Tiny Broadwick: The First Lady of Parachuting [Paperback]

Elizabeth Roberson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2001

Georgia Thompson Brownís life follows the history of aviation.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gr. 4-8. Despite her introductory disclaimer that very little has been written about Georgia "Tiny" Broadwick, Roberson has done her research well, compiling what she found about the four-foot eleven-inch parachutist into an interesting, often inspiring biography. Broadwick, who came from an impoverished background, defied the provincial attitudes about women in her North Carolina town by joining a hot-air balloon act, becoming, as a teen, the first female parachutist. Descriptions of her successful jumps are captivating, but even more impressive are reports of the endless mishaps that demonstrate how dangerous her work was. Broadwick was hailed, then forgotten, then rediscovered in the 1960s, when she was honored by many aviation groups and by the Guinness Book of World Records. A tiny spitfire full of energy and unapologetic sass, Broadwick is an enthralling subject who deserves the prodigious praise that Roberson heaps into every description. Roger Leslie
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Elizabeth Whitley Roberson teaches U.S. history and Western civilization at Martin Community College and East Carolina University in North Carolina. Her first book on the saga of Eli Pinson Landers, Weep Not for Me, Dear Mother, is also published by Pelican and was selected by the Children's Book Council as a Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies for 1997.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Pelican Publishing (May 31, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565547802
• ISBN-13: 978-1565547803
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,891,878 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

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Left me wanting more, September 3, 2008

By 

James D. Crabtree "Doc Crabtree" (Fort Leavenworth, Kansas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tiny Broadwick: The First Lady of Parachuting (Paperback)

The story of Tiny Broderick, an early exhibition parachute jumper and pioneer in her own right, is a fascinating one. This book certainly does much to try to illustrate Tiny's life and her accomplishments. Tiny is known as the first woman to jump from an airplane and the first person to jump from a seaplane to the water using a parachute. Coming from a very poor background and with few prospects for the future, the story of how she managed to make a niche for herself is another one of those stories which you would swear it wasn't true, if it didn't take place in America. My main issue is that the book left you wanting more. The context of the times in which Tiny lived and worked I don't believe were discussed much. The photographs used in the book were good, but many are of Tiny with celebrities, with little or no information on when or where or why they were taken.

Still, the story is what makes this book and I highly recommend it for anyone interested in one of American aviation's pioneers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars One Worth Having, July 18, 2001

By 

[e-mail] (Encino, CA, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tiny Broadwick: The First Lady of Parachuting (Paperback)

This small book presents the story of Tiny Broadwick (true name Georgia Ann Thompson), pioneer parachutist. Ms. Roberson has made an honest and capable attempt at telling us about Tiny's life and her book has many uncommon images of Tiny. The book suffers in its fact checking, however, as at least one of the "firsts" claimed for Tiny was not hers. Self-effacing as she was, Tiny would have been among the first to correct such erroneous enthusiasms. Still and all, while the reader may have to exercise caution about the captions under photographs and should be careful of accepting without question all of the dates and events presented, this is certainly a book well worth having, reading and enjoying.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Remarkable Woman, a Remarkable Story., August 27, 2001

By 

Dan Poynter "Author-Publisher-Speaker" (Santa Barbara, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tiny Broadwick: The First Lady of Parachuting (Paperback)

Tiny (Georgia Ann Thompson) Broadwick was the first woman to jump from an airplane, the first person to jump from a float plane, the first to make an intentional water jump from an airplane and the first to make a manually-operated parachute jump and all these records were prior to 1915. Tiny Broadwick demonstrated that parachutes could be used repeatedly, that escape from a damaged airplane was possible, that you would not pass out in freefall and that a woman could do something most men would not do. This book recounts history of a person that deserves greater recognition. It is easy and fun to read. As a skydiver (1,200 jumps, D-454), pilot (SEL & gliders, hang gliders and paragliders),author and publisher of seven books on parachutes and skydiving, I recommend this book to those interested in aviation and pioneering women. --Dan Poynter, Parachuting, The Skydiver's Handbook.