#CardynBrooksReviews #books Sky Girls by Gene Nora Jessen with Foreword by Eileen Collins Aviation non-fiction history Originally published March 1, 2002; Sourcebooks reprint edition August 18, 2018 Opening with a foreword from retired U.S. Air Force Colonel Eileen Collins who was a NASA astronaut and also the first female commander of a space shuttle, this 2018 reissue of 2002’s The Powder Puff Derby of 1929 starts with a brief overview of aviation from ballooning in the 1700s. Transitions between centuries, generations, and innovations jump a bit from point to point in the introduction, but smooth out in the main text where the daily log format including thumbnail biographical sketches of this cast of intriguing real-life characters establishes the narrative structure of an exciting and dangerous adventure being retold by the survivors to their heirs. Gene Nora Jessen’s immense knowledge of aviation mechanics and lore combined with her direct access to a few of ...