When Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific in 1937 during an attempted around-the-world flight, she was at the height of her fame - adored by the American public, she counted celebrities and politicians among her friends and inspired women across the globe. Fascination with Earhart remains just as strong today, as her mysterious disappearance continues to create wonderment and speculation. In this nuanced and often surprising biography, acclaimed aviation historian Kathleen C. Winters moves beyond the caricature of the spunky, preternaturally gifted pilot to offer a more complex portrait of Earhart. Drawing on a wealth of contemporary accounts, airline records, and other extensive original research, this book reveals a flawed heroine who was frequently reckless and lacked basic navigation skills, but who was also a canny manipulator of mass media. Winters details how Earhart and her husband and promoter, publisher George Putnam, worked to build her into an international icon, even as other spectacular pilots went unnoticed by the public. Sympathetic but unsentimental, this biography helps us to see Amelia Earhart with fresh eyes.
