Tag: flying • BookLikes

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text 2020-05-25 02:55

LOL book genie what are you trying to do to me? I somehow got my hands on this when I was still in elementary school and had NO IDEA what I was reading. Let's see what I make of it now...

review 2020-04-28 14:12

Wings of a Flying Tiger

100 Pages A Day...Stephanie's Book Reviews

Jasmine Bai has been sent to live with her aunt, uncle and cousins in Chungking during World War II. Her parents are still in Nanking teaching at a college. As the Japanese close in and the danger intensifies, Jasmine decides to travel to Nanking and convince her parents to leave. Jasmine arrives in Nanking just as the Japanese decide to massacre everyone in their path. Jasmine miraculously survives Nanking after witnessing unspeakable atrocities and reunites with aunt, uncle and cousin in time for the threat of danger to reach Chungking. Jasmine and her cousin, Daisy are sent to a remote country village in western China. Here, Jasmine and Daisy rescue a downed Flying Tiger, Danny. Danny is injured and sick with malaria, with the help of the village doctor, Jasmine and Daisy help care for him. However, the Japanese have heard that the Flying Tiger has been hiding in the Village of Peach Blossoms and will stop at nothing to capture Danny. Jasmine, Daisy and the villagers risk everything to keep Danny safe so he can continue fighting for them.

Wings of a Flying Tiger captured me in the opening scene with Danny's bravery, passion for the cause and immense emotion. I didn't really know about The Flying Tigers and were amazed to learn about these real heroes, a group of American volunteers under of the Chinese Air Force. After that first scene, the perspective is switched to Jasmine for a while. Jasmine is an intelligent young woman who knows what she wants and does it, which is rare for a young woman in China at the time. While I was aware of the Nanking Massacre, the writing of the violence was intense and graphic, however; I'm sure it only conveyed a fraction of the true terror of harrowing reality of those six weeks. I was amazed at the resilience and fortitude of the people who managed to survive. When Danny and Jasmine's stories collide, the danger intensifies but the element of romance is added. They both have an immense amount of respect for each other and the situation that they are in. I was astonished at the collective protection of the town towards Danny and their willingness to do anything to keep him safe for the greater good. The ending is gut wrenching and heartbreaking, showing the true courage of people fighting for their freedom.

This book was received for free in return for an honest review.

Historical fiction

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text 2020-04-27 16:33

Reading progress update: I've read 71 out of 237 pages.

markk

The Royal Flying Corps in France: From Mons to the Somme - Ralph Barker

This is a re-read for me, and my memory of the impression it made on me is that it was a good popular history of the subject but not an especially rigorous one. Reading it again is improving my opinion of it, as I'm impressed by Barker's inclusion of observation, which so many histories of the First World War in the air leave out.

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text 2020-02-12 22:37

The aces over the Western Front

markk

Flying Aces of World War I - Gene Gurney

Gene Gurney’s Flying Aces of World War I was one of the first history books I read growing up. As a boy, I was gripped by the stories of pilots in rickety planes dueling to death over the trenches of the Western Front, and the memory of their exploits stayed with me. Reading it again brought back fond recollections of pouring over its pages on my elementary school’s playground, but its limits also stood out in a way that they had not to me as a child. The book is narrower than its title suggests, offering potted biographies of eight pilots who served on the Western Front. Two of the pilots are Americans and a third is a Franco-American pilot; while this isn't surprising given its intended audience it does mean that the portrayal of the air war is a little skewed. Nevertheless, Gurney succeeds in writing an entertaining work that captures the excitement of air combat at that time, one that is a good starting point for young readers seeking to learn about the war and the men who waged it.

first world war

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text 2020-02-12 15:35

Reading progress update: I've read 131 out of 187 pages.

markk

Flying Aces Of World War I (Landmark Edition) - Gene Gurney

This was one of the first history book I read growing up, and a while back I picked up an ex libris copy that I found at a used bookstore. Reading it takes me back to pouring over it on my elementary school playground, pouring over the stories of pilots in rickety planes dueling to death over the trenches of the Western Front.