Soaring with Amelia
Joy -- School Library Journal, 10/21/2009
Amelia (PG), a dramatized biographical film based on the life of Amelia Earhart, glides into theaters on October 23, 2009. The movie, produced by Fox Searchlight Pictures, is directed by Mira Nair with a screenplay by Ronald Bass and Anna Hamilton Phelan. Two-time Academy-Award-winner Hilary Swank takes the pilot’s seat, portraying a charismatic, courageous, and can-do individual who made history by becoming the first woman ever to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932. Aided in her endeavors by a partnership with publisher George Putnam (Richard Gere), also a talented publicist, Amelia quickly rose to fame and deftly captured the public’s attention and affection. True equals in many ways, Earhart and Putnam would later marry, and their dedication to each other and mutual respect endured even after Amelia’s passionate love affair with Gene Vidal (Ewan McGregor). In 1937, Earhart’s life—and that of navigator Fred Noonan (Christopher Eccleston)—was tragically ended when her plane vanished over the Pacific Ocean during an ambitious attempt to circumnavigate the globe.
Teens can visit the official Web site to watch a video trailer, view photos, and read up on the cast and crew. The page also includes easy access to film news updates, articles about Earhart, and associated Youtube items. Also provided are links to an interesting array of related resources such as The Official Web Site of Amelia Earhart (“intended to honor the life, the legend and the career of Amelia Earhart”); the Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum in Atchison, KS; and The Ninety-Nines (Earhart was the first president of this International Organization of Women Pilots established in 1929).
Book Tie-ins
Movie fans will be mesmerized by Amelia: The Motion Picture, a handsome co
mpanion volume published by Rizzoli/Universe. The oversize pages present a breathtaking selection of stunningly reproduced images. Film photos are cleverly juxtaposed with archival pictures of Earhart and her contemporaries, illustrating just how closely the movie echoes documented history. These images, in addition to behind-the-scenes candids and pre-production artwork, are presented along with brief excerpts of dialogue from the screenplay. Comments from the film’s creators, including an introduction by Nair and a foreword by Swank, are interspersed throughout the book; these insightful observations muse about the making of the movie as well as the impact of Earhart’s accomplishments and legacy. Eloquent pull-out quotes from Earhart herself are prominently displayed in large pumpkin-orange type, inspiring teens to find out more about this compelling and free-spirited individual.
Allow your readers’ interests to take wing by supplying some riveting reads about this fascinating figure and an exhilarating era in American history. Packed with more than 300 contemporary photos and reproductions, Susan Wels’s Amelia Earhart: The Thrill of It, an eye-catching oversize volume published this month by Running Press, makes an ideal choice for young adult collections. Sprinkled throughout with quotes from Earhart and her contemporaries, the engaging narrative hits all of the highpoints of her career, provides insight into her personal life, and reveals the many nuances of her character. Much of the story is told through the numerous, well-chosen visual images, which capture all of the glamour of Earhart and her times. The final chapter fills readers in on the search for Amelia, theories about her mysterious disappearance, and the latest efforts to locate her aircraft. Clearly conveying Earhart’s zeal for life, this spellbinding book will grab teens from the first page and keep them reading to the very end.
Two thoroughly researched biographies written for adults have been referenced as source material for the movie screenplay. Mary S. Lovell’s well-written work, The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart (St. Martin’s Press, 1989), has been re-issued in a movie tie-in edition. Based on numerous primary source materials and interviews with family members and contemporaries, this book is both carefully detailed and appealingly readable. Lovell puts the focus on the relationship between Earhart and Putnam, describing the lives of both parties before they met and telling the story of a business affiliation that blossomed into an enduring emotional collaboration. The chapters are titled by year, making it easy for readers to seek out a particular portion of Earhart’s life. Maps and several pages of black-and-white photos are included, and an appendix covers the technical aspects of Earhart’s final flight and theories about her disappearance.
Susan Bulter’s East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart (Addison-Wesley, 1997) has been reissued by Da Capo Press with a movie-mention tagline. Butler views her subject as “a capable, caring, energetic woman who had succeeded in life beyond her wildest dreams. Yet…never lost sight of her beginnings, and took it as her mission…to show other women how to climb the ladder as she had, rung by rung.” The narrative provides a comprehensive look at Earhart’s family, childhood, career, and diverse endeavors. The level of detail is exhaustive, and while there might be more information here than most teens will read word for word, section divisions and the chronological organization make the book easy to dip in and out of. Those who stick with it will find that the author paints a multi-dimensional portrait of a woman who was much more than an aviation pioneer. Contemporary quotes are smoothly woven into the text, which is supplemented by two sections of captioned black-and-white photos. An unabridged audio CD version read by Anna Fields is available from Blackstone Audio Books.
Readers tantalized by the ambiguity of the pilot’s fate will enjoy Elgen M. Long and Marie K. Long’s Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved (Simon & Schuster, 1989),
recently re-issued in paperback. The book begins with a gripping chapter that describes Earhart’s fateful flight from the perspective of the cockpit, laying out the final sequence of events from her point of view. More than 25 years of research went into this thorough account of Earhart’s final adventure, which also details the complicated preparations made for the journey, each leg of the voyage, and the immediate aftermath of her disappearance. The authors carefully and clearly examine the evidence before drawing their conclusion. In addition to telling an enthralling tale, the text also provides a real sense of the hardships endured and challenges faced by early aviators. Maps and a section of black-and-white photos supplement the narrative.
Bernard Marck’s Women Aviators: From Amelia Earhart to Sally Ride, Making History in Air and Space, just published by Flammarion, provides a magnificent visual and verbal overview of “one hundred women who lived to fly!” Beginning with groundbreaking French pilot Marie Marvingt (1875-1963), the book spans the years to introduce an impressive flock of stereotype-shattering pilots all of whom embody tenacity, courage, and self-confidence. The lengthiest section covers “The Roaring Twenties,” introducing Earhart and many of her contemporaries. Written in a conversational tone, the text sparkles with entertaining anecdotes, lively language, and interesting facts. Large-size, gorgeously reproduced black-and-white archival photos fill the pages, providing a vivid look at these intrepid heroines and their changing times. In addition to Earhart followers, this fun-to-browse book will also grab the eye of aviation buffs and teens interested in women’s history.
Pub Info
Amelia: The Motion Picture. Rizzoli/Universe. Oct. 2009. Tr $35. ISBN 978-0-7893-1840-4.
WELS, Susan. Amelia Earhart: The Thrill of It. Running Press. Oct. 2009. Tr $35. ISBN 978-0-7624-3763-4.
LOVELL, Mary S. The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart. St. Martin’s Griffin. 2009. pap. $17.99. ISBN 978-0-312-58733-8.
BUTLER, Susan. East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart. Da Capo Press. 2009. pap. $15.95. ISBN 978-0-306-81837-0.
_____. East to the Dawn: The Life of Amelia Earhart. Read by Anna Fields. Blackstone Audio. 2009. 15 CDs. Lib. ed. $123. ISBN 978-1-4417-0687-4. Retail ed. $39.95. ISBN 978-1-4417-0689-8.
LONG, Elgen M. & Marie K. Long. Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved. S & S. Oct. 2009. pap. $15. ISBN 978-1-4391-6466-2.
MARCK, Bernard. Women Aviators: From Amelia Earhart to Sally Ride, Making History in Air and Space. Flammarion, dist. by Rizzoli. Tr $45. ISBN 978-2-0803-0108-6.
