Amy Johnson: Queen of the Air Book

In Amy Johnson: Queen of the Air, Midge Gillies tells Johnson's life story with a passion and zest worthy of the adventurer herself. In May 1930, the young typist from Hull took off from Croydon Airport, with a thermos flask and a packet of sandwiches, to beat the solo record for flying to Australia. Johnson went on to a celebrity life and embarked on other record-breaking flights to Tokyo and Cape Town. She went through a tumultuous marriage and, like her American counterpart Amelia Earhart, disappeared in mysterious circumstances during the Second World War. Midge Gillies has interviewed surviving family members, and gained access to hundreds of letters, quoted here for the first time. She examines Amy's traumatic early life and recreates in detail the mystery of her last 24 hours. Complete with maps, illustrations and notes, this biography is an excellent example of thorough research of a captivating story, wedded to a straightforward and winning style. Especially enjoyable are the details that chronicle an age in which society high life demanded a certain standard of insouciant flamboyance. Gillie relates how, when Johnson flew solo from South Africa to London she made sure she included a tennis racket and evening dress, and regaled reporters with stories of how she had to powder her nose in mid-flight. Amy Johnson: Queen of the Air is a sparkling story of a swashbuckling personality in an age that valued individuality and genuine adventure. --Dwight LongeneckerRead More