Information Books Review #1

Fleming, Candace. 2011. AMELIA LOST: THE LIFE AND DISAPPEARANCE OF AMELIA EARHART. New York: Schwartz & Wade Books. ISBN 978-0-375-94598-4

PLOT SUMMARY

Trying to make history as the first person to fly the complete circumference of the Earth along the equator is what Amelia Earhart last attempted before she disappeared. Amelia Earhart was not your classic 18^th century lady. She was anything, but typical. From an early age she showed an interest in aviation and eventually got her wings to do just that.

Free spirited, Amelia never really showed much of an interest to marry, but nonetheless was wooed by several man, deciding only to let George Putnam in after careful consideration. Amelia and George were quite the team. She was the icon being made famous by her aviation efforts, and George was her Public Relations Representative making sure she got in every newspaper editorial and any other spotlight he could land to draw attention to her.

Amelia achieved many world records for her skills in aviation. She was also a fashion designer of her own personal clothing line for a short while, wrote several books, lectured and did endorsements for products like Lucky Strike cigarettes. She needed to be the entrepreneur like she was in order to keep up with her habit of flying. It was not a cheap hobby.

Learning about Amelia Earhart’s life from start to finish is what this book is all about. Most interesting, is her hopes in making history to fly the world over, becoming missing in action, and following all of the military efforts and media consumption that went into reporting Amelia’s disappearance, never to be found.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The layout of this book is easy to understand. There are 110 pages in the entire book. Amongst sharing information in words, black and white photographs, maps of different flight itineraries, and extra stand-alone areas that give additional insight into Amelia’s world, her relationships with others, and historical facts during her era are also included.

The book’s Table of Contents is ordered by dates that slowly narrow down to there being no hope that Amelia Earhart could possibly still be alive. Following the Table of Contents is a “Navigating History” section where Fleming explains her method of how she collected her facts to create this book, noting that it was often a struggle because so many stories she found out about Amelia were actually myths. Fleming has done an excellent job weeding out the fiction about Amelia Earhart and finding the truth.

In her bibliography, Fleming groups these sources by further explaining how each was an integral part to learning the realities of Amelia Earhart.

Suggested websites are given in a section towards the back, just before Fleming’s source notes which are organized by chapter, and are followed by picture credits, and an index.

The first chapter in the book begins by announcing the sudden panic of not being able to locate the plane that Amelia was in. After such a sudden beginning, the chapter moves back in time and shares when Amelia was born and what her growing up years were like. Each chapter continues in this pattern of dropping a little more information about the unknown speculations of Amelia Earhart and then flows back into sharing Amelia’s life chronologically. Her everyday life stories are interesting to read, but I did find myself skipping ahead to read the beginning cliffhanger of each chapter because I wanted to see how it all shook down with this woman trying to make history.

Fleming does not portray a feministic approach in her writing, but she clearly points out that Amelia Earhart was looked up to by many women as a leader and trend setter in showing others that anything men can do, women can also do. Fleming keeps a very optimistic tone through the book as she discusses Amelia Earhart, which might possibly liken readers to personally keep trying and not give up on dreams and aspirations. Literally, the sky’s the limit!

REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

Booklist: “This is a book most libraries will want both for its fascinating story and as an illustration of how research can alter historical perspective.”

Horn Book starred: “The book's structure and scope, along with the story's inherent drama, provide a taut, cinematic backdrop for the history of Earhart's doomed flight.”

Kirkus Review starred: “A stunning look at an equally stunning lady.”

Library Media Connection: “Fleming has done a great job of introducing this important woman to young readers. Students will really get a feel for what Amelia did and why she did it.”

Publishers Weekly: “An overview of the era's social and political climate, particularly as it pertained to women, should help readers grasp the significance of Earhart's accomplishments.”

School Library Journal: “What could be a dry recitation of facts and dates is instead a gripping and suspenseful thriller. Even though readers likely know the end of the story, Fleming makes this book difficult to put down by moving between several accounts of Earhart's disappearance and her chronological life story. Quotes from primary sources are woven so seamlessly throughout that it seems as though the individuals involved are telling the story.”

CONNECTIONS

*Read about other people that made history via aviation, like the Wright Brothers.

*Use the link www.tighar.org to read the original transcripts of Amelia’s last radio transmission.

*View diaries, letters, photographs, and manuscripts at http://earchives.lib.purdue.edu

*Compare the cost of gas used to fill an airplane back in 1937 to today.