BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE
Ever since he was a little boy, James Herman Banning has wanted to fly. He learned everything he could about flight, flying machines and pilots, and in 1911 he saw his first real flying machine. By the time he was 21 he could fix most automobiles, motorcycles and farm equipment, but he still had not learned to fly. Because Banning was Black, many opportunities were closed to him, but through the kindness of a white pilot who needed a motorcycle repair eventually Banning learned and by 1932 was determined to be the first black pilot to fly cross country. With a partner as mechanic and financing the trip themselves, Banning relied on the kindness of the people in the towns they landed in to keep them going all the way from Los Angeles to New York.
Well researched from primary sources, this little know hero had to be innovative and determined. I loved that they let the people who helped them sign the plane (I wonder where is it now?). Includes a nice authors note with details about their research, quotation sources, newspaper articles, interviews and documents. Also a list of further reading if you want to know more about black aviators.
Lisa Librarian
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