Amelia Lost: 10/10/12

Amelia Lost by Candace Fleming is a combination biography and history of the search for Earhart's plane after it went missing over the Pacific in 1937. It looks at both pieces of Amelia Earhart's life with a candid skepticism.

Amelia Earhart, besides being a dare devil pilot, was one of the first modern celebrities. As Fleming explains, the autobiography that (even through my childhood) was taken as canon, was full of the story Earhart wanted remembered — even if details were completely fictional. Fleming isn't trying to discredit Earhart's genuine accomplishments or the tragedy of her disappearance over the Pacific. Rather, she's trying to put the myth into perspective with the facts and the time period in which Earhart lived.

As other reviews have mentioned, Amelia Lost isn't a rehash of previous books. I went into reading this book thinking I knew everything there was to know. I was wrong — even about the search and rescue efforts in 1937.

The book includes numerous photographs and copies of materials from Earhart's life. There is also a decent bibliography for readers who want to continue learning about the aviatrix.

Cybils Award Winner for YA Non-fiction 2011

Five stars

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