The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee by Julie Leung (review)

Leung, Julie The Fearless Flights of Hazel Ying Lee; illus. by Julie Kwon. Little, 2021 [48p] Trade ed. ISBN 9780759554955 $18.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 6-9 yrs

Any woman with a dream of becoming a pilot faced an uphill battle in 1932, and for a Chinese-American woman the obstacles were even more daunting. Hazel Ying Lee of Portland, Oregon, nonetheless took a job as an elevator operator to bankroll flying lessons, earned her license, and was ready to leap into the fray when World War II arrived and the WASP (Women Airforce Service Pilots) was established as a civilian answer to the male pilot shortage. Qualified to pilot P-63 Kingcobra fighter planes, Lee was ranked among the cream of a already select cadre of women, but her skill could not shield her from tragedy; a control tower miscommunication led to a fatal two-plane crash and Lee died a soldier's death, even though years would pass before America formally recognized the heroism of the fallen WASP. Kwon's illustrations emphasize Lee's sparkle and determination but also turn an unflinching spotlight on the Kansas farmer who mistook Lee for a Japanese invader and on the grief of her family when Lee (and her deceased soldier brother) were initially denied burial in the whites-only section of a cemetery. Author notes expand Lee's story but do not address her time spent in China, leaving alert readers to ponder the gap between Lee's licensure and her enlistment in WASP. A list of multimedia resources is included, though, to direct further research.