7/50: Flygirl, Sherri L. Smith

[livii.livejournal.com]

Wonderful, already well-reviewed (which led me to it, which I'm grateful for!) YA about a young black girl who joins the WASP during WWII by passing for white, all to make her dreams of flying come true. I'm a huge nerd for aviation history and in particular the history of women in aviation and women in aviation during WWII, so this was a real treat for me. I thought the author did a great job with the bits with aeroplanes and accurately described the tension of being a woman pilot during that era, and added even more by having it also be about race, and passing, and the intersectionality of race and sex. Ida Mae is a well-realized character, but in particular her family and friends come off even better, very real, even those who briefly pass through - they never feel like stock characters or bit part players.

I did have a few issues with the writing at times - I know it's YA, but it felt a little simplistic in parts, a little dumbed-down and repetitive which I don't think YA needs to be - and there were a few editing errors, but otherwise it was very entertaining, and more than a little heart-breaking in parts (as elsewhere noted, Ida Mae's mother's visit to Sweetwater is very emotional). A very worthwhile read, recommended.