by Sherri L. Smith
publisher’s synopsis
All Ida Mae Jones wants to do is fly. Her daddy was a pilot, and years after his death she feels closest to him when she’s in the air. But as a young black woman in 1940s Louisiana, she knows the sky is off limits to her, until America enters World War II, and the Army forms the WASP-Women Airforce Service Pilots. Ida has a chance to fulfill her dream if she’s willing to use her light skin to pass as a white girl.
She wants to fly more than anything, but Ida soon learns that denying one’s self and family is a heavy burden, and ultimately it’s not what you do but who you are that’s most important.
I was drawn to Flygirl by the premise of a lesser-known part of WWII and the tension of a passing main character.
While I am white, I thought that Smith balanced Ida’s “two sides” and her longing for elements belonging to each respective world well. Ida’s two friends she makes in WASP training were also well developed and juxtaposed each others’ character aspects.
Unlike most WWII novels, Flygirl doesn’t have super high stakes beyond Ida being found out. The plot is more internal, almost like a coming-of-age story.
The only thing that really bothered me was the hint of romance between Ida and one of her instructors. It wasn’t even the student-teacher element that bothered me, but that the guy was about twice her age. It was only a hint of romance but I found it strange. There was also a tad more swearing than I prefer.
Overall, Flygirl was an enjoyable read.
Cautions: twenty-one instances of swearing; four instances of blasphemy; two instances of coarse language; one instance of British swearing; brief mention of periods; light romance; someone briefly mentions “loose women”; mentions of characters drinking/being drunk
Hailey Huntington 
Leave a comment