Memoir of the author’s years as a TWA stewardess. They didn’t call them “flight attendants” back then—they were stewardesses with all that implies: lovely, attentive ladies who filled up your coffee as nearly as they filled out the skirts in their cute little uniforms. She put up with the sexism, not to mention the horrible working hours, ridiculous weight checks, assignments to the smoking sections and more, all to achieve her goals—unlimited free flights and a kick-ass salary. Plus, she really enjoyed the status it gave her, to be the person responsible for getting her passengers safely on the airplane, responding to emergencies, and keeping them fed and comfortable. I admire her.
The most interesting part of the book for me was the description of how she gained confidence and freedom as her career advanced. She went from being a girl for whom eating a meal in a restaurant alone was a near-disastrous experience to a mature, capable woman who could travel to foreign countries alone and navigate their streets (and public transit, too.)
And the least interesting part was the history of how the stewardess role was invented and evolved and the story of TWA airlines. And that was still pretty interesting.
So I enjoyed. Much.
