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Harriet Hall

Women Aren't Supposed to Fly: The Memoirs of a Female Flight Surgeon Paperback – March 24, 2008

by Harriet Hall (Author)

21 ratings

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When Harriet Hall graduated from medical school in 1970 and entered the Air Force, she was in a distinct minority. As the second woman ever to do an Air Force internship, she had to fight for acceptance. Even a patient's 3 year old daughter proclaimed, "Oh, Daddy! That's not a doctor, that's a lady." She was refused a residency, paid less than her male counterparts, couldn't live on base, and couldn't claim her husband as a dependent because he wasn't a wife. After six years as a general medical officer in Franco's Spain, she became a family practice specialist and a flight surgeon, doing everything from delivering babies to flying a B-52. She earned her pilot's license despite being told "Women aren't supposed to fly," and eventually retired from the Air Force as a full colonel. She is witness to an era when society was beginning to accept women in traditionally male jobs but didn't entirely like the idea yet. A somewhat warped sense of humor kept her afloat, and it spices the stories she tells about her own experiences and the patients and colleagues she encountered.

Print length

234 pages
Language

English
Publisher

iUniverse
Publication date

March 24, 2008
Dimensions

6 x 0.59 x 9 inches
ISBN-10

0595499589
ISBN-13

978-0595499588
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Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ iUniverse; First Edition (March 24, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 234 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0595499589
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0595499588
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.3 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.59 x 9 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,371,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #12,889 in Military Leader Biographies
- #16,933 in Women's Biographies

Customer Reviews:
21 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		65%
4 star		23%
3 star		9%
2 star 0% (0%)		0%
1 star		4%

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Top reviews from the United States

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Cedarlila

Fun read

Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

A memoir of a most unlikely feminist, this is a fun one to read nonetheless. Harriet never whines about being kept back for being female, she rolls up her sleeves, buckled down, and proves her worth and her place in the world. The jokes are bad, but so funny. Only room for improvement would be some editing.

3 people found this helpful

Helpful

S. W. Helms

A very good read!...

Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2018

Verified Purchase

Harriet Hall is an accomplished physician, and a terrific writer. This book is entertaining, well written, and humorous (despite the stories of sexism she suffered through).

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Ullrich Fischer

A gripping, funny, heartwarming autobiography of an American Hero.

Reviewed in the United States on August 5, 2012

Verified Purchase

In addition to being a real page turner, this book should be required reading for anyone contemplating a career in medicine and/or the military. Her matter of fact approach to the challenges she faced as a woman carving out a professional career in an era when the concept of woman's equality was still much less commonly supported than it is today is an inspiration and a great example for anyone wishing to follow her career path.

7 people found this helpful

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Newf Person

Dr. Hall's Book Funny, Sad, Entertaining

Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2009

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Dr. Harriet Hall's book is a well-written, smoothly flowing autobiography of a woman who wouldn't let the system beat her down. She became an Air Force physician and flight surgeon in an era where only 7 percent of America's doctors were women and probably the percentage was even lower in the armed forces.

She recounts the discrimination she faced, the occasional stupidity of military bureaucrats, no worse than their civilian counterprarts I might add.

At the same time, she has a self-acknowledged warped sense of humor that made me laugh out loud.

I acknowledge I'm not toally impartial. I know Dr. Hall through the internet as we both fight medical quackery. But I have never met her in person, much less been treated by her. This exposed a side of her that one doesn't see in the somewhat starchy, always professional Skepdoc.

It turned Col Harriet Hall, USAF, MC, (ret.) into a human being.

15 people found this helpful

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Always reading

I did not like all the sexual content of her book

Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2017

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Appreciated all that Dr Hall had to go through to accomplice what she did. I did not like all the sexual content of her book. I worked as a female in the medical field starting in the early 70's and constantly fought the sexual harassment of the males without any recourse for many years. For her to join them and think sharing the jokes is entertaining insults me as a female. But her story was worth telling. Hope her daughters are brought up to know this is not right!

6 people found this helpful

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Schwa

Reasonably good.

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2008

Verified Purchase

Dr. Hall's book is engaging and humorous enough in parts that I laughed out loud, which happens far too infrequently these days. It is written in a style which is somewhat abrupt; most of the book consists of strings of single-paragraph descriptions of things patients or colleagues did leavened with an occasional detailed anecdote. In general, it provides a window into an unusual culture from an unusual viewpoint. Worth $20.

8 people found this helpful

Helpful

philip h mccarty

women aren't supposed to fly

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2013

Verified Purchase

I bought this for a friend who is an active duty AF member she enjoys stories about women in the military and may share her experiences one day. I was an AF medic in the 60's so scanning the book brought back a few laughs.

5 people found this helpful

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R. L. Leonard

Well worth reading

Reviewed in the United States on June 14, 2017

Verified Purchase

Good read of a life well spent, followed by superb anaysis of important medical byways

3 people found this helpful

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