A Pair of Wings
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Cassava Republic Press
Published:7th Aug '25
Should be back in stock very soon
An airline captain crafts a riveting, adventurous novel inspired by the remarkable true life of pioneer aviatrix Bessie Coleman, a Black woman who learned to fly at the dawn of aviation and found freedom in the air.
The daughter of a woman born into slavery, Bessie answers the call of the Great Migration, moving to Chicago, where she wins the backing of two wealthy, powerful Black men--Robert Abbott, creator and publisher of the Chicago Defender, and Jesse Binga, the founder of Chicago's first Black bank. While she finds no prejudice in the air, Bessie wrestles with other challenges on the ground. A plane crash nearly kills her, her brothers seem to be crumbling under the weight of Jim Crow, and, while grappling with tough truths about Binga, Bessie begins to wonder if the freedom she finds in the sky means she must otherwise fly solo.
Carole Hopson is an African-American author and commercial pilot, and A Pair of Wings is her debut novel, drawing on her own experiences flying. Inspired by Bessie's spellbinding accomplishments, Carole founded the Jet Black Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to sending one hundred Black women to flight school by the year 2035.
A Pair of Wings is perfect for readers interested in Black History and inspirational true stories. It transports readers to life in the 1920s and shows what it means to succeed when the world is against you.
'Hopson, a United Airlines captain, vividly evokes the experience of flight and does a commendable job illuminating Coleman’s struggles with self-doubt and isolation even as she becomes a media sensation. . . . Fans of women-focused and African American historical fiction will appreciate Hopson's meticulously researched take on the life of a pioneering figure in aviation history.'— Booklist
'Bessie Coleman was a pioneering aviatrix who, in the early part of the twentieth century, was forced to travel to France to learn to fly, as no one in the U.S. would give a Black woman lessons. Her thrilling true story makes for an exciting, inspiring work of fiction in Hopson’s hands. This may be the author’s first novel, but as a professional pilot herself, she takes the tale and soars with it.' — Leigh Haber, founding books director of Oprah Daily and former head of Oprah’s Book Club
'Hopson shines a welcome light on her indomitable and unsung heroine, and her technical knowledge enriches the many exhilarating aerial scenes.' — Publishers Weekly
ISBN: 9781913175801
Dimensions: 135mm x 216mm x 25mm
Weight: unknown
432 pages