Wings: A Novel of World War II Flygirls

By Karl Friedrich

Based on the true World War II stories of America's first female military pilots, this historic novel follows the story of a young woman from a dirt-poor farm family. Sally Ketchum has little chance of bettering her life until a mysterious barnstormer named Tex teaches her to fly and to dare to love. But when Tex dies in a freak accident, Sally must make her own way in the world. She enrolls in the U.S. military's Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program at a special school known as Avenger, where she learns to fly the biggest, fastest, meanest planes. She also reluctantly becomes involved with Beau Bayard, a flight instructor and aspiring writer who seems to offer her everything she could want. Despite her obvious mastery of flying, many members of the military are unable to accept that a “skirt” has any place in a cockpit. Soon Sally finds herself struggling against a high-powered Washington lawyer that wants to close down Avenger once and for all.

• Language: English
• Publisher: RowmanLittlefield
• Release date: Apr 1, 2011
• ISBN: 9781590135914

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Reviews for Wings

[headinherbooks_27 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author elaborated the historical details of WWII female pilots very well. The historical point of view was rich and descriptive. An alluring novel that will cause readers to acknowledge and be impressed on how female pilots risked their lives, and yet they were disregarded and belittled during the war by our government. This novel was an eye opener.

[busyreadin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

An interesting story set in the last months of the training of women pilots under WASP. I enjoyed the historical info in the book, but thought the characters were somewhat wooden and didn't care much about them.

[jtho_3 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Cheesy, over-the-top, cliché metaphors. Laughable foreshadowing leading to many predictable plot turns. Read like the author was trying to hard to fit his historical research in, and not hard enough to make an engaging, interesting plot or characters. I was surprised by the end, though disappointed in a few plot points could have been tied up better. Would not recommend, unless it was to a high-school English class.

[joanneds · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I received this book through LibraryThing EarlyReviewers. I did enjoy this book and it was a pretty quick read. The story starts out by introducing us to the character of Sally Ketchum, a very poor young woman accepted into the U.S. military Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program during World War II. I had not heard about the WASP program, so the premise of this book grabbed me. I don’t want to give away the story, so I will just give my general perceptions. As other reviewers have said, I can see this book as a launching pad for a mini series. However, I did feel the author seemed to want to cover a lot of ground in this book, and in doing so, did not provide the amount of detail that I was craving about the life of the pilots. I would have loved to know much more about the characters that were central to telling this story. I do want to know more about WASP!

[jo2son · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the engaging story of Sally Ketchum, a young woman with experience as a barnstormer who is accepted into the U.S. military Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program during World War II. This story is well written until the end, which felt a bit choppy, as if the author was unsure about how to wrap everything up. The reader can empathize with the women who wanted to fly and were frustrated by how they were treated by the U.S. military. The author did a good job of intertwining the story with facts about WASP which made for a very enjoyable read for me.

[neverwithoutabook · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Submerge yourself in the era of WWII and firsts for women! Wings: A Novel of WWII Flygirls is just that! I truly enjoyed this story about Sally Ketchum who finds herself enrolled in the WASP program, a government sponsored program for women to learn to fly aircraft so that men were freed up for the war effort. This story is just a small example of what women had to deal with in terms of getting the right to fly an airplane and today we can be very thankful for those who blazed the trails we take so much for granted. Being a huge fan of flying and aviation in general, I loved this book! I've read many books about flight over the years, and found this one very similar in mood to those of Richard Bach. The difference was that there was less focus on Sally's relationship with the planes and flying them, and more focus on the influences in her life. The war that women waged to even have th opportunity to fly when so many were against a "skirt" in the cockpit is just a small part of the history of women's rights, but an important one. Those men who supported them and helped train them are to be commended for giving them a chance. Sally's story of dirt-poor-Texas-farmgirl being liberated and becoming strong and independent is a strong background story as well. Her love of Tex, losing him, and then being freed from her father's heavy handed influence leaves her alone in the world and considering her background, I found her actions true to form. She has guts and a natural talent for flying. Bravo! This one is definitely on my keepers list but please do get your own! I will be reading this one again and looking for more of the same.

[kwidhalm_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I actually really enjoyed this book and ironically enough read it on the airplane while heading to vacation! I find myself drawn to books that take place during WW II but I had yet to read anything that involved the WASP program. The information that I gathered from the story has made we want to find more books on the subject of the program and the trials and tribulations that the women had to go through in a "man's world".The heroine of the story is Sally Ketchum who suffers some terrible experiences in the first chapter of the book and then follows her as she leaves to go through WASP training. Once at Avenger she forges (if you can really call it that) a connection with 3 other women trainees: Dixie, Geri and Twila. She also develops a tumultuous relationship with one of her flight instructors (Beau Bayard) and manages to be the punching bag for the Washington lawyer (Ira Waterman) who was sent to gather information that would force the program to be disbanded.Some of the storyline did seem a little slow at times but with that said I would and have recommended it to others.

