Come Fly the World: The Jet-Age Story of the Women of Pan Am
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- Create Date：2021-04-24 17:31:30
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Julia Cooke
- ISBN：B08S5VVRLR
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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 26 years of age at the time of hire。 Julia Cooke’s intimate storytelling weaves together the real-life stories of a memorable cast of characters， from 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 life 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 2，000 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 26 years of age at the time of hire。 Julia Cooke’s intimate storytelling weaves together the real-life stories of a memorable cast of characters， from 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 life 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 2，000 children during the fall of Saigon—the book’s special cast of stewardesses unites to play an extraordinary role on the world stage。
Reviews
Jenny Lawson
，
A little slow at times， but still fascinating。 3。5 stars。
Tazindayan
，
This was a really crisp and weightless read！ It walked a nice line of newspaper， magazine， and diary。 There were portions between chapters that felt muddled together， a kind of jumbled conversation between three or four strangers。 These would occur regularly but the author always leveled her intended focus rather quickly。This read delivered far more new perspectives and instances of history from the 40's - 80's than I had anticipated。 This was a really crisp and weightless read！ It walked a nice line of newspaper， magazine， and diary。 There were portions between chapters that felt muddled together， a kind of jumbled conversation between three or four strangers。 These would occur regularly but the author always leveled her intended focus rather quickly。This read delivered far more new perspectives and instances of history from the 40's - 80's than I had anticipated。 。。。more
Trina Nicholson
，
I grew up in the early 60’s so l found this book more than fascinating because not only was it a history of the aviation industry， it also explored the women’s movement during those dramatic years。 I remember “Fly Me” and the airplanes with women’s names。 When l was in junior high， my mother arranged an interview for me with Eastern， or National， （ don’t remember） to discuss possible career options after l finished high school。 I went to college instead and decades later became a travel agent。 S I grew up in the early 60’s so l found this book more than fascinating because not only was it a history of the aviation industry， it also explored the women’s movement during those dramatic years。 I remember “Fly Me” and the airplanes with women’s names。 When l was in junior high， my mother arranged an interview for me with Eastern， or National， （ don’t remember） to discuss possible career options after l finished high school。 I went to college instead and decades later became a travel agent。 So l did get to see the world after all。 thoroughly recommend this book to all women of all ages。 。。。more
Donna
，
Love the cover， love the history of Pan Am and loved that this was not the chick-lit book I expected！。 I travelled many times with Pan Am during the late '60s to mid '70's; and as a nurse with my ex-husband at Ft。 Benning GA in 1975， I was awakened one night to the sound of a PA announcement in the military housing， requesting medically experienced civilians to go to the elementary school。。。。。to receive about 200 small children and babies from a plane arriving from Vietnam in Operation Babylift。 Love the cover， love the history of Pan Am and loved that this was not the chick-lit book I expected！。 I travelled many times with Pan Am during the late '60s to mid '70's; and as a nurse with my ex-husband at Ft。 Benning GA in 1975， I was awakened one night to the sound of a PA announcement in the military housing， requesting medically experienced civilians to go to the elementary school。。。。。to receive about 200 small children and babies from a plane arriving from Vietnam in Operation Babylift。 As I also have over 20 years working for other airlines， this book became a quick friend and reminder of the fun times and some sorrows I had in that industry。 Enjoyed the stories of feminist fights for equality， the Vietnam War protests， and the almost biographical details of Karen， Tori， Lynne and Hazel。 Such different women， all with the company loyalty so common in that generation。 。。。more
Jamie
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3。5 ⭐️ Love hearing about the early feminist stewardesses especially as my mom is now a current flight attendant！ ✈️
Grace
，
This book is so great！ The nonfiction narrative is written extremely well。 The writing never felt choppy。 I highly recommend this book if you enjoy history， either Vietnam War history or just Women's History。 This book is so great！ The nonfiction narrative is written extremely well。 The writing never felt choppy。 I highly recommend this book if you enjoy history， either Vietnam War history or just Women's History。 。。。more
TL
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*Overdrive app *3。75 stars 🌟
Jeananne
