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American Flygirl

Audiobook
Nonfiction: Biography
Unabridged   8 hour(s)
Publication date: 04/30/2024

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American Flygirl

Available from major retailers or BUY FROM AMAZON
Digital Download ISBN:9781696615136

Summary

One of WWII's most uniquely hidden figures, Hazel Ying Lee was the first Asian American woman to earn a pilot's license, join the WASPs, and fly for the United States military amid widespread anti-Asian sentiment and policies. Her singular story of patriotism, barrier breaking, and fearless sacrifice is told for the first time in full in this must-listen book.

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Product Description

In 1932, Hazel Ying Lee, a nineteen-year-old American daughter of Chinese immigrants, sat in on a friend's flight lesson. It changed her life. In less than a year, a girl with a wicked sense of humor, a newfound love of flying, and a tough can-do attitude earned her pilot's license and headed for China to help against invading Japanese forces. In time, Hazel would become the first Asian American to fly with the Women Airforce Service Pilots. As thrilling as it may have been, it wasn't easy.

In America, Hazel felt the oppression and discrimination of the Chinese Exclusion Act. In China's field of male-dominated aviation she was dismissed for being a woman, and for being an American. But in service to her country, Hazel refused to be limited by gender, race, and impossible dreams. Frustrated but undeterred, she forged ahead and gave her all for the cause, achieving more in her short remarkable life than even she imagined possible.

American Flygirl is the untold account of a spirted fighter and an indomitable hidden figure in American history. She broke every common belief about women. She challenged every social restriction to endure and to succeed. And against seemingly insurmountable obstacles, Hazel Ying Lee reached for the skies and made her mark as a universal and unsung hero whose time has come.

Reviews/Praise

"Hannah Choi captures the thrill of learning to fly as she opens Ankeny's account of Hazel Ying Lee's experiences with flight training during WWII." —AudioFile

Author Bio

Susan Tate Ankeny is the author of nonfiction WWII history books including American Flygirl and The Girl and the Bombardier. A former educator, she is a member of the Oregon 8th Air Force Historical Society and the Association des Sauveteurs d'Aviateurs Alliés. Visit her online at susantateankeny.com.