bookbrig's review against another edition

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informative medium-paced

3.5

A breezy and informative history, this would be a great pairing with Paulina Bren's The Barbizon: The Hotel That Set Women Free. I enjoyed the history and the individual women's stories, and since I knew very little about Pan Am to begin with I learned quite a bit. It did make me pine a bit for larger planes and more roomy seating arrangements, but oh well.

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meganpbennett's review

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adventurous informative inspiring medium-paced

4.0

Come Fly the World was selected as the next book in my alumni book group, and I took the opportunity to read more non-fiction and learn about the women of PanAm, from the women of PanAm. It was a very interesting look at the time period, as well as women's rights and how they have changed.  

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pagesfromhome's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

This book flows between the individual stories of Pan Am stewardesses and the context of their flights as a whole. When I got into reading, I was able to fly through the book, but it often took a bit to really get into it.

The moments that focus on the individuals were fantastic and really shine, whereas I found myself sometimes getting a little lost in the overall context. This felt at times like a memoir of Vietnam era Pan Am flights, and at others a geopolitical textbook, but the moments with the individual stewardesses made it worthwhile. I especially loved learning about Karen Walker Ryan who lived in my own town! 

Do note that that vast majority of this book deals with the Vietnam War so I’d highly recommend it if you have any interest in the Vietnam War (especially the effects of it), although approach with some caution as Cooke doesn’t shy away from being descriptive about even the most difficult things. 

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lit_with_lauren's review against another edition

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adventurous informative medium-paced

4.25


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ska1224's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative inspiring medium-paced

5.0


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jdill1717's review against another edition

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adventurous emotional informative medium-paced

4.25

*I was given early access to this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I was really interested in picking up Come Fly The World by Julia Cook, which focuses on Pan Am flight attendants (referred to at the time and in the book as stewardesses), because I wanted to get a deeper look into the lives of these women who I've only really seen in Mad Men like depictions and sexist ads from the time. And boy was I not disappointed! Julia Cook's writing style is very easy to read and draws you into the lives of these women, whether it's in the day to day of their flights or in the women trying to end workplace discrimination. It's a must read if you're even vaguely interested in aviation history or travel history.

The sections of the book that I found the most interesting and compelling were the ones dealing with the Vietnam War and the experiences the women had not only with the soldiers but also the refugees fleeing the war. By far the most moving was the chapter talking about airlifting the children, most of them infants, out of Vietnam during the month before the war ended. This was something about the war I hadn't really heard talked about as much as the experiences of soldiers or the anti war movement and is something I definitely want to look into more in the future.

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