Angels Twenty: A Young American Flier a Long Way from Home [Hardcover]

Edwards Park (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0075821257 | ISBN-13: 978-0075821250 | Publication Date: January 1, 1997 | Edition: 1

Edwards Park, WWII fighter pilot and one of the founders of Smithsonian magazine recounts his experiences as a young American flier in a backwater of the war--the jungles of New Guinea. Beaver Squadron's P-39s were badly outmatched by the Japanese Zeroes, but they held the line. Park's account, often humorous, often moving, is faithful to the spirit of his old comrades and the planes they loved.

Editorial Reviews

Review

``The writing of the (aerial combat) sequences has a fascinating mix of fear and nonchalance.'' (Australian Book Review )

``A revealing portrait of how oridnary people were sucked into the vortex of war and how they responded to it.'' (Queensland Reveiw )

From the Back Cover

Edward Park wasn't an instinctive flyer, but he learned. By the end of World War II, he was not only one with his plane, he had lived through a strange and terrible time. In Angels Twenty, he takes you back to the Beaver Squadron's war--without posturing, without heroics, but with great humor and respect for his old mates. Green as grass, the American boys were dumped in Australia, ready to do their bit in the war against Japan. But the New Guinea jungle wasn't all what they had expected.#. .Park is a gifted writer as well as a fine pilot. His vivid memories will grip you, from his first combat mission to the last, through many tense stories when everyone was obsessed with but one goal--getting home alive. The thrill and terror of aerial combat, the monotony of endless patrols, the dry, sometimes loony humor of the men on the ground--and wonderfully live again in the pages of Angels Twenty.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill Professional; 1 edition (January 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0075821257
• ISBN-13: 978-0075821250
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,184,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging, thoughtful narrative from an Anti-Hero perspective, October 20, 1999

By 

John Hernandez (Derby KS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Angels Twenty: A Young American Flier a Long Way from Home (Hardcover)

Back in 1977, Edwards Park published the sparkling "Nanette", a fictionalized account of his days as a neophyte P-39 pilot in New Guinea. "Angels Twenty" could almost be considered the non-fiction companion volume. There is no shortage of action-packed fighter combat oral histories on today's shelves, and readers interested in combat anecdotes of the P-39 and P-47 may be appeased by this book, if not sated. Yet Mr. Parks offers something more, well, soulful -and wrly humorous. The author is a gifted story-teller, and the perspective he offers may be one unfamiliar to the public: The anti-hero fighter pilot. The author's adventurous journey from uncertain tyro to capable veteran is refreshing and memorable (an underlying theme seems to reflect a great truth: In the flying business, there is little that is more satisfying than earning the respect of your peers). I was completely absorbed by the mirthy and genuine "Angels Twenty". I was left feeling as though I'd just finished hearing Mr Parks recount his tale fireside. I was also reminded of the closing words to the introduction to "Nanette": "That was the way we were". Mr. Parks' work is eminently enjoyable, and could perhaps offer insight to my largely untried generation.

8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Tough recalled memories of a fighter pilot, March 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Angels Twenty: A Young American Flier a Long Way from Home (Hardcover)

By Parks own admission, the memories are hazey, and are patched together in this vague account of an American fighter pilot operating out of Port Moresby and later inland New Guinea. Stumbling along, he recalls "soirees" over the hills and mountains, the ocassional dogfight encounter and the bad landings on roughly made airstrips. An easy read, though not truly compulsive, but appealing to anyone interested in the subject.