Reading guide for The Last Pilot by Benjamin Johncock

Reading Guide Questions

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Much of The Last Pilot takes place in the desert, and Benjamin Johncock provides readers with wonderful, atmospheric descriptions of the landscape. Why do you think he dedicates so much space to describing the land? And why was the Mojave Desert chosen as the site of the Air Corps flight tests?
2. Near the beginning of the novel, Johncock gives us a scene of Pancho, Grace, and Glennis drinking at the Happy Bottom Club, listening to the broadcast of a dangerous flight test Glennis's husband, Chuck, is manning. Why does Johncock chose to gives us this scene from the women's perspective at the bar rather than the perspective of the men at the airfield?
3. Pancho is one of The Last Pilot's most colorful characters and is based on real - life figure, Florence Lowe "Pancho" Barnes. In what ways is Pancho a woman ahead of her time? And what is it about the Mojave Desert that seems to draw characters like her?
4. The Last Pilot takes place in the late 40s – late 60s, a time that predates the current technology that allows us to be in constant contact with one another. Grace is constantly worried about Jim because of the dangers of his profession, and at one point, she calls the base, frantic to know if Jim is OK. Jim reassures that he's fine and says, "Air Force pays my wage, trains me to wear the Blue Suit, but they don't do a damn thing to train the wife of a Blue Suitor." Do you think there is any way they could have "trained" the wives of these men? If so, what kind of training would have helped the women cope?
5. Why does Grace keep her visits with Reverend Irving a secret from Jim?
6. The Last Pilot is framed by real, historical events: the Cold War, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the Space Race. How does this historical context affect your reading of the novel? Are you drawn to novels that are based on true stories? If so, why?
7. Jim is listening to a radio broadcast of a press conference with America's first astronauts when the men are asked "for a show of hands of how many are confident that they will come back from outer space?" Do you think you would have been able to raise your hand? Would your opinion change if you were asked this question today?
8. After Florence is born, Jim begins to learn what it means to be a parent. Johncock writes, "Florence cried hard when hungry and it cut into him, not the volume, or the sound, but the need. And it came with no warning, on no schedule, and took priority over all else. He didn't like it." What was it about this situation that Jim didn't like?
9. When Jim, Florence, and Grace meet Annie for lunch, Anne tells them the story of the first time she had ice cream. What does this moment say about the relationship between taste and memory? Can you recall any similar experiences of your own?
10. Shortly after Florence is diagnosed with a brain tumor, Grace makes a call to Jim at the base to break the terrible news. After, Jim still insists on going through with his scheduled flight test even though Riley urges him to "call it a day." Why do you think Jim insists on going through with the flight test? What insights into Jim's character does this scene provide?
11. What did the figure of the astronaut represent during the 1950s and the 1960s? Has this changed? If so, how?
12. Do you think Jim would have made the decision to join NASA's lunar landing mission if Florence had lived?
13. During the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, Grace asks Jim to stay with her instead of continuing to devote all of his time to the space program. When he refuses, she asks him if he thinks the program is more important than her, to which he replies, yes. Do you agree with Jim? Why or why not?
14. As Jim's mental state begins to unravel, he starts to believe that he killed Florence. What do you make of Jim's decision to give Dr. Lapitus the OK to proceed with the experimental treatment? Do you place any blame on Jim for Florence's death?
15. What perfect storm of circumstances brought on Jim's mental collapse? And why is it so essential for astronauts to be of sound body and mind?
16. The novel ends on Christmas Eve, 1968. Jim and Grace are watching a broadcast from the Apollo 8 mission whose crew is the first to see the entire Earth from space. Why do you think Johncock ends with this powerful image?

Unless otherwise stated, this discussion guide is reprinted with the permission of Picador. Any page references refer to a USA edition of the book, usually the trade paperback version, and may vary in other editions.