In 1978, in the tailwind of the golden age of air travel, flight attendants were the epitome of glamour and sophistication. Fresh out of college and hungry to experience the world-and maybe, one day, write about it-Ann Hood joined their ranks. After a gruelling job search, Hood survived TWA's rigorous Breech Training Academy and learned to evacuate seven kinds of aircraft, deliver a baby, mix proper cocktails, administer oxygen and stay calm no matter what the situation.

In the air, Hood found both the adventure she'd dreamt of and the unexpected realities of life on the job. She carved chateaubriand in the first-class cabin and dined in front of the pyramids in Cairo, fended off passengers' advances and found romance on layovers in London and Lisbon, and walked more than a million miles in high heels. She flew through the start of deregulation, an oil crisis, massive furloughs and a labour strike.

As the airline industry changed around her, Hood began to write-even drafting snatches of her first novel from the jump-seat. She reveals how the job empowered her, despite its roots in sexist standards. Packed with funny, moving and shocking stories of life as a flight attendant, Fly Girl captures the nostalgia and magic of air travel at its height, and the thrill that remains with every take-off.

About the Author
Ann Hood is the author of a dozen books of memoir and fiction, including the best-selling novels The Book That Matters Most and The Knitting Circle, and editor of the anthologies Knitting Yarns and Knitting Pearls. She lives in Providence, Rhode Island, and New York.

Reviews
"In this warm and engaging memoir, Ann Hood captures the heady thrills as well as the gruelling realities of life as a flight attendant during the Golden Age of air travel. Over eight years, Hood walked a million miles, explored far-flung cities, and learned invaluable lessons that shaped her as a writer and a person. A brisk history lesson, an affectionate homage, and a thoughtful critique of the airline industry, Fly Girl soars." -- Christina Baker Kline, New York Times best-selling author of The Exiles and Orphan Train
"Fly Girl soars: Ann Hood's memoir of her experiences as a flight attendant is a love letter to the years when flying was a dream-and the 747s ruled the skies. I was catapulted back in time and savored every second and every story from 35,000 feet in the air." -- Chris Bohjalian, #1 New York Times best-selling author of The Flight Attendant and The Lioness
"At first blush, Fly Girl is a charming, layered memoir about Ann Hood's life as a flight attendant who knew the industry in its glory days-and its-not-so-glorious days post-deregulation. But it's also something much more, nothing less than a manifesto calling us to embrace joy and adventure, however we define them. I have always loved Ann's stories and now I know why she has so many: She has lived, in the best, fullest sense of that word. She can't make the sun stand still, but, boy does she make it run." -- Laura Lippman, New York Times best-selling author of Dream Girl and Lady in the Lake



Book Information
ISBN 9781324050414
Author Ann Hood
Format Paperback
Page Count 288
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 223g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 142mm * 18mm