Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for L.A. Birdmen:
Like their aircraft, these people had at least one screw loose.
Quick synopsis:
The story of the first airshow in America.
Fun Fact Non-History People Will Like:
The longest flight the Wright brothers accomplished on their first successful day flying was 59 seconds and a height of 852 feet.
Fun Fact for History Nerds:
The Wright brothers sued a ton of people who tried to fly after they got their patent.
My Take on L.A. Birdmen:
Crackpots, weirdos, and suicidal thrill-seekers. These are the men who started American aviation. Oh, and a Frenchman being very French.
Richard Goodrich tells the story of how the West Coast became the epicenter of aviation in his book, L.A. Birdmen. The first thing I loved about the book is how completely in the dark I was about almost all of it. The Wright brothers are the beginning of flying, but did you know they almost immediately became recluses and jerks? Jerks because they tried to sue everyone into oblivion instead of getting into the business of actual flying on a regular (and visible) basis.
The book isn’t just about the birth and development of the airplane. Dirigibles (or blimp if you are an NFL fan) develop within the narrative and Goodrich does an exceptional job of making each person memorable. That is no small feat. By the time the narrative gets to the L.A. airshow, we have already been introduced to dozens of figures. The entire story leads up to the airshow and it does not disappoint. This book is a lot of fun, and you don’t need to be a science/aviation nerd to enjoy it.
(This book was provided as an advance copy by Netgalley and Prometheus Books.)
Verdict:
Enlightening and fun. Buy it here!
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