[ltcl_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this as an advance copy through Library Thing. The first thing that struck me about "Wings" is that the author loves and respects women. The second thing is that he is a pilot or was a pilot. The characters are well thought out and likeable. I wish we could have delved more into some of the minor characters and beefed up some of the crazy situations that Sally found herself in and a bit less of the technical aspects of old airplanes and aerodynamics. These women had to put up with a wall everywhere they turned from the men in the armed services who were supposed to be helping them get trained to those who were trying to shut the program down before it even really started. There are some truly remarkable good guys and some really bad guys. "Wings" reads quickly and would be a great mini-series! Wish Karl Friedrich had spent more time on Sally and Dixie's early history and added to some of the scenes such as when Sally and Beau had to stay at a brothel because the army couldn't have a woman on base!

[xrayedgrl · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I was really looking forward to this book, and while I did learn some things about the Flygirl program I never knew the story itself fell flat. I felt that the author fluxuated between wanting to write a love story and wanting to tell the story about the women's flight program. It just never seemed to gel for me and frankly I had to force myself to continue reading until the end.

[tomgirl571 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to read Wings as soon as I read the plot summary. I am a big WWII buff, especially when it comes to the roles women played during the war. This book didn't let me down. It's not so much a historical fiction account of the WASP as it is a poignant description of women and their place as secondary citizens in society at the time, and I ate it up. Sally is such a real character and is relying on her status as a WASP to help her further her career in aviation. When that dream is threatened, Sally takes it personally, and I don't blame her. I'm sure many women who took on mens' jobs during the war felt the same way as Sally did as the war began coming to a close. They liked their newly found freedom and the independence that having a job gave them. Sally was dirt poor before she began WASP training, and I could really feel her desperation. The author doesn't just give us Sally though. Friedrich develops a set of characters who Sally befriends who are from all walks of life. One, Dixie, is a model, and Sally has a hard time accepting that Dixie wants to fly. Dixie doesn't need the job, but she wants it all the same. Twila and Geri also have different pasts and circumstances than Sally, yet everyone wants one thing in the end-to fly and to succeed as a female pilot in a world governed by men.I thought Sally's relationship with Tex, and how she still aches from his loss years later, was touching. It didn't seem overly dramatic, like sometimes happens in books where people are grieving. Some might say Sally was stubborn, holding on to Tex and his memory after so long, and at such a young age herself, but I think she was just being true to her heart. Tex was a very special person, and not only to Sally. I thought it was extremely bold and loving of her to keep his memory so near when many women in her situation would have married someone else as a solution to being broke.Wings is a fast paced novel, and I wasn't bored at all while reading it. It actually reminded me of the WWII books I used to read in middle school. I loved reading those books back in the day and the similarities with this one made me want to keep reading it. The writing was simple but suited the story well. I recommend Karl Friedrich's Wings to anyone interested in the different roles women played on the homefront during WWII, and I think it would be a great book for tweens and teens because it introduces them to the WASP in a way that isn't dry and right out of a history textbook.

[tututhefirst_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As a former servicewoman myself, I was thrilled to get this one to review from the LibraryThing Early Reviewer (ER) program. Although fictionalized, the author does an excellent job of telling the story of this courageous, often misunderstood, and too long forgotten group of women. In the early phases of World War II, the US had far too few trained pilots, and too many airplanes that needed to be flown from point A to point B. Using a trained pilot (who could be in combat helping to win the war) to ferry these planes around just didn't seem to make sense to the majority of forward thinkers. Under the leadership of Jackie Cochran, the army airforce was persuaded to make use of a large number of women who already held private pilot licenses and who could free up men to fight the enemy. Friedrich tells their story through the eyes of three or four fairly stereotypical women from various backgrounds, experiences, and regions of the country. By adding in a villain looking for revenge and out to keep 'the little women' in the home cooking and cleaning where they belonged, he gives us a very true picture of the mood of the country while this program was formed, pursued, and ultimately disbanded. As civilians, these women had no benefits, no recognition, no ability to qualify for any further VA care, and were paid exactly half what men were paid for the same job. We certainly have come a long way, and these early pioneers were groundbreakers for us all. The heartbreak and hardships these women endured through the training segment of their program is very well done. I wish the book had been able to carry the story beyond Sweetwater, but perhaps that is for another book.

[rivkabelle_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Received this through LibraryThing EarlyReviewers, and was really excited about it! Once I started reading though, my excitement waned a little - don't get me wrong, it's a good book, but it moves really, really slowly. The chronology bugged me a little, because I felt like I should've been moving through the story at a different pace than I was. The story is an arresting one, and the subject is one that truly fascinates me - I've always been a fan of aviation history, and toss in a look at the women pilots of WWII? Count me in! But I felt like the novel dealt more with the problems of Sally (the main character) than fully addressing the whole idea of WWII flygirls. Maybe it was just my interpretation, but I felt a little let-down. I loved the other 3 girls Sally "hung with" during her WASP training, and would have loved to see them fleshed out a bit more. All in all, it's a good historical fiction novel, and a good 'teaser' for finding more information on women pilots.

