Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-05-03 16:46:47
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Julia Cooke
- ISBN：0358699185
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Glamour， danger， liberation: in a Mad Men era of commercial flight， Pan Am World Airways attracted the kind of young woman who wanted out， and wanted up
Required to have a college degree， speak two languages， and possess the political savvy of a Foreign Service officer， a jet-age stewardess serving on iconic Pan Am between 1966 and 1975 also had to be between 5′3″ and 5′9"， between 105 and 140 pounds， and under twenty-six years old at the time of hire。 Cooke’s intimate storytelling weaves together the real-life stories of a memorable cast of characters， from small-town girl Lynne Totten， a science major who decided life in a lab was not for her， to Hazel Bowie， one of the relatively few Black stewardesses of the era， as they embraced the liberation of their new jet-set life。
Cooke brings to light the story of Pan Am stewardesses’ role in the Vietnam War， as the airline added runs from Saigon to Hong Kong for planeloads of weary young soldiers straight from the battlefields who were off for five days of R&R， and then flown back to war。 Finally， with Operation Babylift—the dramatic evacuation of two thousand children during the fall of Saigon—the book’s special cast of stewardesses unites to play an extraordinary role on the world stage。
Required to have a college degree， speak two languages， and possess the political savvy of a Foreign Service officer， a jet-age stewardess serving on iconic Pan Am between 1966 and 1975 also had to be between 5′3″ and 5′9"， between 105 and 140 pounds， and under twenty-six years old at the time of hire。 Cooke’s intimate storytelling weaves together the real-life stories of a memorable cast of characters， from small-town girl Lynne Totten， a science major who decided life in a lab was not for her， to Hazel Bowie， one of the relatively few Black stewardesses of the era， as they embraced the liberation of their new jet-set life。
Cooke brings to light the story of Pan Am stewardesses’ role in the Vietnam War， as the airline added runs from Saigon to Hong Kong for planeloads of weary young soldiers straight from the battlefields who were off for five days of R&R， and then flown back to war。 Finally， with Operation Babylift—the dramatic evacuation of two thousand children during the fall of Saigon—the book’s special cast of stewardesses unites to play an extraordinary role on the world stage。
Reviews
Megan
，
My lovely grandmother， Bobbi Wood， was a stewardess who flew for Pan Am during the jet-set years of the 60s and 70s。 Bobbi was exactly what you might expect of a Pan Am stewardess: pretty， slim， with a petite frame， roller set hair， and signature， overlarge Jackie glasses。 Bobbi passed away nearly two decades ago from breast cancer， but I often wish she was still here。 After reading Come Fly the World I have so many questions I’d like to ask her about her life and international travel experience My lovely grandmother， Bobbi Wood， was a stewardess who flew for Pan Am during the jet-set years of the 60s and 70s。 Bobbi was exactly what you might expect of a Pan Am stewardess: pretty， slim， with a petite frame， roller set hair， and signature， overlarge Jackie glasses。 Bobbi passed away nearly two decades ago from breast cancer， but I often wish she was still here。 After reading Come Fly the World I have so many questions I’d like to ask her about her life and international travel experiences。I miss my grandma， but I still have the pink and cream colored silk purse she brought me back from a flight to China， and the small， hand carved nesting dolls she bought all of the grandkids from the USSR。 Like this book， they are mementos from a different time that I will always treasure。 。。。more
Leslie Groberman
，
3。5 stars
Janet
，
I really enjoyed this profile of a number of Pan Am flight attendants。
Sarah
，
This book was very fact filled with loose threads of certain stewardesses。 I found the impact of this career choice on the women fascinating and not anything I had considered previously。 The backdrop of current events of the time periods added to the story。 Not really an enjoyable read but one that was well researched and very informative， where I definitely learned new information！
Mary
，