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Come Fly the World by Julia CookeOfficial rating: 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️Page turner rating: 3 stars 📄📄📄Come Fly the World chronicles the lives of 5 stewardesses for Pan Am during the airline’s height in the 1960s and 1970s。 We learn about each woman personally as well as their journey within the airline industry。 The book also details some world and American history to tie everything together。 After watching the show PanAm a few years back， I was intrigued in the topic so I grabbed this book right away Come Fly the World by Julia CookeOfficial rating: 3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️Page turner rating: 3 stars 📄📄📄Come Fly the World chronicles the lives of 5 stewardesses for Pan Am during the airline’s height in the 1960s and 1970s。 We learn about each woman personally as well as their journey within the airline industry。 The book also details some world and American history to tie everything together。 After watching the show PanAm a few years back， I was intrigued in the topic so I grabbed this book right away once I saw it。 I listened to this one and the audio was fine， but I got lost a few times between each of the characters stories as it’s not a novel， but a string of information from each character sewn together。 I loved hearing about the role that they all played in the Vietnam War， hearing about the details of the requirements of their role， but there were many sections of the book that were slow to me。 I appreciated it for what it was as a nonfiction book， but was hoping it would read slightly more like fiction with the first person perspectives。 。。。more
Kendra
，
The first half of this book could have been condensed to about 3 chapters。 It felt information heavy but redundant。。。something I would reference if writing a research paper on Pan Am。 The book’s saving grace was the last 50 or so pages。 I was unaware of the airline’s role in Vietnam and spend those pages fascinated by the shift in roles。 Otherwise， a “meh” book that nearly became a DNF。
Jeanette
，
Honestly， I never read any reviews until after reading the book （and studying the photos too）。 So I have been absolutely flummoxed by the majority of the high ratings。 Having lived through this period and having VERY good （1 best friend） become stewardesses， I don't see this as others。 For sure。The book consistently loses its focus as it goes into 100 other tangents to Pan Am and the industry。 And the times， and the war （Vietnam） and the baby rescuing operations etc。 etc。 etc。 It IS the title in Honestly， I never read any reviews until after reading the book （and studying the photos too）。 So I have been absolutely flummoxed by the majority of the high ratings。 Having lived through this period and having VERY good （1 best friend） become stewardesses， I don't see this as others。 For sure。The book consistently loses its focus as it goes into 100 other tangents to Pan Am and the industry。 And the times， and the war （Vietnam） and the baby rescuing operations etc。 etc。 etc。 It IS the title in one sense but whose story。 At 4 or 5 individuals？ Not necessarily average either。 I knew many stewardesses and none of them had any college degrees and VERY few had 1 semester。 Regardless， this gives a picture that is atypical， IMHO。 And also holds dozens of the positives with quite few of the negatives。 Health being #1。 It was not a lifestyle that engendered health。 Every one I knew was used up， got sick- or was thrown away for age or weight or some other hierarchy squabble。 It covers somewhat of the struggle to change "the rules" but not much to the extent of how the women were used to depletion。 Every one I heard the tale from 1st hand left the services worse off than when they started。 While in business during this exact time， much less frou-frou of "dynamic" looks measures were so specified。 Being fully adult through the last half of the '60's- I fully remember who earned， rose or established in careers and who didn't。 Paid ones and unpaid ones， at that。The pictures were posed for the most part， IMHO。 The women of today of that same age group would not at all be subjected to the rigid indignities of norm。 The trailer says Mad Men？？？ Believe me Joanie had it ALL OVER these women。 She actually got to use her intelligence as much as her looks。A much more even and organized novel could have been done。 Hodgepodge at the most。 2。5 stars and never rounded up for the level of "user" connotated here。 Or realistically how one sided the user feature worked out。 It was much worse to psyches and health than this book implies。 。。。more
Mary Lena romano
，
Interesting in parts， repetitive in parts。 Reminds me of a grandma that repeats her stories several times。 It seems that the story didn't develop。 Was this supposed to be a post-mortem on Pan Am？ Or was it a story of several of the stewardesses/flight attendants？ Never got the flow going。 It's one of those books that you keep reading hoping it will finally get better， but it never does。 Just scatter shot。 Interesting in parts， repetitive in parts。 Reminds me of a grandma that repeats her stories several times。 It seems that the story didn't develop。 Was this supposed to be a post-mortem on Pan Am？ Or was it a story of several of the stewardesses/flight attendants？ Never got the flow going。 It's one of those books that you keep reading hoping it will finally get better， but it never does。 Just scatter shot。 。。。more
Dea Spears
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Remarkable in any way。 I suggest you join NovelStar’s writing competition this April。