[meeniereads · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It often happens with me that when I am reading a book that mentions something more things written on that subject are thrown at me. Woman pilots is just such a subject. I was reading a book where one of the characters goes to Texas to train to be a WASP(Womans Airforce Service Pilots). I then happened upon a blog about a novel from the UK about "The Woman's Chorus" which is the nickname given to the British woman who flew planes and equipment in the UK during the war. Then there was a lengthly,interesting obituary in the NY Times about Violet Cowden,one of the first woman pilots to be admitted to the WASP training program. So it is no wonder I scored Wings from Early Reviewers.You've come a long way,baby is really not just some slick cigarette ad. It is really true. It is hard for my twenty-something three kids to imagine that when my mom was born woman could not vote. Keeping that in mind it was no surprise to read about how controversial it was for the Army Air Corp to allow woman to have a special branch for just them to train to be pilots. In the eyes of Sally a spirited girl from a hardscrabble Texas farm background we live these exciting,tense times. These maverick woman put up with much male put downs. In spite of this they bravely flew some of the biggest,most important planes during W II along with important war weapons as all the male pilots,except those training people to be pilots were off fighting in actual combat.Unfortunately,as the men came back from the war more and more woman pilots had to give up their WASP wings and give back these jobs to the men. It would take 35 years for this country to honor these brave women for their invaluable service to our country.As an aside I would like to add a story from Violet Cowden's time during the war. These woman pilots were so important that if they were due to be someplace to fly important plane or cargo anybody could be bumped off a flight so they could get on. One time Violet laned and saw a sea of disappointed teen age girl faces when she got off the plane. Frank Sinatra had been bumped so she could fly to pick up a plane!

[caseylondon · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Women, airplanes and war are the premise for Karl Friedrich’s WINGS: A NOVEL OF WORLD WAR II FLYGIRLS, which could have been subtitled “sassy skirts take on D.C. bureaucrats for the chance to fly military aircraft for the war effort.” Friedrich’s lead character, Sally Ketchum is a somewhat clichéd backwoods, dirt poor farm girl who traded that life for one of adventure when she met a young pilot who taught her to fly both literally and figuratively. After his tragic death in a flying accident she volunteers for the “WASP” program (Women’s Airforce Service Pilots). She finds herself at the school where she will learn to fly military aircraft –to ferry them to bases, etc. and free up military pilots for combat.The aptly named “Avenger Field ” program in Texas is tough and is complicated by a Congressional “spy” who seems to dislike Sally in particular and female pilots in general. He is looking for problems and seems bent on closing down the WASP program. With this conflict simmering, Frienderich who based his novel on real-life stories of WWII flygirls gives the reader a massive helping of the long hours, tough classroom and flying conditions experienced by the women in the program. He also adds a dash of romance, mystery and history to his book pulling in historic figures as well as pertinent war information.It’s an easy and interesting read and if it is true that this will be a series, a TV mini-series seems probable as well. Entertaining with believable characters (perhaps just a bit too black and white in terms of the good vs. bad guys) but a delicious slice of history for anyone interested in aviation.

[bwightman_3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program. Wings is a novel based on WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots), an organization created during WWII to help transport planes to support the war effort. I thought this book did a great job of capturing both the patriotism and sexism of the period. It's an interesting story, and though the characters are a bit predictable, I found that it didn't detract from the overall plot.An easy read about a little-known period in US history. Recommended.

[nu5bibliophile · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The author elaborated the historical details of WWII female pilots very well. The historical point of view was rich and descriptive. An alluring novel that will cause readers to acknowledge and be impressed on how female pilots risked their lives, and yet they were disregarded and belittled during the war by our government. This novel was an eye opener.

[mpmills · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Sally Ketchum, a barnstormer from a poor farm in Texas, enrolls in the military's Women's Airforce Service Pilots (WASP) program during the latter part of WWII. I loved reading about these strong women in the program who were some of the first to fight for women's rights. The novel was well researched, both for the era and the technical aspects of the planes. Wings was a fast paced book that I enjoyed reading.

[blbera · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

[Wings] is a novel centered around WASP, the Women Airforce Service Pilots. Started during WWII, it was meant to have women ferry planes to where they needed to go while freeing up men to be fighter pilots. This is a fascinating topic, and Karl Friedrich does a good job showing the opposition to women pilots. The story centers around Sally Ketchum, a young pilot from Texas. Friedrich's weakness is in the portrayal of characters. Sally seems strong, then weak, then strong; it's hard to understand her. The other characters seem like stock characters; there's the spoiled rich girl, the pretty man crazy woman and the studious one. The writing is uneven; in some places Friedrich seems to struggle with metaphors. Describing someone's eyebrows like a janitor's broom just doesn't work. Phrases like, "All of the parts of her face moved when she spoke, as if each was vying to out-express the other. the result was an intoxicating brew of novelty and beauty," seem too contrived.Overall, this book was OK. The subject matter is interesting and makes up for the weak character development and writing. If you are interested in WASP, you may like this book.