A review by couillac
Amelia Lost: The Life and Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming

5.0

Wow. I think a nonfiction book might have a crack at the Newbery this year. I admit that I haven't read all the other early contenders, but this is by far the best thing I've read all year. Fleming's work in this book is masterful, alternating between the suspenseful moments and days following Earhart's planned arrival on Howland Island during the penultimate leg of her flight around the world with Earhart's childhood and life leading up to her disappearance. Like a lot of people, I thought I had a pretty good idea of who Amelia Earhart was, but Fleming reveals so much of the person that I didn't know. Fleming illustrates through personal letters, anecdotes from family members and acquaintances and the media of that age just how much Amelia saw herself as a brand and really cultivated a public image in order to finance her aviation adventures. I was also fascinated by her childhood and her parents' encouragement of Amelia and her sister's education and adventures. She was clearly an extraordinary and inspiring woman for any age, but particularly for the age in which she lived. An engaging, interesting, and often thrilling read. Don't miss this one.