Many of us are familiar with Amelia Earhart and her ill-fated final flight in an attempt to fly around the world way back in 1937. And I knew about some of Amelia's accomplishments prior to the mysterious disappearance of the Electra plane she was flying along with navigator Fred Noonan. However, I knew nothing about Amelia's childhood, family, and life before flying. This book, by Patricia Lauber, shares interesting details about "AE's" life. For instance, "Meely" and her sister Muriel often lived with their grandparents when her father's job as a claims agent for the railroad took him and her mother away. Her education was interrupted when she decided to be a nurse's aide in a Toronto hospital. Her interest in flying didn't develop till she was around 24 years old. She had no interest in marriage until she was in her 30's and married her manager George Palmer. As I read her biography, I began to understand this remarkable woman who lived life large and to admire her for her intelligence, independence, and tenacity. The end of the book also offers some possible explanations of how Amelia's famous final flight may have ended. Lauber provides a quick read about one of America's most intriguing historical figures.
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