Morgan
，
I thought this was going to be a bit of fun and fluff。 Not so。 It was so much more。 It took me from the 1950s ‘stewardess’ to today’s ‘flight attendant’。In 1960 I applied for a job as a stewardess with a major airline （not Pan Am）。 To me it offered glamour and free international travel。 I did not get the job。If you thought this job was nothing but flying the ‘friendly skies' （as I did）， you’d be wrong…Pan Am flew routes that placed crews in imminent danger in some very ‘unfriendly skies’。The tra I thought this was going to be a bit of fun and fluff。 Not so。 It was so much more。 It took me from the 1950s ‘stewardess’ to today’s ‘flight attendant’。In 1960 I applied for a job as a stewardess with a major airline （not Pan Am）。 To me it offered glamour and free international travel。 I did not get the job。If you thought this job was nothing but flying the ‘friendly skies' （as I did）， you’d be wrong…Pan Am flew routes that placed crews in imminent danger in some very ‘unfriendly skies’。The training for a Pan Am stewardess was akin to a fancy finishing school in Switzerland at their training facility in Miami。 It was rigorous and demanding。 Courses dealing with safety， such as procedure（s） for leaving a disabled plane， were especially daunting。To become a stewardess in the 1950’s & 60’s the requirements were stringent for age， weight and height。 Once employed there were frequent ‘weigh-ins’ to make sure one had not gone over the weight restrictions。 One had to be bi-lingual。 You could not get married and you pretty much knew that your flying days would be over by age 32。 Pg。 107: “All airlines agreed on the perils of a visibly pregnant stewardess。”By the late 1960’s these young ladies began to buck these rules and started a campaign for change。 Pg。151: "By the end of 1972， two groups of stewardess activists had formed…。At a press conference， two women from each group told reporters that they were more afraid of being written up for talking back to a drunk passenger than they were of a hijacking。”I learned a bit of history about Pan Am and what led to the phrase the ‘jet set’。 I learned that Pan Am was involved in associations with the US Government in several ways。 They flew servicemen out of Vietnam for R&R and they flew new recruits into Vietnam who would be facing battle for the first time。 Stewardesses would have to adjust their demeanor for the passengers they had on board。The book ends with the ‘orphan airlifts’ out of Vietnam。 Pg。 208: “By the numbers， stewardesses had formed one of the largest groups of civilians to contribute to the Vietnam War。” 。。。more
Tara
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Interesting but it dragged in almost half the book。
Marybeth Taranow
，
This was such a fascinating and informative book on the history of Pan Am and the stewardesses who flew for them。 It also contains a lot of history of the Vietnam war。 I thought at first that it was going to be a fluffy read about being a stewardess but it was the complete opposite。 The woman that are featured in this book are smart and feisty and educated。 They are not at all what society stereotypes stewardesses as。This book was a total must read for all the history this book packs。 Thank you This was such a fascinating and informative book on the history of Pan Am and the stewardesses who flew for them。 It also contains a lot of history of the Vietnam war。 I thought at first that it was going to be a fluffy read about being a stewardess but it was the complete opposite。 The woman that are featured in this book are smart and feisty and educated。 They are not at all what society stereotypes stewardesses as。This book was a total must read for all the history this book packs。 Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Sarah Burton
，
Come Fly the World wasn't what I was expecting， yes there is the glamour of Pan Am in its heyday but along with the glamour the ladies who made it through the tough interview process to take to the skies as stewardess found themselves doing so much more， from flying soldiers and orphans from a war torn Vietnam to fighting the sexual inequality they faced in their workplace。Julia Cooke， along with the first hand accounts of several Pan Am ladies tells a story of inspiring ladies， close escapes an Come Fly the World wasn't what I was expecting， yes there is the glamour of Pan Am in its heyday but along with the glamour the ladies who made it through the tough interview process to take to the skies as stewardess found themselves doing so much more， from flying soldiers and orphans from a war torn Vietnam to fighting the sexual inequality they faced in their workplace。Julia Cooke， along with the first hand accounts of several Pan Am ladies tells a story of inspiring ladies， close escapes and the politics of the time。A really great read。I was given a copy of Come Fly the World by NetGalley and the publishers in return for a unbiased review。 。。。more
Tfalcone
，
Somehow Pan Am is what I remember from flying as a young child。 I think the commercials also made them interesting。 Not sure why not Lufthansa。
Keith CARTER
，
A terrific blast from the past of glamorous air stewardesses of Pan Am airline。 Full of personal stories from the girls themselves and little-known history。 This book reads like a novel and deserves to be read。
Emily Rose
，