4 Stars for Content， 3 Starts of writing style。The book provides a look at American history in the 1950s-1970s through the lens of the airline industry， specifically the flight attendants。 We see the changes in the view and role of women。 In the 1950s and 1960s， being a stewardess is one of the few adventurous jobs open to women。 However， it also pigeonholed them into a stereotypical ideal - young， attractive， unmarried - to cater to the businessmen that made up the bulk of the passengers。 We se 4 Stars for Content， 3 Starts of writing style。The book provides a look at American history in the 1950s-1970s through the lens of the airline industry， specifically the flight attendants。 We see the changes in the view and role of women。 In the 1950s and 1960s， being a stewardess is one of the few adventurous jobs open to women。 However， it also pigeonholed them into a stereotypical ideal - young， attractive， unmarried - to cater to the businessmen that made up the bulk of the passengers。 We see how the industry changed to allow them to continue working while married and after having children， and also include minorities and males in their ranks。We also get insight into the world during that time， specifically the Viet Nam war。 With a now distance of 50 years from those events， more authors seem to be revisiting the chapter in American history。 I found these parts to be the more interesting and informative。 I was not aware that commercial airlines like Pam Am were used to bring soldiers and other personnel into and out of the war zone。 I was also not aware of the efforts to rescue orphans。I felt that the presentation of the stories in the book was at times hard to follow。 At the beginning of the book， we are introduced to four flight attendants， one per chapter。 These women appear later in the book， sometimes their stories intersect， but most of the time they do not。 It's hard to remember which one is which。 It would have been helpful if each time a women's story become part of the narrative again we were given some reminders of which one she is。 Also， with all of the Pam Am alumni out there， it seems like the book should have included more women's stories， some of the included stories seem almost trivial as if the author needed more material to fill pages and was using every last bit of information that was shared with her。 On the other hand， some of the other stories end abruptly leaving questions in the reader's mind looking for the rest of the story。 。。。more
Hillary
，
If you have any interest in airlines or the 1960s， this is a fun nonfiction pick。 I did think it jumped around a bit， and it highlighted several women but was not consistent with their stories。 I enjoyed it nonetheless and learned a lot about the beginning of the airline industry and it’s role in American life and politics in the 1960-70s。
Laura
，
Come Fly the World was an interesting look into the lives of a few of the Pan Am stewardesses。 I enjoyed meeting a few of the women who chose this unusual lifestyle。 They struggled and thrived through this profession。 Maintaining a life at home was difficult， but traveling the world was a great trade-off。 Sexism and racism were rampant in the industry， and the highly educated women fought to be taken seriously。 The sections about their fight for equal rights （or just any rights at all）， was the Come Fly the World was an interesting look into the lives of a few of the Pan Am stewardesses。 I enjoyed meeting a few of the women who chose this unusual lifestyle。 They struggled and thrived through this profession。 Maintaining a life at home was difficult， but traveling the world was a great trade-off。 Sexism and racism were rampant in the industry， and the highly educated women fought to be taken seriously。 The sections about their fight for equal rights （or just any rights at all）， was the best part of the book for me。 The reader is also given a look at the Vietnam War through the lens of these flight attendants。 The experiences they encountered were often heartbreaking。 For the most part， I enjoyed this history of the Pan Am although at times I found it hard to follow。 It jumped from person to person and topic to topic quite a bit， and ultimately left me feeling disjointed。 It was interesting material but the execution was lacking for me。 。。。more
Gabriella
，
Read for school
Debbie Hauck
，
Intriguing history and evolution of the flight attendant profession with a focus on Pan Am。 Much of the content focused on the heroic actions taken by the stewardesses during the Vietnam War。 The journalistic writing was succinct and vivid。
Jamele （BookswithJams）
，
I had always heard stories of the Pan Am stewardesses but never really knew much about them or what their jobs entailed。 Enter this book and I was blown away。 For example， I didn't know how involved the airline was with the Vietnam War， the demands on the stewardesses time and appearance but also how much they enjoyed the work and the benefits that came with it。 Operation Babylift was heartbreaking and uplifting both at the same time。This book chronicles three stewardesses and their lives but al I had always heard stories of the Pan Am stewardesses but never really knew much about them or what their jobs entailed。 Enter this book and I was blown away。 For example， I didn't know how involved the airline was with the Vietnam War， the demands on the stewardesses time and appearance but also how much they enjoyed the work and the benefits that came with it。 Operation Babylift was heartbreaking and uplifting both at the same time。This book chronicles three stewardesses and their lives but also goes into detail the world at that time and all that was going on and how Pan Am was involved with it， which I just found fascinating。 So much so that by the time we got to the company's demise， it was so sad to read about。 Really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend it。Thank you to NetGalley and Mariner Books for the digital galley to review。 。。。more
