Customer Reviews

The Lady and the Tigers: The story of the remarkable woman who served with the Flying Tigers in Burma and China, 1941-1942

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I've been searching for this out of print book for decades and have found a few over the years but with it being a highly sought after title and out of print for so long I couldn't justify the cost of an original copy. Now I don't have to since this reprint and new edition with more information added is available. This is a great book on a great group done like no other on the AVG-Flying Tigers. An inside point of view from Olga Greenlaw, the only female (a timeless beauty I might add)of the group that defended Rangoon, the Burma Road and China in the very early days of WWII. This book gets into details and personalities that most of the other books on the Tigers only touch upon. The author herself is a mystery in most of the other books on the AVG but she's fully revealed in this one. The one photo of her on the waterfront, slit skirt and all may be worth the cover price alone.
No fan of the Flying Tigers should be without this book.

Highly recommend! Not only is Olga Greenlaw a handsome lady (check out the legs in that photo on the waterfront in Shanghai!) but she writes a rollicking good yarn. If you're new to the Flying Tigers this is a great way to get an overvue of the group that saved China and almost saved Burma from the Japanese. She was there, unlike most of the people who wrote the histories of the Tigers, and she was writing with her diary in front of her. If she makes a mistake, Mr. Ford quietly corrects it [like this]. The editing is helpful but never annoying.

Plus Olga Greenlaw is a fascinating woman in her own right. Many are the stories written about her and flying tiger pilots like Pappy Boyington. Mr. Ford sets us straight on this matter also. Olga, he says, didn't sleep around nearly as much as people like to believe. There's a very convincing history of Olga's early years and how she came to be with the Flying Tigers, and also an account of what became of her afterward.

Something for every WWII aviation buff to have on his shelf!

Anyone who's read about the Flying Tigers has wondered about Olga Greenlaw, who was the great-looking wife of Chenault's executive officer. Now Dan Ford has edited this rare book, which is cause for celebration, but what's even better is that he has tracked down Olga and Harvey Greenlaw.

I've read the original, of course, and I've read Dan's introductory chapter on his website, and also seen some of the photographs. (Was Olga a "White Russian?" No. Did she have a love affair with Pappy Boyington? Probably not. Was she as gorgeous as she looks? You bet!)

Later: Okay, I've got my copy, and it's even better than I thought! Olga's text has been very deftly updated. And there's a concluding chapter on Olga's life after she came home from China. Suffice it to say that what Pappy Boyington wrote in his novel "Tonya" looks like a pure case of sour grapes. Sounds to me like Pappy had a crush on Olga, she turned him down, and "Tonya" was his way of getting back at her.

Oh yes, and the photos are even better on the printed page. What legs she had!

-- Matthew

I don't think I ever enjoyed creating a book as much as this one. Olga Greenlaw wrote it in 1943 and promptly vanished from sight. Whatever happened to her? I was able to find out, and to garner some great photos from her earlier life in Mexico and China. So here's her book again, edited from the perspective of 60 years, and with a foreword and afterword to explain where the Greenlaws came from and what happened to them after their tumultuous year with the AVG. -- Dan Ford

I read the original book in the 70s, given to me by a woman who knew Olga Greenlaw. It is indeed a fascinating book and it's great that it was reprinted. The Lady and the Tigers provides a very valuable insight into the activities and organization of the AVG (some of which is not available in most other sources). One can also do some very amusing cross referencing between this book and Boyingtons autobiography and his strange but amusing novel 'Tonya'. Read with other AVG biographies and memoires a colorful and engaging picture of this remarkable place and time emerge.

Olga Greenlaw was a remarkable individual herself, no doubt about it and the book is a compelling war memoir of the first order. My only concern is with Dan Fords edit. Mr. Ford is quite outspoken on aviation forums and within the historical aviation community, and as you can see here in his blog, he has very specific and strongly held opinions on a variety of matters. Sometimes he seems to get a bit carried away. He got into a very public debate with AVG pilot Eric Shilling before his death about the P-40 which turned quite nasty.

From that debate and from reading discussions involving Mr Ford in forums online I have personally seen that he can sometimes be disengenous. Based on his own description the editing done to this book was substantial. While I have great interest in Olga Greenlaws observations, I am considerably less eager to learn the opinions of mr. Ford, or in seeing history through his personal lens.

So the bottom line for me is that while I'm glad this is available to people interested in the AVG, I'd personally reccomend getting the original book as well if your interest is more than superficial. The original can still be found though it's getting more expensive. I hope it is re-relased one day as it was written. Olgas original testimony in her own words is a valuable resource. A foreward or some footnotes are one thing, but why should one rewrite a primary source? I think researchers and interested readers can make their own interpretations.

Brings a completely diffrent perspective to a well known story. There is little absolute truth when studying history and this book is definitely told from Olga's perspective. Having said that I don't think any study of the AVG would be complete without reading this book. I would have given 5 stars but the print quality and in particular the pictures are very poorly reproduced. A pity, this book desrves better.

A 'must read' for those interested in the history of aviation during the World War Two period by an author who lived it. Gives the reader a new perspective on how the war in the Pacific really got started. A great companion book for Dan Ford's "Flying Tigers" and Greg Boyington's "Baa Baa Black Sheep"

Since I have a number of books and P-40B models(1st,2nd,&3rd Squadrons)I found that this book completed my research on the FLYING TIGERS.Other volumes delt with aircraft,markings,combat,and only touched briefly on Harvey and Olga Greenlaw.She filled in the void.I should have liked to have met them both.My home town is Los Angeles and I was in the Air Force(Korean War). She was must have been QUITE a woman since the men, upon seeing her reacted'like dogs straining at the leash'.

I was never entirely happy with the iUniverse edition, so now I am putting Olga's book into a Createspace paperback, which will be crisper and less expensive. Meanwhile, the book is available for Amazon's: elegant Kindle e-book reader. Note that you don't need to owner the actual Kindle in order to take advantage of digital editions. There are apps for Windows and Mac computers, for the iPad, and for most smartphones. (Though I own a Kindle 2, I more find myself reading e-books on my iPhone.) Blue skies! -- Dan Ford

Interesting read. I'd buy if you have an interest in The Flying Tigers. It was well worth the price. You won't regret selecting this one.