Queen Bess: Daredevil Aviator [Paperback]

Doris L. Rich (Author), Mae Jemison (Afterword)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 1995

Here is the brief but intense life of Bessie Coleman, America's first African American woman aviator. Born in 1892 in Atlanta, Texas, she became known as “Queen Bess,” a barnstormer and flying-circus performer who defied the strictures of race, sex, and society in pursuit of a dream.

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews

Rich (Amelia Earhart, 1989) sympathetically limns the extraordinary life of a woman who courageously defied gender and race to become the first African-American to earn an international pilot's license. While admitting that the scant amount of written material about Bessie Coleman has affected the scope of her book, Rich has nonetheless crafted the recollections of aging relatives, friends, and eyewitnesses, as well as press clippings and Coleman's few letters, into a vivid portrait of a remarkable woman. Born in 1892 in Atlanta, Texas, Coleman found her hitherto happy childhood changing when her father, a day laborer, left Texas in search of better work, and when school became an intermittent thing, squeezed in between cotton-picking and housework. Determined to make something of herself, the future aviatrix headed for Chicago, where she studied to become a manicurist. Though the work brought good money, as well as contacts with leaders of the black community, it failed to satisfy. On the spur of the moment, Coleman, hearing talk of French women fliers, ``decided that flying would provide a way to be noticed.'' Unable to train in the US, the ever-resourceful young woman got financial backing and sailed to France. There, she earned her license in 1921, two years before Amelia Earhart. Returning home as a celebrity, she flew in air shows, performed daring stunts, and--described as ``the world's greatest woman flyer''--spoke widely about the need for blacks to learn to fly. But segregation, sexism, and several accidents made Coleman's life difficult and thwarted her ambition to open a flying school. In 1926, just as her life seemed to be turning around, she died in a crash. A timely and engaging introduction to a woman of stunning accomplishment and courage who deserves a place of high honor in the pantheon of early flying. (Illustrations) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“A vivid portrait of a remarkable woman. . . . A timely and engaging introduction to a woman of stunning accomplishment and courage who deserves a place of high honor in the pantheon of early flying.”—Kirkus

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian Institution Press (May 17, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560986182
• ISBN-13: 978-1560986188
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.6 x 9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,047,086 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Inspiring look at a very determined woman, May 3, 2006

By 

Elizabeth A. Root (Laurel, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Queen Bess: Daredevil Aviator (Hardcover)

As far as I know, this is the only adult biography of Bessie Coleman, the pioneer African-American aviatrix. Rich notes that she was hampered by a lack of personal material, but has none the less produced a fascinating biography. Coleman, a woman of modest background, overcame barriers of wealth, race and gender. A national celebrity, especially among Blacks, she was even able to attract the attention of white Americans. Through her airshows and lectures, and against a great deal of hostility, she was a tireless campaigner for equality for both sex and gender. Mae Jemison, the first African-American female astronaut has written an afterword. For some reason, this is after the notes and bibliography, but before the index.

There are a variety of biographies of Coleman aimed at various ages of children. While reading this, I also read Bessie Coleman; first Black Woman Pilot by Connie Plantz. This is of course the most detailed and contains a considerable amount of historical and contextual information. Both this and Plantz's book are lavishly illustrated, happily with a number of different pictures, and I recommend both to anyone interested in visual information.

The book has copious notes, a lengthy bibliography and an index.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Biography, September 25, 2009

By 

Howard Denson "hd3" (Florida) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Queen Bess: Daredevil Aviator (Paperback)

I have been working on a project involving Bessie Coleman, the first African American pilot in the U.S. Doris Rich's book was the best of the lot. Bessie did not leave a copious paper-trail with mounds of letters to others, but Rich has managed to track down specifics about many of the details of her life. Her account of Bessie's death in 1926 here in Jacksonville, Fla., is the most complete of any available books.

As with many people, Bessie's dreams were bigger than her pocketbook.

Howard Denson

North Florida Writers

Jacksonville, FL

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not a keeper, November 30, 2008

By 

John A. Lefcourte (Reno, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Queen Bess: Daredevil Aviator (Hardcover)

An interesting subject: black, woman, early aviatrix, but the writing is mediocre. Much of the book is conjecture given the scarcity of primary resources. For the same reason it is not a vivid biography. The book could have been condensed into a chapter length article without losing anything.

I'm glad that I read it but sorry that I bought it.