Ellie Clayton
，
DNF @ 40%… this is the second time I’ve tried to read this book。 I really wanted to enjoy it but unfortunately I have to admit defeat。 The story was disjointed with lots of tangents， making it hard to follow， and I found the audiobook narration to be quite dull。 I do think the cover is gorgeous and the subject matter is interesting （I adored the very short-lived tv series， Pan Am， back in 2011 lol）， but this one didn’t work for me。
Darby Mattinson
，
There is so much to Pan Am that I didn’t know about till now。 I loved that the story was intermixed with true personal stories as well as non fiction information。
Laurie
，
I think I would have enjoyed this book more if the writing hadn’t been so disjointed。 I had difficulty following at times。 The Operation Babylift chapters were fascinating to me， as I was only 7 at the time and have no recollection。
Stephanie
，
The interesting historical aspects made this book finishable， but it is basically a book about feminists。 Any book that mentions Gloria Steinem in a positive way as often as it does isn’t not likely to garner a high rating from me。 It just wasn’t what I was thinking it would be。 Disappointing。
Christy
，
Very interesting book about the history of international stewardesses working for Pan Am。 The book follows the lives of several of the stewardesses （some are still living）， telling about the kind of lives they lived and what was expected of them as stewardesses。 I especially liked learning about the flights through war zones during the Viet Nam war。 I listened to the audiobook。
Cheri Chavers
，
Absolutely loved this book。
Megan Tidd
，
Although I would not say the content is uninteresting （and definitely made me want to be a flight attendant）， not much of it seemed new to me and I felt bored for the most part。 I rose to 3 stars instead of 2 when I got to Part 3 which included the flights transporting Vietnam orphans。 I would have liked the book a lot more if that part was expanded and the first two parts were significantly shorter。
Bridget
，
"Must want the world。" If I had been a young woman in this time period， that ad would have captured me。 Hearing the stories of women who wanted more than just to be a homemaker - or be a homemaker and see the world inspired me so strongly。“What was revolutionary was the lack of should in this job， and the plenitude of could。” One of the coolest parts of this story was seeing a review from one of the stewardesses from this time period on Goodreads！ - having known some of the women mentioned in th "Must want the world。" If I had been a young woman in this time period， that ad would have captured me。 Hearing the stories of women who wanted more than just to be a homemaker - or be a homemaker and see the world inspired me so strongly。“What was revolutionary was the lack of should in this job， and the plenitude of could。” One of the coolest parts of this story was seeing a review from one of the stewardesses from this time period on Goodreads！ - having known some of the women mentioned in the book。 So many stories of men and their contributions during the war are shared and honored， but the women were alive too and have stories of their own。 The amount of objectification and sexism against women honestly flabbergasted me and yet it was barely a generation ahead of my time。 The stories of how slowly women who weren't white were allowed to take to the skies and even transport children of war back to safety during the Vietnam war convey the stories we don't always hear in history books。The bonds of these women was what really stood out to me。 The only story mainstream media shares of the stewardesses in this time period is Catch Me If You Can， where women parade/chase around Leonardo Dicaprio， I mean Frank Abagnale， as he lies to everyone around him。 This book focuses on them and how they carved out long term careers for themselves from what was supposed to be a quick 5 year term of only the youngest and prettiest American women。 The bonds they formed with each other and the love they grew for seeing different cities and places was extraordinary - they faced things that their friends and families thought they were crazy for going straight into with each other。 Conclusion:Definitely worth the read， this was a great book that was a little slow to start but once you get to the Vietnamese war， it becomes so intriguing。 From the individual women this book follows to the relationships between them， I found this a very fulfilling read。Audiobook Notes: The narrator Andi Arndt felt a bit like a computer and I think this is better read than listened to。 。。。more
