Tiny Broadwick: The First Lady of Parachuting
Gr. 4-8. Despite her introductory disclaimer that very little has been written about Georgia "Tiny" Broadwick, Roberson has done her research well, compiling what she found about the four-foot eleven-inch parachutist into an interesting, often inspiring biography. Broadwick, who came from an impoverished background, defied the provincial attitudes about women in her North Carolina town by joining a hot-air balloon act, becoming, as a teen, the first female parachutist. Descriptions of her successful jumps are captivating, but even more impressive are reports of the endless mishaps that demonstrate how dangerous her work was. Broadwick was hailed, then forgotten, then rediscovered in the 1960s, when she was honored by many aviation groups and by theGuinness Book of World Records. A tiny spitfire full of energy and unapologetic sass, Broadwick is an enthralling subject who deserves the prodigious praise that Roberson heaps into every description.Roger LeslieCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved