"Breathtaking...If you come to this book without any knowledge of the nascent days of spaceflight, Teitel's writing will immediately immerse you in this foreign landscape, making you feel like you're experiencing the personal journeys of these remarkable characters right alongside them. If you do have a knowledge of many of the events, her writing will likely only deepen whatever your opinion was going into the story."—Forbes

"Cleverly intertwines the stories of two women pilots...Teitel allows us to feel personally engaged with two fascinating characters who each made pretty quirky decisions...A remarkable story."—Medium

"Deftly crafted...Fighting for Space ably and informatively showcases this pair of inherently fascinating and absolutely fearless women using their life stories as guides through the every shifting social, political, and technical landscapes of their time."—Midwest Book Review

"In this smart, fun, compelling, and deeply researched book, Teitel tells the tale of Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb, who scrapped with each other and, more important, with a blinkered, male-dominated space agency, for their chance to be among the first humans to leave the planet. It's a story of ambition, talent, gender equality, and of a media frenzy that seems more twenty-first century than 1950s. Teitel's prose is as infectious as the space-history videos that have made her a YouTube sensation, and she has picked a story that must have been a delight to write. It's certainly a delight to read."—Jeff Kluger, author of Apollo8 and coauthor of Apollo 13 with Jim Lovell

"History is often not as simple as it seems. In the case of Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb, this book offers a revealing insight on two characters we thought we knew but didn't. From different generations and with profoundly different but equally dogged motivations, these two pilots crossed paths and fought battles in the new world of women pushing for a place in the air, and perhaps even in space. Amy Shira Teitel digs beneath the stories to reveal motivations that are not always as straightforward and admirable as other accounts suggest. A wealth of original research reminds us that people are complex, and sometimes it is those complexities that allow them to get as far as they do in the pursuit of enormous goals-or hold them back."—Francis French, author of In the Shadow of the Moon

"Spaceflight historian Teitel took a deep dive into a host of public records to craft this dual biography of Cochran and Cobb, creating a firm portrait of two driven and determined individuals."—Booklist

★ 07/01/2020

Spaceflight historian Teitel tells the empowering true story of two female pilots who fought to be the first women in space. This dual biography captures the brilliant lives of Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb as they trailblazed their way into the cockpit and into the hearts of millions of Americans. Both became pilots at a time in America when women were expected to restrict themselves to the domestic sphere—certainly not setting flying records or breaking the space barrier. Cochran and Cobb fought against sexism and proved time and again that they belonged in the air. The dawn of the space age brought new dreams and both women longed to get into space. Cobb took all the same tests as America's first astronauts and refused to let the matter lie. She had already proved she could be a pilot, she could prove that she was astronaut material as well. The book is passionately narrated by the author, who gives both women vim and vigor, causing them to leap from the page right into the listener's imagination. This inspiring story highlights two women that challenged the social norms and used their grit and determination to prove themselves the equal of any man in the air or the atmosphere. VERDICT An awe-inducing biography that space junkies, feminists, and historians will eat up.—Erin Cataldi, Johnson Cty. P.L., Franklin, IN

Author Amy Shira Teitel narrates her portrait of women aviators Jackie Cochran and Jerrie Cobb. While the two women had significant achievements as airplane pilots, both dreamed of being the first American woman in space. While Teitel’s delivery is strong overall, she could have varied her tone and pacing somewhat to better match the levels of excitement in her stories. In addition, her habit of using first names only in second references can make it difficult for listeners to discern whom she is referring to. This is especially true of minor figures. Aviation and space enthusiasts will easily look past these minor flaws. The work is a veritable Who’s Who of post-1930s American aviation. R.C.G. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

2019-12-17
A dual biography reveals women's trailblazing roles in aviation.

Spaceflight historian Teitel (Breaking the Chains of Gravity: The Story of Spaceflight Before NASA, 2016), who was an embedded journalist with the New Horizons mission to Pluto team in 2015, brings considerable excitement and knowledge about U.S. space programs to her close look at the life and career of two pioneering women pilots: Jackie Cochran (1906-1980) and Jerrie Cobb (1931-2019). At the start of her career, Cochran fought to be taken seriously, facing down men who tried to discourage her. The winner of multiple awards for her flying prowess, she was the only female entrant in the 1937 Bendix race, which added "a new women's cross-country speed record" to her accomplishments. In 1938, she was named "First Lady of the Air Lanes." At the start of World War II, she established the Women's Flying Training Detachment, a precursor to the Women Airforce Service Pilots program, instituted at 120 Air Force bases, where women pilots tested planes, flew simulated operations, and flew cargo, weapons, and personnel around the country. Cochran directed the WASP program and flew bomber planes during the war. She also became a war correspondent for a magazine that her wealthy and doting husband bought to facilitate her overseas assignments. In 1956, Cochran lost a congressional bid, but she used her celebrity and money to support women's training as aviators. Cobb, a generation younger, confronted the same prejudice against women pilots that Cochran faced. A NASA administrator who opposed a female astronaut program once described himself as "one of the old school" in favor of keeping women "barefoot and pregnant." Nevertheless, Cobb proved as ardent as Cochran, submitting herself as a test subject for astronaut training, recruiting other women pilots, and lobbying with NASA director James Webb to admit women as astronauts. Cobb faced opposition not only from NASA, but also from Cochran, who adamantly opposed women's astronaut training; wielding her high-level political connections (Lyndon Johnson was a friend), she saw Cobb's efforts quashed.

A well-researched contribution to women's and aviation history.