Overview

From the New York Times bestselling author Caroline Paul, a thrilling, gravity-defying book that takes us skyward to explore the art of aeronautics-and the depths of the human heart. Flying has long represented the beautiful, high-stakes human drive to invent, to explore, to experience. Caroline Paul has known this since becoming a pilot at twenty years old. Now she's in her fifties, and her long-term marriage is dissolving beneath her. She begins to fly a gyrocopter. Isn't it easier to learn a landing than a human heart? As Paul examines the descent of love through the ascent of flight, she turns her eye to the history, the physics, and the deep impact of flying on others. From the brave Night Witches who flew biplanes against the Nazis, to the ultralight pilots who believe they can save endangered birds by becoming one of the flock, to the many people afraid to step onto a passenger plane, Why Fly examines the ways flight, like love, confounds and yet transforms us. Often we soar. But we also crash land. Still, we want to fly. Why?

Full Product Details

9781639734993

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Paul discusses the physics of flight; the difficulties that make takeoff and landing precarious; navigation strategies; and techniques pilots use for not getting lost, such as dead reckoning, pilotage, and, helpfully, GPS . . . Though the memoir is threaded with a sense of loss, Paul has a light touch in contriving metaphors from flying. An engaging memoir of exhilaration and sadness."" --Kirkus Reviews ""Lifelong pilot Paul muses on her love of aviation in this meditative memoir... There is a great deal here about the romance of flight, making it a title that will appeal more naturally to those less concerned with the technical side of things and more intrigued with the idea of flying. Nonpilots will especially enjoy the opportunity to imaginatively sit alongside the pilot as she challenges herself to face her fears and not look back from life's difficulties."" --Booklist ""Caroline Paul writes about flying with exuberance and joy. In Why Fly she makes the case for seeking transcendent adventure in the face of earthbound troubles."" --Becky Aikman, author of SPITFIRES: The American Women Who Flew in the Face of Danger During World War II ""Caroline Paul has long been my North Star for what it is to be an adventurer in the world. I'd follow her anywhere."" --Bonnie Tsui, author of WHY WE SWIM ""An entertaining read. It's sure to inspire women to continue to enjoy the outdoors, create new neural pathways as they try new things, and enjoy the camaraderie of their sisters in adventure into their later years."" --USA Today, ""Outdoor Wires"" on TOUGH BROAD ""Part high-energy how-to guide, part hilarious memoir, and part interactive adventure journal designed to help girls of all ages build confidence, pluck, and bravery by venturing outside."" --Outside Magazine on THE GUTSY GIRL ""Make The Gutsy Girl the book of the year for daredevils, doers, and dreamers of all ages."" --Cheryl Strayed, author of WILD on THE GUTSY GIRL ""A thoughtful, kind and funny story . . . offering commentary on all relationships and the roles of those we love and sometimes don't love in our lives."" --PBS ""Newshour"" on THE GUTSY GIRL ""Delightful . . . There's a lot here that will thrill any girl-or boy-of any age."" --San Francisco Chronicle on THE GUTSY GIRL ""Paul encourages readers--girls, specifically--to pursue lives of excitement in a book that blends elements of memoir, guidebook, and journal."" --Publishers Weekly on THE GUTSY GIRL

""Paul discusses the physics of flight; the difficulties that make takeoff and landing precarious; navigation strategies; and techniques pilots use for not getting lost, such as dead reckoning, pilotage, and, helpfully, GPS . . . Though the memoir is threaded with a sense of loss, Paul has a light touch in contriving metaphors from flying. An engaging memoir of exhilaration and sadness."" --Kirkus Reviews ""Caroline Paul has long been my North Star for what it is to be an adventurer in the world. I'd follow her anywhere."" --Bonnie Tsui, author of WHY WE SWIM ""An entertaining read. It's sure to inspire women to continue to enjoy the outdoors, create new neural pathways as they try new things, and enjoy the camaraderie of their sisters in adventure into their later years."" --USA Today, ""Outdoor Wires"" on TOUGH BROAD ""Part high-energy how-to guide, part hilarious memoir, and part interactive adventure journal designed to help girls of all ages build confidence, pluck, and bravery by venturing outside."" --Outside Magazine on THE GUTSY GIRL ""Make The Gutsy Girl the book of the year for daredevils, doers, and dreamers of all ages."" --Cheryl Strayed, author of WILD on THE GUTSY GIRL ""A thoughtful, kind and funny story . . . offering commentary on all relationships and the roles of those we love and sometimes don't love in our lives."" --PBS ""Newshour"" on THE GUTSY GIRL ""Delightful . . . There's a lot here that will thrill any girl-or boy-of any age."" --San Francisco Chronicle on THE GUTSY GIRL ""Paul encourages readers--girls, specifically--to pursue lives of excitement in a book that blends elements of memoir, guidebook, and journal."" --Publishers Weekly on THE GUTSY GIRL

""Caroline Paul has long been my North Star for what it is to be an adventurer in the world. I'd follow her anywhere."" --Bonnie Tsui, author of WHY WE SWIM ""An entertaining read. It's sure to inspire women to continue to enjoy the outdoors, create new neural pathways as they try new things, and enjoy the camaraderie of their sisters in adventure into their later years."" --USA Today, ""Outdoor Wires"" on TOUGH BROAD ""Part high-energy how-to guide, part hilarious memoir, and part interactive adventure journal designed to help girls of all ages build confidence, pluck, and bravery by venturing outside."" --Outside Magazine on THE GUTSY GIRL ""Make The Gutsy Girl the book of the year for daredevils, doers, and dreamers of all ages."" --Cheryl Strayed, author of WILD on THE GUTSY GIRL ""A thoughtful, kind and funny story . . . offering commentary on all relationships and the roles of those we love and sometimes don't love in our lives."" --PBS ""Newshour"" on THE GUTSY GIRL ""Delightful . . . There's a lot here that will thrill any girl-or boy-of any age."" --San Francisco Chronicle on THE GUTSY GIRL ""Paul encourages readers--girls, specifically--to pursue lives of excitement in a book that blends elements of memoir, guidebook, and journal."" --Publishers Weekly on THE GUTSY GIRL

Author Information

Caroline Paul is the author of eight books, including the New York Times bestseller The Gutsy Girl: Escapades for your Life of Epic Adventure, and Tough Broad: From Birdwatching to BASE Jumping - How Outdoor Adventure Improves Our Lives as We Age, as well as the illustrated memoir Lost Cat: A True Story of Love, Desperation, and GPS Technology. She is a longtime member of the San Francisco Writers Grotto.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available