Review: Black and White Airmen

Their True History

By John Fleischman

Houghton Mifflin; 2007; 160 pages

Juvenile Non-Fiction; History

Grades: Fifth and Up

ISBN: 978-0-618-56297-8

A story of race and segregation during WWII. Two young men, one white and one black, grew up in the same neighborhood, were in the same grade, and both flew in WWII. Yet, despite all of their similarities, the two do not meet until decades after the war.

My Thoughts:
I did not find this book to be at all engaging, which is a shame since the premise is such a good one. Both topics, WWII aviation and segregation in America, have always been of great interest to me. The fact that, despite my preexisting interest in the subject matter, I was still hard-pressed to slog through this book does not bode well for juvenile readers. The text is clunkily written and devoid of the fascinating tidbits and real life connections that could have made it stand out. The text is formatted into chapters and a narrative, rather than subheadings or fast facts. I worry that it will not hold a young reader's interest...I worry that it won't hold an older reader's interest.

The pictures scattered throughout the book are great, but I would have appreciated it if a few had been larger. Also, especially considering the content, maps and more exact diagrams showing the different kinds of planes would have been helpful. Not every child reading this book, if any even attempt to do so, is going to have a mental image for P-39s or where Sicily is in relation to the US. There is also a lot of references to instruments and instrument panels but nothing really showing them.

The Thoughts of Others:
Kirkus's review in 2007, partially agreed with me. They thought the appeal would be limited to fans of WWII, and wished that more resources had been offered. They did like the pictures though, saying that the "photographs, maps and...variety of other illustrations offer visual appeal to an otherwise uninspiring text."

John Peters, when he wrote a 2007 review for Booklist, completely disagreed with me. He was enthralled by the book and its coincidences. He felt it was a "stinging indictment" of air force discrimination. He summed it up as a "double portrait, which, though slightly unfocused, is often thrilling and consistently absorbing."