Exhausted and on the run, she comes across a yellow biplane coming to rest on the beach. That moment, both of terror and salvation combined, is her new lease on life. Pressed between grease-stained wires in the back of the cockpit, Shannon clings to the trembling frame as the plane propels upwards. The pilot, Drew Patterson, reckless, arrogant, and sporting a Lewis machine gun under a canvas cup, is oblivious to the fact that there is unwanted cargo on board. But when he discovers her, his fury gives way to a reluctant realization: this is no ordinary runaway.
From a strict Home for Wayward Children, where rulers and silence serve as discipline tools, to Kazminski Aviation’s expansive hangars, Shannon refuses to be subdued. She dreams about the cockpit, the smell of kerosene, the rumble of engines, and the unending horizon that no one can take away from her. An encounter with Amelia Earhart seals her resolve; she will fly even if the world says women can’t.
What follows is a literal flight through the most turbulent years of American history, from the Depression and the Dust Bowl, to Hollywood air shows and cross-country deliveries. Along the way, she forms an unbreakable bond with Josie, a talented Black pilot whose struggle against racism mirrors her own internal struggles. And when it comes to matters of the heart, she’s torn between two men: one she marries, the other she cannot forget.
When war erupts, Shannon finds herself in the unpredictable and thrilling world of the Women Airforce Service Pilots, ferrying bombers across seas, still with the ghosts of her parents’ killers trailing her. She must decide whether she will be shoved back down to the earth she struggled so hard to escape or soar high above, and conquer.
Reach for the Sky is a masterful historical adventure novel of bravery, a search for identity, and the unbreakable spirit of a young woman who refuses to be tamed in a world that seeks to ground her. Written during the Golden Age of American Aviation and carried on through the chaos of World War II, it’s perfect for readers of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale, Paula McLain’s Circling the Sun, or fans of richly detailed historical fiction featuring strong women heroines who risk everything for freedom.
