Monday, May 6, 2019

A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II

Cover image for A thousand sisters : the heroic airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II
A Thousand Sisters: The Heroic Airwomen of the Soviet Union in World War II
by Elizabeth Wein
Balzer + Bray, 2019, 388 pages, Young Adult Nonfiction

Documents the contributions of Soviet airwomen during World War II, examining the formation, obstacles, missions, and legacy of Russia's female combat pilot regiments.

I’ve been obsessed with the story of the “Night Witches” ever since I heard about them on a history podcast I listen to. Learning that Elizabeth Wein, a licensed pilot and author of the book Code Name Verity, was the author of this book, gave me high expectations. She’s the perfect person to tell the story of these amazing women!

While I knew the flashy version of this story (female fighter pilots attacked German troops at night, but their planes were so loud that they had to cut the engines and coast so the Germans wouldn’t hear them coming), there’s obviously so much more to this tale. I loved learning about how these women learned to fly in a male-dominated profession, and hearing the stories of how they bonded and worked together in really tough conditions. I highly recommend this true story about brave women doing awesome things.

MB

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