This fell a little flat for me。 I was looking for more of a memoir-style book and this was a bit more of an overview of the sexist policies and how they changed。 There was more about the fact Pan Am flew for the Vietnam War than about the personal lives of the women who worked as stewardesses。 I found some of it interesting but missing that personal touch for me。
Penny
，
Didn't finish; boring。 Didn't finish; boring。 。。。more
Jane Ives
，
Pan Am - the best airline of all timeAs an X pen I am stewardess， I enjoyed hearing of all the experiences of many other stewardesses I flew in the late 60’s And didn’t have many of the experiences that these girls had but I did meet celebrities travel almost everywhere in the world and loved it
Cameron Kuhn
，
FantasticSuper interesting story from a once massive company and it’s role in the 1960s。 I was pleasantly surprised at how well written this story was and how much it highlighted the culture for women， war， and global affairs of the time。
Kate
，
This is a very interesting book about the advent of PanAm stewardesses and their role in the history of the world。 Their stories of flying young GIs in and out of Vietnam and the Operation Babylift were particularly eye opening。
Carol Godette
，
Well researched non fiction that follows life of 3 of the original Pan Am stewardesses。 At times I found the writing style dry。 Great historical details。
Johanna Dennehy
，
A jet-age history lessonMy sister was a career flight attendant for United ， so I was drawn to this book。 But wow！ What an amazing collection of stories。 Every young woman should read it for sure as this book not only shows a different side of history in the world， but it's a great history of the woman's movement。 A quick and totally enjoyable， educational read that I will definitely recommend to others。 A jet-age history lessonMy sister was a career flight attendant for United ， so I was drawn to this book。 But wow！ What an amazing collection of stories。 Every young woman should read it for sure as this book not only shows a different side of history in the world， but it's a great history of the woman's movement。 A quick and totally enjoyable， educational read that I will definitely recommend to others。 。。。more
Tanya
，
I feel like I can form a direct line between this book and why the Go-Gos are still not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but maybe that's just my feminism talking。I was tempted to read this book because of the gorgeous cover， but what's inside is what really impresses。 I confess， a few years back I took a gander at that awful ABC Series Pan Am with Christina Ricci and a young（er） Margot Robbie - but that show is not this book， either。I think we as women forget there was a time when you could no I feel like I can form a direct line between this book and why the Go-Gos are still not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but maybe that's just my feminism talking。I was tempted to read this book because of the gorgeous cover， but what's inside is what really impresses。 I confess， a few years back I took a gander at that awful ABC Series Pan Am with Christina Ricci and a young（er） Margot Robbie - but that show is not this book， either。I think we as women forget there was a time when you could not open a bank account or credit card， or go into a restaurant or bar without a male supervising you。 We also forget the lack of jobs for women， and how being a stewardess was one of the few options that provided freedom and a chance to see the worldWhat Cooke does is take a core group of women and give you their stories - ending with the baby airlift out of Saigon but with an epilogue as well。 All these women are to be commended for their bravery， the unfailing professionalism they performed their jobs with， all the while being subject to dress and weight and grooming guidelines， as well the the advertising agencies putting forth the "sexy stew" and "fly me" nonsense that passed for marketing back in the day。 Add to that some of the casual and ingrained racism many of the Black stewardesses faced in the U。S。 and you have a compelling story about women。I don't often give a book five stars。 This one will stay with me for a while and I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Heather
，
This book is all over the place！ It had so much potential。 I really wanted to love this book。
Natalie
，
Very interesting book about the women of Pan Am。
Gail Burchard
，
Being a flt attendant in 1963 for AA， then getting married， having to resign and worked for Pan Am on the ground- secty to director of Caribbean in STT for another 3 years - was rather disappointed in the depiction of flight attendants in her book。 The stories may have been true for some， or the ones she interviewed， but for many， this was not the case。 Maybe a little more respect back then， but it was not so glamorous， though management did want you to bring that appeal - and needing to retire Being a flt attendant in 1963 for AA， then getting married， having to resign and worked for Pan Am on the ground- secty to director of Caribbean in STT for another 3 years - was rather disappointed in the depiction of flight attendants in her book。 The stories may have been true for some， or the ones she interviewed， but for many， this was not the case。 Maybe a little more respect back then， but it was not so glamorous， though management did want you to bring that appeal - and needing to retire by 32 yrs。 。。。more
Honor Kennedy
，