Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Love at First Flight: One Woman's Experience as a WASP in World War II by Cheryl J. Young

Elizabeth Strohfus is an amazing woman. She fell in love with flying after her first flight given to her by a local man who hadn't had his pilot's license for very long. After telling him one more time about 10 times, the guy had to land the plane cause he was sick. Elizabeth, on the other hand, was no where near air sick at all. She was a natural. Getting a loan from the bank wasn't easy but Elizabeth managed it so she could take flight lessons. In 1942, she joined the Civil Air Petrol. The rest is history. She sent in her application to join the WASP Organization. There was a lot of hard work ahead of her but it was all worth it in her eyes. She could fly pretty much anything that could go in the air for the most part. Also, she had a lot of training ahead of her whether in class or in the air. She stuck with it through it all!


Ms. Young did a great job painting such a vivid story through songs, pictures, and the words from Mrs. Strohfus' mouth. I am so proud that both women are from Minnesota. I may not have lived here all my life but that is so cool that a local woman had the courage to take on the risks that come along with flying. This is a story that anyone should read whether young or old. You get such a good glimpse into life for women in the military from the beginning. It took forever for them to be recognized but they were! Definitely something worth reading and it won't take a lot of time either. Yet there is so much to learn.

Cheryl J. Young/Elizabeth Strohfus/ Women Pilots/ World War II/ 72 pages/Non-fiction/ 5 out of 5