The Women with Silver Wings Reading Guide & Discussion Questions

Book Club Discussion Questions

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For supplemental discussion material see our Beyond the Book article, The WASPs Fight for Recognition and our BookBrowse Review of The Women with Silver Wings.

Please be aware that this discussion guide will contain spoilers!

1. Before reading The Women With Silver Wings, what did you know about women's contributions to World War II? Were you familiar with the WASP?
2. The WASP was the brainchild of two trailblazing pilots, Jacqueline Cochran and Nancy Harkness Love. What did they have in common? What set them apart?
3. Nancy and Jackie had strict standards for WASP applicants, including significant flight time, a high level of educational attainment, and even—at least for Jackie's program—a conventionally attractive appearance. Why were they so insistent on maintaining these standards, which were higher than those for men?

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