... engaging ... has an eye-opening anecdote on every page; even the union negotiations are entertaining and informative ... Wulfhart’s book demonstrates how the stewardesses’ labor fight affected the state of modern American employment and helped enshrine many of the workplace rights women have today ... Recommended for readers of women’s history and histories of the airline industry, and anyone looking for an engaging and entertaining read.
... exhilarating ... Ms. Wulfhart is a vivid storyteller who writes with energy and style, and the experiences of Patt and Tommie, passionately pushing both the airline and the union to catch up with the changing times, lend her account poignancy.
... engaging ... offers insightful profiles of two women who successfully led these campaigns against seemingly impossible odds ... Their compelling stories unfold against the backdrop of the turbulent 1960s and ‘70s ... Travel journalist Wulfhart explains union wranglings, emerging legislation, and lengthy court battles within context, exposing the era’s expectations regarding women’s roles as sex objects, wives, and mothers in stark reality. This is an eye-opening chapter in the history of feminism and women’s rights.
McShane Wulfhart brings a treasure trove of vintage ads and relatable anecdotes ... There is so much compelling detail in the story of how stewardesses became flight attendants, how the field was opened to men and equalized for all, that the timeline of these inflection points gets lost in the telling. Much societal change that Wulfhart tangentially deals with made the climate more favorable for a breakaway union spearheaded by women ... With this book, Wulfhart, through her prodigious research, secures a place for the women who endured all manner of indignities to forge a better future for those who put their lives on the line every day in a job once regarded as frivolous.
[Wulfhart] wisely structures her engaging (if unfortunately cliché-ridden) narrative around three key women in the struggle for stewardesses to be treated as professionals. These profiles in tenacity are particularly striking when viewed against the backdrop of offensive airline advertisements that promoted 'air hostesses' as sex objects ... Patt Gibbs, who ran away from her family circus act (really) to join American Airlines in 1961, is the most vivid character...Later, she was instrumental in breaking away from the male-dominated TWU to form an independent union, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants — a battle that Wulfhart delves into more deeply than some readers might want.
Accompanied by occasional black-and-white images, this engaging narrative offers a fascinating look at how the intersection of the women’s and labor movements helped a little-discussed, female-dominated profession achieve viability and respect ... An informatively readable combination of cultural and feminist history.
... a rousing history ... Throughout, Wulfhart lucidly contextualizes the stewardesses’ campaign within the larger feminist movement, and shares striking anecdotes of the insults they endured and the dedication it took to reform 'the most sexist workplace in America.' The result is an invigorating and inspiring story of women triumphing over discrimination.
