special tactics officer where her skills and experience could best support the mission. In 2012, she was the lead plaintiff against the Secretary of Defense in a case to abolish the Ground Combat Exclusion Policy and enhance military effectiveness. The policy was repealed in 2013.

MJ’s journey began in Air Force ROTC with a follow-on Air Force commission. After she was sexually assaulted by her Flight Surgeon during a qualifying flight physical, and witnessed his subsequent impunity, she made the difficult decision to leave active duty and pursue her dream of ‘becoming Han Solo’ through the Air National Guard. In this interview we talk about why she felt it was important to share her story to educate the public, politicians, and policy makers on both the achievements and contributions of women in combat operations, and the challenges they face in navigating military careers from negative individual and institutional biases.

Shoot Like a Girl is the November 2024 Aviatrix Book Club discussion book. There is also a young adult version, Fly Like a Girl, for readers ages 12-16. If you haven’t read this book, add it to your TBR list.

https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/shoot-like-a-girl-one-womans-dramatic-fight-in-afghanistan-and-on-the-home-front/

https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/fly-like-a-girl-one-womans-dramatic-fight-in-afghanistan-and-on-the-home-front/

Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/

Thanks so much for listening!

• Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
• Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
• Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
• Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.

Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker

Send us a text

In this Aviatrix Classics conversation with Guest Hosts Dr. Jacque Boyd and Captain Jenny Beatty, we welcome guest Carole Hopson, author of A Pair of Wings, to discuss the remarkable accomplishments of pioneering aviatrix Bessie Coleman. Despite all of the odds against her, Bessie learned to fly and earned her license in France in 1921, then returned to Europe to learn aerobatics before drawing mixed-race audiences to watch her perform in the U.S.

Carole learned about Bessie Coleman from Jenny at a Women in Aviation International conference. In this conversation, she and Jenny share that exchange and talk about the impact it had on Carole’s pursuit of her own dream to fly, and on her inspiration to write this book. We also talk about how Carole took her book from self-published in 2021 to traditionally published by Holt in 2024.

Buy the book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/a-pair-of-wings-a-novel/

Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/

Thanks so much for listening!

• Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
• Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
• Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
• Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.

Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker

Send us a text

Don’t be fooled by the sweet cover of this picture book by U.S. Army AH-64 Apache combat helicopter pilots, Laura Pangallo Fryar (author) and Morgan Samuels (illustrator). In this interview we geek out on helicopter flying, military careers, “delivering justice” for U.S. ground forces, active duty parenthood, and creative pursuits—and also about their inspiring picture book, Be Something Epic.

Laura is a career Army Officer who went through ROTC and, by way of Korea, Germany, Human Resources Command, back to Korea as a Brigade S3 where she had her first child, and NORTHCOM, is currently in her final tour of duty as a Professor of Military Science for Auburn University’s Army ROTC program with a cadre of over 180 cadets. Morgan’s career followed a similar path until, through the natural progression for a commissioned officer, she wasn’t flying as she wanted and decided to leave the Army. She flew scenic tours at Mount Rushmore, oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, and eventually transitioned to fixed wing with the help of the veteran non-profit organization RTAG to ultimately become a 737 pilot for a major airline.

In Be Something Epic, we imagine growing up to be an astronaut, a teacher, a dentist, a first responder, or a defender of freedom, and we reflect on what character traits and behaviors we can work on now that will prepare us to be something EPIC.

Buy the book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/be-something-epic/

Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/

Thanks so much for listening!

• Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
• Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
• Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
• Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.

Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker

Send us a text

In this conversation with Kitty Banner Seemann, we talk about her spectacular experiences flying as a bush and glacier pilot in Alaska in planes full of mountain climbers, hunters, and adventurers to remote locations in some of the most challenging flight conditions imaginable, all described in her book Wings of Her Dreams: Alaska Bush and Glacier Pilot Kitty Banner.

Buy the book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/wings-of-her-dreams-alaska-bush-glacier-pilot-kitty-banner/

Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/

Thanks so much for listening!

• Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
• Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
• Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
• Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.

Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker

Send us a text

In this episode of Literary Aviatrix Classics with guest hosts Dr. Jacque Boyd and Capt. Jenny Beatty, we discuss The Fun of It: Random Records of My Own Flying and of Women in Aviation by Amelia Earhart. This book offers fascinating insights to where aviation was at the time the book was published and how Amelia and her contemporaries imagined aviation would impact the future. We also learn from AE’s own words about her pre-aviation life, her selection and participation in the Friendship Flight as a passenger on a transatlantic flight, and ultimately about her own solo flight across the pond. My favorite parts of the book were her summaries of women’s accomplishments and potential in aviation.

Buy the book: https://literaryaviatrix.com/book/the-fun-of-it/

Did you know you can support your local independent bookshop and me by shopping through my Bookshop.org affiliate links on my website? If a book is available on Bookshop.org, you'll find a link to it on the book page. By shopping through the Literary Aviatrix website a small portion of the sale goes to support the content you love, at no additional cost to you. https://literaryaviatrix.com/shop-all-books/

Thanks so much for listening!

• Stay up to date on book releases, author events, and Aviatrix Book Club discussion dates with the Literary Aviatrix Newsletter.
• Visit the Literary Aviatrix website to find over 600 books featuring women in aviation in all genres for all ages.
• Become a Literary Aviatrix Patron and help amplify the voices of women in aviation.
• Follow me on social media, join the book club, and find all of the things on the Literary Aviatrix linkt.ree.

Blue skies, happy reading, and happy listening!

-Liz Booker