Apryl Sparks
，
This was pretty entertaining， but it wasn't the best writing。 I also kept confusing the stewardesses。 This was pretty entertaining， but it wasn't the best writing。 I also kept confusing the stewardesses。 。。。more
Lisa
，
I wanted to like this more than I actually did。 I knew nothing about Pan Am going into this book， so it was an interesting look at the airline and went into depth about historical events of the '60s and '70s， especially Vietnam。 However， the writing wasn't super compelling and I had difficulty keeping the different stewardesses' stories straight in the different chapters。 I 100% wanted to scream at the airlines for being so sexist though and learned a lot about a topic I had no knowledge of。 I wanted to like this more than I actually did。 I knew nothing about Pan Am going into this book， so it was an interesting look at the airline and went into depth about historical events of the '60s and '70s， especially Vietnam。 However， the writing wasn't super compelling and I had difficulty keeping the different stewardesses' stories straight in the different chapters。 I 100% wanted to scream at the airlines for being so sexist though and learned a lot about a topic I had no knowledge of。 。。。more
Brianna Cohen
，
Quick read - ~220 pages before notes/citations - and taught me a lot of new facts， but failed to really keep my interest outside of the chapters regarding the baby lift。 Writing style was unimpressive， and it wasn’t particularly well-formatted。 Book club pick for May， so it was worth the quick read to gain a little insight into a part of history I was unfamiliar with。
Caroline
，
I loved this book！ I think it may end up being my favorite read of 2022！ Julia Cooke did an amazing job of integrating the stories of each of the Pan Am stewardesses with the history of what is happening in the world at the time。 The flights out of Vietnam reminded me of the pictures and news reports of the Afghanistan retreat only a few months ago… Definitely interesting to see how history repeats itself！
Teresa
，
Very interesting， worth the read。 The writing itself felt disjointed at times— this could have been a much more intriguing book considering the subject matter。
Chelsea
，
Very informational， but I do love reading/listening to stories of women in history who were braver and more adventurous than me！
Claire
，
I really liked reading this book， more than I expected to actually。 It made me very appreciative， in its details， to be born in the 1980s。。。 This book weaves the story of the women flight attendants， the story of American Airlines， and contextualises that in what is happening in American politics including somewgat about women's progress/liberation etc。 I really liked reading this book， more than I expected to actually。 It made me very appreciative， in its details， to be born in the 1980s。。。 This book weaves the story of the women flight attendants， the story of American Airlines， and contextualises that in what is happening in American politics including somewgat about women's progress/liberation etc。 。。。more
Melissa Davis zanlunghi
，
Fantastic story of women grasping opportunity for advancement and rights in the work place through the airline industry。
Kevin Keating
，
Well written， weaving in Pan Am history with what is going on in the wider world。 Lots focuses on Vietnam but also the social changes of the 60s and the women's movement。 Must say the pictures in the book were pretty horrible。 Grainy black and white from far away。 Wouldn't have been too hard to gather pictures from some of the alumni stewardesses and other places rather than defaulting to marketing photos。 But a good book nonetheless。 Well written， weaving in Pan Am history with what is going on in the wider world。 Lots focuses on Vietnam but also the social changes of the 60s and the women's movement。 Must say the pictures in the book were pretty horrible。 Grainy black and white from far away。 Wouldn't have been too hard to gather pictures from some of the alumni stewardesses and other places rather than defaulting to marketing photos。 But a good book nonetheless。 。。。more
Liz
，
This book had a lot of promise， but it was not enjoyable as an audiobook which is my preferred format。 The narration is pretty flat and boring which made it hard to pay attention to， and there are multiple stories woven together in a way that I’m not sure really came together in the best way。 I did find the overall premise of injecting mid-century American history into the history of the jet age and flight attendants to be a good concept。 It just fell short and felt convoluted。
Hyrum
，
The baby airlift was probably the best part of the book。 It’s only purely good part and the reason that book got three stars instead of two。 It was a beautiful moment。 The rest of the book was uneven at best。 It starts out by telling you that the reputation of stewardesses was undeserved and then kept inserting stories and side notes that seemed to prove it true。
Evan Whitlock
，