A review by ivydeliz
Amelia Earhart: The Sky's No Limit by Lori Van Pelt
2.0
I started taking ground school 3 weeks ago and I found myself wanting to learn more about the famous people in aviation, specially Amelia Earhart. Go feminism! So I picked this book at the library because it had a cool title and was relatively short. *Sigh* My rating does not reflect my liking Amelia's story but the way the story is told. I found it really hard to get into it because it's told in a third person and too matter-of-factly, almost like a history book. I'm particularly upset that the author refers to Buzz Aldrin as a crewman on the second spaceflight to the Moon, which is completely wrong, as he was the second man to step on the Moon on the first Moon landing after Armstrong, and that was the fourth flight to the Moon's vicinity. As a biography, I would hope all the facts are correct and the only fact I did know was incorrect, so it degrades the credibility of this book.
Aside from that, Amelia's story is one of pure adventure and courage. Back when women were supposed to be at home doing laundry and flying itself was not very safe, she broke all the rules and after seeing an airshow she knew she had to do it herself. She flew across the Atlantic, participated in multiple flight races and broke tons of records, including men's records. What I loved about reading her story was that she didn't do this without mishaps or mistakes, she crashed her aircraft multiple times, she saw her fellow pilots perish, but no matter the risks she wanted to continue her journey.
This are the same ideals I have towards spaceflight, which would be the equivalent of flying in my generation. Many astronauts have perished, many mistakes have been made, but I still can't wait to do it myself! To experience flight, to not be grounded but to be free. At the end, it shows how many people have attempted to do the same flight across the world that took her life in her honor, as a proof of courage and determination. It's almost like a Tour de France or an ultramarathon or going to the Moon, we do this things "not because they are easy but because they are hard", because this is the way to show what we are made of.
Aside from that, Amelia's story is one of pure adventure and courage. Back when women were supposed to be at home doing laundry and flying itself was not very safe, she broke all the rules and after seeing an airshow she knew she had to do it herself. She flew across the Atlantic, participated in multiple flight races and broke tons of records, including men's records. What I loved about reading her story was that she didn't do this without mishaps or mistakes, she crashed her aircraft multiple times, she saw her fellow pilots perish, but no matter the risks she wanted to continue her journey.
This are the same ideals I have towards spaceflight, which would be the equivalent of flying in my generation. Many astronauts have perished, many mistakes have been made, but I still can't wait to do it myself! To experience flight, to not be grounded but to be free. At the end, it shows how many people have attempted to do the same flight across the world that took her life in her honor, as a proof of courage and determination. It's almost like a Tour de France or an ultramarathon or going to the Moon, we do this things "not because they are easy but because they are hard", because this is the way to show what we are made of.